Speech Of Alcibiades Speech - 1140 Words

The entrance of Alcibiades to symposium shifts the dialogue and suggests the reader his speech must be considered separate from the previous speeches. The first five speeches; the speech of Phaedrus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, and Agathon contradicted each other and were reconciled in Diotima’s speech about love as in between mortal and immortal, in between beauty and ugliness, and in between wisdom and ignorance. To achieve it, one must give birth to true virtue. () However, Alcibiades speech changes the topic of the conversation from praising Eros/love, to praising Socrates. While the topic changed and this speech is separate, Alcibiades’ speech unknowingly to him, illustrates the arguments Diotima made about love by†¦show more content†¦Socrates’ words have a strong effect on Alcibiades, unlike any other, so much so that he makes him feel trapped and as if his political career is a waste. Socrates is the only person who has made him feel shame and a desire to change and pursue good things. However, when he’s away from Socrates he aims to please the crowd. The emotions are strong enough to make Alcibiades want Socrates gone, but he knows he’ll be more miserable if he is. Alcibiades asserts that Socrates pretends to be erotically attracted to beautiful younger men and be completely ignorant, but that these are all covers.In fact, he lives with great moderation, is very wise and has no interest in bodily concerns instead he desires beauty and good things. At one point, Alcibiades became aware of Socrates great wisdom, he hoped to seduce with his good looks to become Socrates’ beloved in order to learn some wisdom from him. However, when he finds himself alone with Socrates, Socrates just converses with him as he always does, not making any kinds of advances. On one occasion, he went with Socrates to the gymnasium and they wrestled together, alone, but Socrates still made no advances. Alcibiades best efforts, he has never managed to seduce Socrates as Socrates has no interest at all in physical pleasure. Alcibiades’ frustration is the confusion he ends up feeling with their relationship, where he seems to be the pursuer and Socrates the pursued. The element of roleShow MoreRelatedSpeech On Love It Is The Most Important1607 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Symposium Diotima’s speech on love it is the most important, therefore she should be the last speech to help impact the overall meaning. Although, she actually is not the last speech, Alcibiades is. This leads to questioning over why Alcibiades is at the end if the speech is just drunken madness. Diotima’s speech focuses on love and places important emphasis on the idea of beauty pertaining to love. She also focuses on the way a boy and a man’s relationship are centered around love becauseRead MoreThe Teachings Of Phaedrus And Alcibiades1040 Words   |  5 Pagespowerful in helping men gain virtue and blessedness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Sym. 180B). Alcibiades is the perfect example of shame when he speaks about Socrates. He says that â€Å"Socrates is the only man in the world who has made [him] feel shame†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Sym. 216B). Alcibiades adds that Socrates traps him and tells him that his political career is a waste while his personal shortcomings should take the center stage in his life; this is Socrates trying to teach Alcibiades virtue. His statement proves that Phaedrus was true in what heRead MorePlato s Symposium : The Nature Of Love1320 Words   |  6 PagesSocrates, Alcibiades, and Aristophanes are of main focus, as their similarities and differences help the reader to decide the truth of the nature of love. Throughout the Symposium, the accounts of love vary from speaker to speaker. The speech given by Socrates differentiates from the viewpoints of Alcibiades and Aristophanes, as well as all of the other speeches given. While Alcibiades, Aristophanes, and the other speakers in the Symposium focus on love of the individual, Socrates speech focuses onRead MoreEssay Aristotelian’s Normative Concept of Friendship1475 Words   |  6 Pagesof which Socrates’ and Alcibiades’ relationship can be ascribed to. To achieve this endeavor, one will need to understand Aristotle’s notion of perfect friendship based on reciprocal goodwill and virtue, and imperfect friendship based on utility and pleasure. By applying these evaluative aspects according to Socrates’ and Alcibiades’ characteristics and disposition in pursuing a friendship, the categories of their friendships are well elucidated. The friendship that Alcibiades seeks to obtain is thatRead MoreAnalys is Of The Book His Work Memorabilia 1169 Words   |  5 Pagesand rhetorical scrutiny. 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