Symposium

by Plato, Benjamin Jowett

Overview

During a lively dinner party, a series of speakers offer their views on eros or desire. They see love as a response to beauty, a cosmic force, a motive for social action and a means of ethical education. Through jokes and flirtation they reveal their attitudes to love and personal relationships. Aristophanes, the comic poet, tells a haunting myth about our long-lost unity as couples; since then, each of us has been looking for our 'other half'. Socrates radically rethinks the nature of love, and delivers a massive challenge to ancient -- and modern -- romanticism. Finally, the glamorous Alcibiades appears, drunk and supported by a courtesan, to tell us why he tried to seduce Socrates -- and why he failed.

Full of drama, humour and sharply drawn characters, the Symposium offers profound insights into gender roles, sex in society and the value of sublimating our basic instincts. Perhaps no other single work from antiquity retains such direct and immediate relevance for everyone today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609421533
Publisher:	Lits
Publication date:	12/27/2010
Pages:	110
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.38(d)

About the Author

Plato (c.427-347 BC) stands with Socrates and Aristotle as one of the shapers of the whole intellectual tradition of the West. He founded the Academy in Athens, the first permanent institution devoted to philosophical research and teaching, and theprototype of all Western universities.

Christopher Gill is a Professor of Ancient Thought at the University of Exeter. He has written widely on ancient philosophy and literature.

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
	Introduction	x
	The Symposium	1
	Notes	65
	Select Bibliography	85

Editorial Reviews

"A brilliant translation that gives new life to a classic. The introduction alone is worth the price of the text. Waterfield brings grace and style to the Symposium, brushing away the dust that pollutes the inferior, dead translations of the past."—William McTaggart, Westminster College

"The translation is quite good, remaining faithful to the original while flowing smoothly for the modern reader."—Ancient Philosophy

"Waterfield's translation is scholarly, yet in touch with the ZEITGEIST. More accessible than its predecessors, students will benefit from the refreshingly new tone of the introduction and translation. The notes and the index of names also add a fresh level of usefulness and a measure of charm."—Elf S. Raymond, Sarah Lawrence College

"Great. Superb notes. Informative but not pedantic."—Professor John R. Lenz, Drew University

"[The] introductory material is lucid and well-chosen."—Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"I like full Intro., marginal ref. numbers, excellent notes, size, and comfortable binding."—Madonna R. Adams, Pace University

"Waterfield's editions in the World's Classics series are superlative. Lucidly translated, his notes of explanation are, additionally, useful both to novice and to scholar."—Verna V. Gehring, Hood College

From the Publisher

Plato's SYMPOSIUM is often assigned, but is it actually read? As a written text, it's a challenging work. Listening is a much more accessible way to understand this classical work, as well as the rhetorical strategies of its speeches. The ensemble cast is well matched to recreating the famous dialogue and speeches. David Shaw-Parker is a wily and sophisticated Socrates. As the first speaker on the topic of Eros, Hayward Morse is a gentle and thoughtful Phaedrus. Tim Bentinck makes a lively but still articulate entrance for the drunken Alcibiades. Susan Sheridan is a stately Diotima. The recording is supported by notes containing background information on the text and Athenian society. R.F. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

FEB/MAR 07 - AudioFile