The Symposium of Plato

PREFACE

Plato's Symposium is undeniably one of the masterpieces of classical literature. The most subtle and brilliant of Greek prose artists has left us no finer, no more fascinating specimen of his skill than this dialogue. In it, he takes the throbbing pulse of life as his theme and matches that subject with the dramatic energy and vigor of his style. The book's interest is not merely literary or philosophical; it also appeals to a wider circle of those who study culture and the "criticism of life" A phrase often associated with Matthew Arnold, referring to literature’s role in evaluating human experience. through its richness of suggestion and vivid character portraits. To mention just one point: nowhere else, not even in the Phaedo, does the personality of Socrates shine before us so fully and clearly—"in form and gesture so express and admirable" A quotation from Shakespeare's Hamlet (Act 2, Scene 2).—as in the pages of the Symposium. To miss reading it is to miss the enjoyment of a true hestiama logon original: "ἑστίαμα λόγων" meaning a "feast of words" or "banquet of discourse.", blended and seasoned with curious art.

In preparing this edition, I have been indebted mainly to the work of continental scholars, for the sufficient, if surprising, reason that no English commentary existed before now. Indeed, this singular fact, along with the recent publication of an interesting papyrus fragment of the text, prompted me to attempt a commentary myself. On many of the fascinating questions connected with the literary form and philosophical substance of the dialogue, much more could have been said, but I have thought it best to keep both the Introduction and the Notes within a moderate compass. In the framing of the...