The Symposium

Set in ancient Athens, Symposium follows a group of philosophers attending a banquet and indulging in banter, squaring off in a friendly battle of speeches. Plato included Socrates as one of the characters, which is thought to be a criticism of Socrates and his philosophy as against the previous belief that it is a fitting tribute to his teacher. However, multiple traditional views of this book suggest the latter to be true.Considered one of Plato’s most impactful works, Symposium was showered with heavy praise for the style of writing and philosophy. The men in this philosophical text are required to sing praises to Eros, the god of love, desire, and valour. While the book was written in dialogue form – a literary technique that Plato used in many of his works – he seems to have been lenient with its usage, especially since Socrates had a different approach to the topic at hand in this storyline. Symposium is viewed as a work of great importance in the philosophical tradition. It laid the foundation of the idea of ‘Platonic Love’ – one that transcends desire and sexual gratification. This particular edition of the book has been translated by Benjamin Jowett, who was a famed administrator, tutor, theologian, and reformer of his own times, and went on to translate many of Plato’s dialogues from ancient Greek into English.