Aristophanes

Socrates, Plato, and Piety: A Review of Emelyn-Jones’ article C. Emlyn-Jones had been following the scholarly debate regarding why Socrates was really on trial. He mentions two works in specific that provide what he considers mutually exclusive interpretations of the given evidence; one claiming impiety was “a front for the political charge” against the “strongly anti-democratic basis to Socrates’ teaching,” the other positing “a Socrates totally without irony and utterly sincere in his…

She takes the parts of truth in each speech and separates them from their false interpretation to get to the true nature of love. Such is the case when she criticizes Aristophanes’ conclusion, “ but I say that they are seeking neither for the half, nor for the whole, unless the half or whole be also a good” (Symposium 29). Aristophanes had thought that long ago people were cut in two by Zeus because they tried to get to the heavens (16). This is the same thing that Socrates does to Theaetitus…

In the Symposium, Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, Agathon, Socrates and Alcibiades all gather at Agathon’s residence to share a drink together. All of whom, not including Socrates, are part of the elite; intellectual and aristocratic. The reason for such a high profile gathering was their intention to celebrate Agathon’s victory at a contest; he was a playwright in tragedy. He is described as a young beautiful man with a superior command of words. Soon after their dinner, they…

The theatre began when the ritual played a role in the development of drama in the days of early people. The ancient societies used ritual to represent their understanding of the human condition and of the world around them . The ritual had a religious purpose, and instructive purpose. It was also a form of entertainment. There were common elements found in ritual such as music, dance and mask and costume. In the early years of the fifth century B.C, Greek literature, theatre, and culture…

Life can be messy and filled with complications. Throughout the journey of life, there are moments of ups and downs, triumphs and failures. One day a child might come home ecstatic that she got to pet a dog during show and tell. However, later in her life, she may realize that her family is being separated because her parents are getting a divorce. More bad news could keep piling up as she realizes that her father is being deployed overseas for an entire year. However, she tries to stay positive…

Greek theater evolved from festivals that honoured the Gods, and myths that the citizens were familiar with. Tragedy was adapted from folk hymns which were dedicated to the God of wine, Dionysus. These folk hymns were known as Dithyrambs and were performed in festivals to celebrate and respect the God (Gerber 13). Since theater was performed for the most sacred and honourable purposes it was treated with high esteem. Attending the theater was a civic duty and the people were paid to see…

way because we can’t live without the other half. Women can be single and independent like men with it still being socially acceptable. Women and men have no idea who’s to do what because of the way society has changed. In Lysistrata, a play by Aristophanes, humor is used in characterization to prove the conflict that men and women battle for dominance. “The battle between the sexes” is referring to men and women fighting for control trying to dominate over each other, they are fighting for…

In both life and literature, love exists as a hidden force that secretly drives all lives, propelling people's greatest desires and pushing them to extreme lengths if it means that they will get what they want. Love, in whatever form it comes in, will make people crazy. In fact, it will make them so crazy that centuries after a work has been written, students analyze the insanity behind the actions and the all powerful drive — love— that caused it. In Plato's Symposium, characters examine not…

Thesis statement Through the speeches by men, love is examined by men attending a symposium or a drinking party. The symposium has its main concerns with the beginning, the purpose and nature of affection and care. Therefore, love is the central theme in Plato’s dialogues in Symposium. Introduction The Symposium is a philosophical text written by Plato in approximately 386-370BC. It is a lively and entertaining book characterized by witty characterization which not only shares the concept of…

they now have. The reason that humans look different now, according to Aristophanes, is because they attempted to rebel against the Gods and as a punishment, they were split in half. After they were split, the two halves longed for each other. They made great efforts to form one whole being again and many died as a result. In order to solve this problem, Zeus made sexual intercourse possible. This, according to Aristophanes, is how the desire of human beings for each other started, “it…