A woman’s love with a man is seen as subservient in comparison to a man’s love with a boy. Pausanias proposes that Eros is not one, but two: heavenly love and common love. During his description of heavenly love he describes, “This goddess, whose descent is purely male (hence this love is for boys), is considerably older…” (Plato, 14) Essentially stating that women do not have the intellectual capacity to share wisdom with their partner and are unable to achieve “heavenly love” (Plato, 13). He then continues to say that those who are inspired by love are attracted to the male, “they find pleasure in what is by nature stronger and more intelligent.” describing the common love as love that is “felt by the vulgar, who are attracted to women.”
