Beginning with Plato’s Symposium, many have written about their opinion on the nature of love. Plato’s work is often consulted to understand Ancient Greek society and explain love and sexual behavior. Throughout history, others choose to voice their opinion on the nature of love. There were multiple published works on the topic in the 1500s, but Tullia d’Aragona’s writings were some of the most progressive for the time. She speaks on issues women face, such as status and equality. Tullia d’Aragona’s Dialogue on the Infinity of Love provides a look into contemporary beliefs pertaining to love in 1500s Italy. When compared to The Symposium, it’s easy to see how beliefs thousands of years earlier continued to affect society. Throughout the
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Even as it opens, we have similarities to The Symposium. Dialogue opens as a discussion among friends. Benedetto Varchi, a poet, enters the scene where Tullia and a Doctor Benucci are speaking. Tullia presents to him their topic of debate: can love be endless, or does one always love within bounds? (Tullia) After a discussion clarifying terms, Varchi argues that love is within end. If “end” and “aim” are one in the same, and “love” is the same as “to love”, then love is without end. Tullia is unconvinced and insists men stop loving after having made love (Tullia). Varchi responds by claiming love is infinite while loving; when one stops loving, the question no longer pertains (Tullia). Tullia uses a Socratic style to reduce his argument. She introduces the Aristotelian principle which claims infinity does not exist in reality; it is only a concept (Tullia). Lovers, once achieving something, want something more but can never be fully satisfied, proving that their desire is …show more content…
These works are interesting for the context they provide of past societies. They illustrate common societal and sexual practices along with issues of gender common in their eras. It would be intriguing to consider what would be included in a modern day dialogue on love. The issues women face today would be debated, such as full equality for women at scale, reproduction rights, and violence against women. The objectification of women is unavoidable in popular culture today. Some believe this to be inherently harmful to women while others view it as freeing and women exercising control over their bodies. Prostitution’s place in society would be debated as well. While some consider it to be morally condemnable, prostitution is a valid form of work for many women. Prosecuting these women does nothing to alleviate the situation, especially in cases where policing endangers regulations put in place by workers. Same-sex marriage has been on an international stage in our times and is now legal in a majority of the United States. In hindsight, it’s hard to imagine such oppressive policies and beliefs being common in society, as they were in Ancient Greece and even Tullia’s contemporary Italy. However, people in the future will have similar views regarding our society today. Progress is made slowly and incrementally, but more can always be done to advance our society to be more
Even as it opens, we have similarities to The Symposium. Dialogue opens as a discussion among friends. Benedetto Varchi, a poet, enters the scene where Tullia and a Doctor Benucci are speaking. Tullia presents to him their topic of debate: can love be endless, or does one always love within bounds? (Tullia) After a discussion clarifying terms, Varchi argues that love is within end. If “end” and “aim” are one in the same, and “love” is the same as “to love”, then love is without end. Tullia is unconvinced and insists men stop loving after having made love (Tullia). Varchi responds by claiming love is infinite while loving; when one stops loving, the question no longer pertains (Tullia). Tullia uses a Socratic style to reduce his argument. She introduces the Aristotelian principle which claims infinity does not exist in reality; it is only a concept (Tullia). Lovers, once achieving something, want something more but can never be fully satisfied, proving that their desire is …show more content…
These works are interesting for the context they provide of past societies. They illustrate common societal and sexual practices along with issues of gender common in their eras. It would be intriguing to consider what would be included in a modern day dialogue on love. The issues women face today would be debated, such as full equality for women at scale, reproduction rights, and violence against women. The objectification of women is unavoidable in popular culture today. Some believe this to be inherently harmful to women while others view it as freeing and women exercising control over their bodies. Prostitution’s place in society would be debated as well. While some consider it to be morally condemnable, prostitution is a valid form of work for many women. Prosecuting these women does nothing to alleviate the situation, especially in cases where policing endangers regulations put in place by workers. Same-sex marriage has been on an international stage in our times and is now legal in a majority of the United States. In hindsight, it’s hard to imagine such oppressive policies and beliefs being common in society, as they were in Ancient Greece and even Tullia’s contemporary Italy. However, people in the future will have similar views regarding our society today. Progress is made slowly and incrementally, but more can always be done to advance our society to be more