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Platos Symposium
Phaedrus, he said, the argument has not been is rightly named common, as the other love is set before us, I think, quite in the right form;—
called heavenly. All the gods ought to have praise we should not be called upon to praise Love in given to them, but not without distinction of such an indiscriminate manner. If there were their natures; and therefore I must try to distin-only one Love, then what you said would be well guish the characters of the two Loves. Now ac-enough; but since there are more Loves than tions vary according to the manner of their per-one,—should have begun by determining which formance. Take, for example, that which we are of them was to be the theme of our praises. I now doing, drinking, singing and talking—these will amend this defect; and first of all I will tell actions are not in themselves either good or evil, you which Love is deserving of praise, and then but they turn out in this or that way according try to hymn the praiseworthy one in a manner to the mode of performing them; and when well worthy of him. For we all know that Love is in-done they are good, and when wrongly done they separable from Aphrodite, and if there were only are evil; and in like manner not every love, but one Aphrodite there would be only one Love; but only that which has a noble purpose, is noble as there are two goddesses there must be two and worthy of praise. The Love who is the off-Loves. And am I not right in asserting that there spring of the common Aphrodite is essentially are two goddesses? The elder one, having no common, and has no discrimination, being such mother, who is called the heavenly Aphrodite—
as the meaner sort of men feel, and is apt to be she is the daughter of Uranus; the younger, who of women as well as of youths, and is of the body is the daughter of Zeus and Dione —her we call rather than of the soul—the most foolish beings common; and the Love who is her fellow-worker are the objects of this love which desires only to 44
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gain an end, but never thinks of accomplishing take them in their inexperience, and deceive the end nobly, and therefore does good and evil them, and play the fool with them, or run away quite indiscriminately. The goddess who is his from one to another of them. But the love of mother is far younger than the other, and she young boys should be forbidden by law, because was born of the union of the male and female, their future is uncertain; they may turn out good and partakes of both. But the offspring of the or bad, either in body or soul, and much noble heavenly Aphrodite is derived from a mother in enthusiasm may be thrown away upon them; in whose birth the female has no part,—she is from this matter the good are a law to themselves, the male only; this is that love which is of youths, and the coarser sort of lovers ought to be re-and the goddess being older, there is nothing of strained by force; as we restrain or attempt to wantonness in her. Those who are inspired by restrain them from fixing their affections on this love turn to the male, and delight in him women of free birth. These are the persons who who is the more valiant and intelligent nature; bring a reproach on love; and some have been any one may recognise the pure enthusiasts in led to deny the lawfulness of such attachments the very character of their attachments. For they because they see the impropriety and evil of love not boys, but intelligent beings whose rea-them; for surely nothing that is decorously and son is beginning to be developed, much about lawfully done can justly be censured. Now here the time at which their beards begin to grow.
and in Lacedaemon the rules about love are per-And in choosing young men to be their compan-plexing, but in most cities they are simple and ions, they mean to be faithful to them, and pass easily intelligible; in Elis and Boeotia, and in coun-their whole life in company with them, not to tries having no gifts of eloquence, they are very 45
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straightforward; the law is simply in favour of is to be ascribed to the evil condition of those these connexions, and no one, whether young who make them to be ill-reputed; that is to say, or old, has anything to say to their discredit; the to the self-seeking of the governors and the cow-reason being, as I suppose, that they are men of ardice of the governed; on the other hand, the few words in those parts, and therefore the lov-indiscriminate honour which is given to them in ers do not like the trouble of pleading their suit.
some countries is attributable to the laziness of In Ionia and other places, and generally in coun-those who hold this opinion of them. In our own tries which are subject to the barbarians, the country a far better principle prevails, but, as I custom is held to be dishonourable; loves of was saying, the explanation of it is rather per-youths share the evil repute in which philoso-plexing. For, observe that open loves are held to phy and gymnastics are held, because they are be more honourable than secret ones, and that inimical to tyranny; for the interests of rulers the love of the noblest and highest, even if their require that their subjects should be poor in spirit persons are less beautiful than others, is espe-
(compare Arist. Politics), and that there should cially honourable. Consider, too, how great is the be no strong bond of friendship or society among encouragement which all the world gives to the them, which love, above all other motives, is lover; neither is he supposed to be doing any-likely to inspire, as our Athenian tyrants learned thing dishonourable; but if he succeeds he is by experience; for the love of Aristogeiton and praised, and if he fail he is blamed. And in the the constancy of Harmodius had a strength pursuit of his love the custom of mankind allows which undid their power. And, therefore, the ill-him to do many strange things, which philoso-repute into which these attachments have fallen phy would bitterly censure if they were done 46
