Alcibiades

At the same time, he also calls Alcibiades a Satyr. Satyrs are small goat-men who carry around flutes and play songs. In ancient mythology, their songs could often manipulate others into sleep or do as the Satyr pleased. Satyrs are often not described as beautiful creatures on the outside, but their songs are mesmerizing. By calling Socrates a Satyr, Alcibiades is referring to the fact that Socrates is not beautiful on the outside, but his wisdom…

examine not only the modern phenomenon of love, but also the god of love, Eros, and his intricate character. Concepts of love brought up by other characters of the Symposium are reflected in Alcibiades desires and mirror the story that Alcibiades tells in his speech about his relationship with Socrates. Alcibiades seems so fixated on reaching the highest level of the ascent of Eros, beauty itself, that he is blinded and unable to see his own tragic vision of love. At the start of his speech,…

accordingly and made sure that they would be properly financed then it would not have been such a catastrophe disaster. The second reason I believe for the Athenian failure was the recall of Alcibiades. He was a man of his people and very charismatic. The only reason the Athenian people put up with Alcibiades behavior for so long was due to the power of his speechmaking. The charisma was needed when the Athenians finally got tired of him back home. This de-motivated the troops and indeed…

Alcibiades complains that Socrates has not been a good lover to him and has never loved him. He felt Socrates makes him feel belittled and that his life is worthless. He complains that Socrates is leading him on in their relationship by engaging in Alcibiades activities and not pursuing him. Alcibiades is giving and showing Socrates everything he has to offer but Socrates does not appreciate it and just dismisses him. Socrates is not taking his gestures seriously which is making Alcibiades feel…

did not have the right resources nor executed the right strategy; this was mainly due to lack of planning and a lack of willingness to adjust. Maybe if they had planned accordingly to their strengths. Another reason was because of the recall of Alcibiades. This de-motivated the troops due to the fact that he was such an aggressive and arrogant person, and they believed in him and wanted to follow…

because it promotes internal turmoil and glorifies selfish love which encourages horrific acts such as rape. For example, in Symposium, Alcibiades discuss how when Socrates, the man he loves, makes speeches he "makes it seem that [Alcibiades'] life isn't worth living" (S 901), and that "Socrates is the only man in the world who has made me feel shame" (S 902). Alcibiades had been living his life free of agony before he began feeling this intense love for Socrates. He becomes so ravaged by this…

With enough practice and experience, different forms of communication can be used towards our benefit. The ability to persuade others means being able to alter people’s behavior and opinion towards a particular subject matter. In a democratic society, which literally translates to ‘the rule of the people’ from the Greek word demokratia, persuasion is an important tool for a democratic leader. Authors and Historians Plutarch, Thucydides, and Steven Pressfield provides us with examples of…

satisfied in doing so. Alcibiades provides a strong example of this: he loved Socrates, and his love was based on far more than Socrates’ beauty; as a result, he was unable to move on from loving Socrates and begin loving the beauty of all humans, which he would have done if Plato’s theory of love were applicable to him. Although Plato’s theory of love is applicable to concepts that are a means to another end, like learning, Aristophanes’ theory of love is much more applicable to Alcibiades and…

As so eloquently defined in the dictionary, the word “symposium” is described as a convivial party in which guests partake in the interchanging of ideas. Thus, in Plato’s aptly named Symposium, a group of partygoers participates in a roundabout style of praise to Eros, the god of love. The structure of the text is simple and yet complex at the same time, allowing the reader to see love from many perspectives from different types of people. And yet, amongst the deep philosophical nature of the…

In Plato's Symposium, three main speeches/eulogies addressed by Aristophanes, Socrates and Alcibiades achieved deeper thought than others. These dialects contain strengths and weaknesses for approaching of understanding love as well as a conflict on the superiority of which individuals should abide by. Aristophanes’ accounts for the origin of love as being due to people originally having been welded with twice as many limbs and organs but forced to being split into halves by the gods as a…