The Symposium, by Plato and Arcadia by Tom Stoppard are two novels that deal with the meaning of the word love and the expressions and actions that are brought on as results of it. Plato delivers a number of perspectives on love in his novel. Different characters at a dinner party give their perspectives about the definition of love. The definition seems to become closer to the truth as more characters take their turn to speak. The Symposium is told to the reader by Apollodorous as told to him by Aristodemus about the ‘dinner party.’ After the guests have eaten, it is suggested that all give speeches to honor the god of Love. Phaedrus goes first and describes love as a force that acts upon and exists between people. He also proposes that love ensures courage and happiness. Pausanias elaborates on this idea by speaking of two types of love, Heavenly and Common. He also talks about appropriate types of love. Eryximachus sees order as the driving principle of love. He thinks that conflicting elements will make perfectly balanced love. Aristophanes tells a myth about three genders in hopes to explain how love guides us towards those who are close in nature with us. After Agathon speaks about love, Socrates argues that Ag
. . .
The lover should teach virtue to the loved one and in return receive gratification. When he proposes that Byron killed Chater in a duel, Hannah, Valentine, and Chloe all disagree. Thomasina and Septimus represent a typical relationship where the older man, tries to seduce the younger girl. He suggests that Hannah should, “…let yourself go a bit. The play suggests that it is this desire that causes the disorder in an otherwise orderly world. Socrates attempts to explain what Love is itself by relaying a story he was once told by Diotima. He, like Hannah is also proud of his work, but tends to draw conclusions from unproved information. This relationship can be compared to the relationship between Hannah Jarvis and Valentine Coverly in the present.
The relationship between Thomasina and Septimus exemplifies the definition of love as given by Pausanias in The Symposium. People are attracted to those other than their spouses and seem unable to avoid the misfortune that often results. Conflicting elements equals perfectly balanced love. Thomasina is thirteen at the time and Septimus is 9 years older than her.
Approximate Word count =
1601
Approximate Pages =
6 (250 words per page double spaced)
Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.
| CREDIT CARD |
ONLINE CHECK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
JOIN BY PHONE
|
|
|