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from any motive of interest, or wish for office or when parents forbid their sons to talk with their power. He may pray, and entreat, and supplicate, lovers, and place them under a tutor’s care, who and swear, and lie on a mat at the door, and en-is appointed to see to these things, and their dure a slavery worse than that of any slave—in companions and equals cast in their teeth any-any other case friends and enemies would be thing of the sort which they may observe, and equally ready to prevent him, but now there is their elders refuse to silence the reprovers and no friend who will be ashamed of him and ad-do not rebuke them—any one who reflects on all monish him, and no enemy will charge him with this will, on the contrary, think that we hold these meanness or flattery; the actions of a lover have practices to be most disgraceful. But, as I was a grace which ennobles them; and custom has saying at first, the truth as I imagine is, that decided that they are highly commendable and whether such practices are honourable or that there no loss of character in them; and, what whether they are dishonourable is not a simple is strangest of all, he only may swear and for-question; they are honourable to him who fol-swear himself (so men say), and the gods will lows them honourably, dishonourable to him who forgive his transgression, for there is no such follows them dishonourably. There is dishonour thing as a lover’s oath. Such is the entire lib-in yielding to the evil, or in an evil manner; but erty which gods and men have allowed the lover, there is honour in yielding to the good, or in an according to the custom which prevails in our honourable manner. Evil is the vulgar lover who part of the world. From this point of view a man loves the body rather than the soul, inasmuch fairly argues that in Athens to love and to be as he is not even stable, because he loves a thing loved is held to be a very honourable thing. But which is in itself unstable, and therefore when 47
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the bloom of youth which he was desiring is over, things are of a permanent or lasting nature; not he takes wing and flies away, in spite of all his to mention that no generous friendship ever words and promises; whereas the love of the sprang from them. There remains, then, only one noble disposition is life-long, for it becomes one way of honourable attachment which custom with the everlasting. The custom of our country allows in the beloved, and this is the way of vir-would have both of them proven well and truly, tue; for as we admitted that any service which and would have us yield to the one sort of lover the lover does to him is not to be accounted flat-and avoid the other, and therefore encourages tery or a dishonour to himself, so the beloved some to pursue, and others to fly; testing both has one way only of voluntary service which is the lover and beloved in contests and trials, un-not dishonourable, and this is virtuous service.
til they show to which of the two classes they For we have a custom, and according to our respectively belong. And this is the reason why, custom any one who does service to another in the first place, a hasty attachment is held to under the idea that he will be improved by him be dishonourable, because time is the true test either in wisdom, or in some other particular of of this as of most other things; and secondly there virtue—such a voluntary service, I say, is not to is a dishonour in being overcome by the love of be regarded as a dishonour, and is not open to money, or of wealth, or of political power, whether the charge of flattery. And these two customs, a man is frightened into surrender by the loss of one the love of youth, and the other the practice them, or, having experienced the benefits of of philosophy and virtue in general, ought to money and political corruption, is unable to rise meet in one, and then the beloved may above the seductions of them. For none of these honourably indulge the lover. For when the lover 48
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and beloved come together, having each of them ciple he who gives himself to a lover because he a law, and the lover thinks that he is right in is a good man, and in the hope that he will be doing any service which he can to his gracious improved by his company, shows himself to be loving one; and the other that he is right in show-virtuous, even though the object of his affection ing any kindness which he can to him who is turn out to be a villain, and to have no virtue; making him wise and good; the one capable of and if he is deceived he has committed a noble communicating wisdom and virtue, the other error. For he has proved that for his part he will seeking to acquire them with a view to educa-do anything for anybody with a view to virtue tion and wisdom, when the two laws of love are and improvement, than which there can be noth-fulfilled and meet in one—then, and then only, ing nobler. Thus noble in every case is the accep-may the beloved yield with honour to the lover.
tance of another for the sake of virtue. This is Nor when love is of this disinterested sort is there that love which is the love of the heavenly godess, any disgrace in being deceived, but in every other and is heavenly, and of great price to individuals case there is equal disgrace in being or not be-and cities, making the lover and the beloved alike ing deceived. For he who is gracious to his lover eager in the work of their own improvement. But under the impression that he is rich, and is dis-all other loves are the offspring of the other, who appointed of his gains because he turns out to is the common goddess. To you, Phaedrus, I of-be poor, is disgraced all the same: for he has done fer this my contribution in praise of love, which his best to show that he would give himself up is as good as I could make extempore.
to any one’s ‘uses base’ for the sake of money; Pausanias came to a pause—this is the balanced but this is not honourable. And on the same prin-way in which I have been taught by the wise to 49
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speak; and Aristodemus said that the turn of I think that he has rightly distinguished two Aristophanes was next, but either he had eaten kinds of love. But my art further informs me that too much, or from some other cause he had the the double love is not merely an affection of the hiccough, and was obliged to change turns with soul of man towards the fair, or towards any-Eryximachus the physician, who was reclining thing, but is to be found in the bodies of all anion the couch below him. Eryximachus, he said, mals and in productions of the earth, and I may you ought either to stop my hiccough, or to speak say in all that is; such is the conclusion which I in my turn until I have left off.
seem to have gathered from my own art of medi-I will do both, said Eryximachus: I will speak cine, whence I learn how great and wonderful in your turn, and do you speak in mine; and while and universal is the deity of love, whose empire I am speaking let me recommend you to hold extends over all things, divine as well as human.
