Aristophanes Speech On Individualism

“The Speech of Aristophanes” from Plato’s Symposium embodies how love and relationships are traditionally viewed in many, if not all, cultures around the world. Aristophanes’ story supports the conventional notion that the main purpose in every person’s life is to seek completion of him or herself by finding his or her significant other. Over time, however, people’s values have evolved--diverging from those outlined in Aristophanes’ speech and growing to focus primarily on individualism. “The Story of Qamar al-Zaman and His Two Sons, Amjad and As’ad” was one of the first pieces of writing to defy the traditional dynamics of romantic relationships by advocating the importance of developing one’s self before finding a partner; thereby helping gain momentum for the rapid spread of individualism in western cultures. …show more content…
After Princess Budur and Qamar al-Zaman had met and determined that they were meant to be together, they immediately became infatuated with one another and lost sight of what used …show more content…
Even though it was radical at the time to challenge this traditional point of view, the author of “The Story of Qamar al-Zaman” fearlessly did so in an effort to bring attention to the importance of the shaping of the individual before seeking a romantic partner--thus paving the way for the modern take on love and