Diotima of Mantinea
E74294
Diotima of Mantinea is a possibly fictional female philosopher and priestess in Plato’s Symposium who teaches Socrates about the nature of love and the ascent to the Form of Beauty.
Aliases (1)
- Diotima ×2
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Platonic character
→
ancient Greek figure → philosopher → priestess → |
| associatedWith |
Mantinea
→
Mantinea in Arcadia → |
| conceptAssociated |
Form of Beauty
→
Ladder of Love → philosophical midwifery of souls → spiritual procreation → |
| culturalContext |
Classical Greece
→
|
| describedAs |
a priestess
→
a seer → wise → |
| fieldOfActivity |
philosophy of love
→
religious practice → |
| gender |
female
→
|
| historicity |
possibly fictional
→
|
| influenced |
Platonic philosophy of love
→
later philosophical discussions of eros → |
| interpretedBy |
classical philologists
→
feminist philosophers → historians of philosophy → |
| languageContext |
Ancient Greek literature
→
|
| legacy |
central figure in interpretations of Platonic eros
→
symbol of female wisdom in ancient philosophy → |
| mentionedIn |
Plato's Symposium
→
|
| narrativeFunction |
female authority on love surpassing Socrates
→
|
| philosophicalMethod |
mythic and religious discourse to explain philosophical ideas
→
|
| philosophicalTheme |
beauty
→
contemplation of Forms → erotic love → immortality through procreation and creation → |
| portrayedAs |
having delayed a plague at Athens through sacrifices (in Symposium)
→
|
| primaryWorkContext |
Symposium (dialogue)
→
|
| relationshipToPlato |
character used by Plato to articulate his doctrine of love
→
|
| religiousRole |
priestess involved in rites concerning love and fertility (as portrayed by Plato)
→
|
| roleInSymposium |
expounder of the Ladder of Love
→
source of Socrates' speech on love → |
| scholarlyDebate |
whether she was a historical person or a literary creation
→
|
| sourceOfAccount |
Socrates (as reported by Plato)
→
|
| teacherOf |
Socrates
→
|
| teachesAbout |
love (Eros)
→
the ascent to the Form of Beauty → |
| textualStatus |
known only from Plato's writings
→
|
| timePeriod |
5th century BCE (dramatic setting)
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Plato's Symposium
→
Συμπόσιον ("Diotima") → |
featuresCharacter |
|
Plato's Symposium
("Diotima")
→
|
doctrineExplainedBy |