Aristophanes

the two views of love. If we choose the path Socrates has delineated, rising to the Good, we are unable to take the first step on the ladder as long as we reflect on Alcibiadies and Aristophanes. An individual can only fully follow Socrates if they are persuaded of his account to be true, but Alcibiadies and Aristophanes makes us think otherwise. Alcibiadies and Aristopahnes causes the individual to question the pursuit of the Good by making the person think they are sacrificing something; so…

“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…

Alike Aristophanes’ tale, falling in love cannot be justified and neither can the symptoms that accompany the condition. Attempting to justify love with logic and science as one would with other concepts can only result in confusion and failure. Instead, it is wise…

and his contemporary, Aristophanes. When Aristophanes and Plato’s works are compared, it is evident that they show many inconsistencies and do not accurately portray Socrates. This is because each author has a different agenda behind their works. Aristophanes, in his work, attempts to portray Socrates as a sophist with no moral center who is capable of corrupting the youth; while Plato, in his work, attempts to correct Socrates images and describes him as a…

own fascinating way of describing this phenomenon, but two philosophers- Aristophanes and Diotima- sparked more questions and arguments than any others. Aristophanes was a famously known comical poet in the ancient times and Diotima was a woman who Socrates claimed to met years back who passed on her wisdom on the subject of love. Although both speeches are completely different in style, tone and context, both Aristophanes and Diotima essentially build off of each other’s ideas. Aristophanes's…

create an image of him and his scope using the works of Aristophanes and Plato; specifically Clouds, Ion and The Republic. Even though Socrates’ thoughts and ideas were never personally composed, one can dissect the works of these authors in order to adequately gain an understanding of Socrates’ convictions as a philosopher. There is a solid distinction between the two authors; Plato wrote mostly philosophical dialogues, whereas Aristophanes was a comedic playwright. It is also worth mentioning…

Lust in Aristophanes’ Lysistrata is described as a very strong want of sexual desire. In this play, Lysistrata rebels against the Spartan and Athenian war that lasts a great amount of time and motivates the women of Greece to strike against their men by pledging an oath of celibacy until those same men put down their arms in efforts to end the war. This medium for literature not only emphasizes the extremity of the war at hand, but also uses comedy to undermine the commentary of political…

will argue that Aristophanes oration on Love in Plato’s The Symposium is on the lowest and highest level of knowledge on Plato’s simile of the line. First, I will present Aristophanes major points on love. Second I will explain the crietion that I will use to analyze Aristophanes oration on love, which is Plato’s simile of the line. Third, I will argue that according to Plato’s simile of the line, Aristophanes oration on love falls in the levels of images and the Forms. Aristophanes’ oration…

education, and finding the right place to give you the education that you need. No matter what education plays a key role in everyday life and society. According to Aristophanes, Socrates runs the Thinkery. In the Thinkery, the students are taught to make an argument that will be believed rather than an argument that is morally correct. Aristophanes presents the Thinkery as bad because his intentions show what a school shouldn’t be because of the Arguments that are being formed, what form of…

Aristophanes and Aquinas disagree completely on the topic of material possessions. They are as divergent in opinions are they are in writing style, with the former’s plays in support of the inevitable power of business and the latter’s articles condemning the immorality of wealth. Aristophanes believes money to be the absolute power, that men are helpless before it and should not try to escape it, but instead make the best they can of it and then enjoy the fruits of their labor. He thinks that…