your breath, and if after you have done so for And from medicine I will begin that I may do some time the hiccough is no better, then gargle honour to my art. There are in the human body with a little water; and if it still continues, tickle these two kinds of love, which are confessedly your nose with something and sneeze; and if you different and unlike, and being unlike, they have sneeze once or twice, even the most violent hic-loves and desires which are unlike; and the de-cough is sure to go. I will do as you prescribe, sire of the healthy is one, and the desire of the said Aristophanes, and now get on.
diseased is another; and as Pausanias was just Eryximachus spoke as follows: Seeing that now saying that to indulge good men is Pausanias made a fair beginning, and but a lame honourable, and bad men dishonourable:—so too ending, I must endeavour to supply his deficiency.
in the body the good and healthy elements are 50
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to be indulged, and the bad elements and the are under his dominion. Any one who pays the elements of disease are not to be indulged, but least attention to the subject will also perceive discouraged. And this is what the physician has that in music there is the same reconciliation of to do, and in this the art of medicine consists: opposites; and I suppose that this must have been for medicine may be regarded generally as the the meaning of Heracleitus, although his words knowledge of the loves and desires of the body, are not accurate; for he says that The One is and how to satisfy them or not; and the best united by disunion, like the harmony of the bow physician is he who is able to separate fair love and the lyre. Now there is an absurdity saying from foul, or to convert one into the other; and that harmony is discord or is composed of ele-he who knows how to eradicate and how to im-ments which are still in a state of discord. But plant love, whichever is required, and can rec-what he probably meant was, that harmony is oncile the most hostile elements in the constitu-composed of differing notes of higher or lower tion and make them loving friends, is a skilful pitch which disagreed once, but are now recon-practitioner. Now the most hostile are the most ciled by the art of music; for if the higher and opposite, such as hot and cold, bitter and sweet, lower notes still disagreed, there could be no moist and dry, and the like. And my ancestor, harmony,—clearly not. For harmony is a sym-Asclepius, knowing how to implant friendship phony, and symphony is an agreement; but an and accord in these elements, was the creator of agreement of disagreements while they disagree our art, as our friends the poets here tell us, and there cannot be; you cannot harmonize that I believe them; and not only medicine in every which disagrees. In like manner rhythm is com-branch but the arts of gymnastic and husbandry pounded of elements short and long, once differ-51
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ing and now in accord; which accordance, as in be enjoyed, but may not generate licentiousness; the former instance, medicine, so in all these just as in my own art it is a great matter so to other cases, music implants, making love and regulate the desires of the epicure that he may unison to grow up among them; and thus music, gratify his tastes without the attendant evil of too, is concerned with the principles of love in disease. Whence I infer that in music, in medi-their application to harmony and rhythm. Again, cine, in all other things human as well as divine, in the essential nature of harmony and rhythm both loves ought to be noted as far as may be, there is no difficulty in discerning love which for they are both present.
has not yet become double. But when you want The course of the seasons is also full of both to use them in actual life, either in the composi-these principles; and when, as I was saying, the tion of songs or in the correct performance of elements of hot and cold, moist and dry, attain airs or metres composed already, which latter is the harmonious love of one another and blend called education, then the difficulty begins, and in temperance and harmony, they bring to men, the good artist is needed. Then the old tale has animals, and plants health and plenty, and do to be repeated of fair and heavenly love—the love them no harm; whereas the wanton love, get-of Urania the fair and heavenly muse, and of the ting the upper hand and affecting the seasons of duty of accepting the temperate, and those who the year, is very destructive and injurious, being are as yet intemperate only that they may be-the source of pestilence, and bringing many other come temperate, and of preserving their love; kinds of diseases on animals and plants; for hoar-and again, of the vulgar Polyhymnia, who must frost and hail and blight spring from the excesses be used with circumspection that the pleasure and disorders of these elements of love, which 52
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to know in relation to the revolutions of the heav-whether among gods or men, has the greatest enly bodies and the seasons of the year is termed power, and is the source of all our happiness and astronomy. Furthermore all sacrifices and the harmony, and makes us friends with the gods whole province of divination, which is the art of who are above us, and with one another. I dare communion between gods and men—these, I say, say that I too have omitted several things which are concerned only with the preservation of the might be said in praise of Love, but this was not good and the cure of the evil love. For all man-intentional, and you, Aristophanes, may now ner of impiety is likely to ensue if, instead of supply the omission or take some other line of accepting and honouring and reverencing the commendation; for I perceive that you are rid of harmonious love in all his actions, a man honours the hiccough.
the other love, whether in his feelings towards Yes, said Aristophanes, who followed, the hic-gods or parents, towards the living or the dead.
cough is gone; not, however, until I applied the Wherefore the business of divination is to see to sneezing; and I wonder whether the harmony of these loves and to heal them, and divination is the body has a love of such noises and ticklings, the peacemaker of gods and men, working by a for I no sooner applied the sneezing than I was knowledge of the religious or irreligious tenden-cured.
cies which exist in human loves. Such is the great Eryximachus said: Beware, friend Aristophanes, and mighty, or rather omnipotent force of love although you are going to speak, you are making in general. And the love, more especially, which fun of me; and I shall have to watch and see is concerned with the good, and which is per-whether I cannot have a laugh at your expense, fected in company with temperance and justice, when you might speak in peace.