Plato's Symposium

E15103
Socratic dialogue ancient Greek literature work philosophical dialogue

Plato's Symposium is a classical Greek philosophical dialogue that explores the nature of love (eros) through a series of speeches at a drinking party, culminating in Socrates’ account of Diotima’s ladder of love.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (6)

Surface form Occurrences
Plato’s Symposium 2
Diotima's ladder of love 1
Pausanias’ speech in the Symposium 1

Statements (55)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Socratic dialogue ⓘ
ancient Greek literature work ⓘ
philosophical dialogue ⓘ
author Plato ⓘ
centralImage ladder of love ⓘ
containsDoctrine Plato's Symposium self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Diotima's ladder of love
describes ascent from love of bodies to love of the Form of Beauty ⓘ
doctrineExplainedBy Diotima of Mantinea ⓘ
surface form: Diotima
doctrineReportedBy Socrates ⓘ
featuresCharacter Agathon ⓘ
Alcibiades ⓘ
Apollodorus of Athens ⓘ
surface form: Apollodorus

Aristodemus ⓘ
Aristophanes ⓘ
Diotima of Mantinea ⓘ
Eryximachus ⓘ
Pausanias ⓘ
Phaedrus ⓘ
Socrates ⓘ
genre dialogue ⓘ
historicalContext classical Athens ⓘ
includesSpeechBy Agathon ⓘ
Alcibiades ⓘ
Aristophanes ⓘ
Eryximachus ⓘ
Pausanias ⓘ
Phaedrus ⓘ
Socrates ⓘ
influenced Christian theology of love ⓘ
Renaissance Platonism ⓘ
later philosophy of love ⓘ
modern literary theory ⓘ
literaryForm symposium literature ⓘ
mainTheme beauty ⓘ
eros ⓘ
nature of love ⓘ
philosophical ascent ⓘ
narrativeForm frame narrative ⓘ
narrator Apollodorus of Athens ⓘ
surface form: Apollodorus
occasion celebration of Agathon's tragic victory ⓘ
originalLanguage Ancient Greek ⓘ
philosophicalFocus erotic love ⓘ
immortality through love ⓘ
relationship between love and beauty ⓘ
philosophicalTradition Platonism ⓘ
relatedConcept Forms ⓘ
philosophical eros ⓘ
the Form of Beauty ⓘ
relatedWorkByAuthor Phaedrus ⓘ
surface form: Plato's Phaedrus

Republic, Book VII (Allegory of the Cave) ⓘ
surface form: Plato's Republic
setting Athens ⓘ
a drinking party ⓘ
settingTime late 5th century BCE ⓘ
structure series of speeches ⓘ
titleInGreek Συμπόσιον ⓘ

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Platonism → associatedWork → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
Plato's Symposium → containsDoctrine → Plato's Symposium self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Diotima's ladder of love
Xenophon’s Symposium → contrastsWith → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
this entity surface form: Plato’s Symposium
Serenade after Plato's Symposium → inspiredBy → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
this entity surface form: Symposium by Plato
Critobulus → mentionedIn → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
Diotima of Mantinea → mentionedIn → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
Plato → notableWork → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
this entity surface form: Symposium
Alcibiades → portrayedIn → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
Socrates → portrayedIn → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
Diotima of Mantinea → primaryWorkContext → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
this entity surface form: Symposium (dialogue)
Eryximachus → sourceText → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
this entity surface form: Plato’s Symposium
Pausanias → topicOf → Plato's Symposium ⓘ
this entity surface form: Pausanias’ speech in the Symposium