Aristophanes Account of Love in Platos Symposium Essay Example for Free

Aristophanes Account of Love in Platos Symposium EssayPlatos Symposium contains several intriguing accounts of the disposition of love. Describe in detail either the account of love offered by Aristophanes or Socrates/Diotima. What arguments could be give for thinking that this is the correct conception of love? DO you find this account compelling? Be certain to explain you reasons for taking the position that you do. The Symposium, written by Plato, is an account of the different speeches given during a dinner party party. Each speech given is by a different person and severally speech is the speaker systems own theory on love. An intriguing speech given is the one by Aristophanes, the comedian. In Aristophanes speech he starts out by saying that he has a thought of plan for how homo might have come to be the way they be now. His speech is based completely on a madeup fancy that he came up with. He describes the natural track of humans as devil technically connected hu mans that together form a perfect sphere. The humans in this form had three genders. The genders were either made up of male-male, male-female, or female-female.The male-male gender was superior, as coinciding with this time, and was the offspring of the temperateness the cheer often referred to as a god. The androgynous gender, or male-female, was the offspring of the moon. The moon shares both the sun and the earth. The female-female then were offspring of the earth. The earth was not highly thought of, just being where humans lived and so quite used and abused 190b. These humans all made an attempt to attack the gods which then caused the gods to pullulate retaliatory action back.The gods decided that the human race could not be wiped out completely because that would bear off the worship and sacrifices the gods receive. Zeus, instead, decided to cut the beings in two 190d. Now, since their natural form had been cut in two each one longed for its own other half 191b. This i s where Aristophanes theory on love comes to. He believed each person has another half, or soul mate, they are in search of. Love is born into each human being 191d it calls back the halves of our original nature together. Aristophanes suggests that one is in never-ending search of their other half that tallyes, then once found the bank they had felt because of having been separated is now healed. The two are struck from their sensesdont want to be separated from one another, not even for a moment 192c. In one way I find Aristophanes argument correct. People do await to be in constant search for whom they want, or sometimes feel they are meant to be with. It is truly interesting, however, that Aristophanes relates ones longing and desire as a form of punishment.In the tory the longing and desire came as a punishment from the gods the only cure for this was when the two halves were reunited. Aristophanes makes it clear two halves are meant to be together but he also contradicts his own statement, whenever one of the halves died and one was left, the one that was left cool it sought another and wove itself together with that191b-191c. If two halves have a certain match that they are ever in constant search of, and are meant to be with, wouldnt it only make sense that there would then not be another being that one could simply find and then fluctuate itself with.As I previously stated, I agree with Aristophanes in one way. I think that the idea of two people being meant to be together is plausible. People are always in constant search for a soul mate. Not necessarily the one per say, but a person they merchant ship spend the rest of their life with. There are billions of people in the world are I think it is very possible to have multiple compatible people who can fall in love. Thus, I agree more with Aristophanes own contradiction of himself there are multiple people who match up together and get woven together in the right way.