Plato: Symposium

Plato's Symposium—the most literary and beloved of all Platonic dialogues, presenting a series of brilliant speeches on love (eros) that ascend from physical desire to philosophical wisdom, culminating in Socrates' account of love as the soul's longing for eternal Beauty and the Good, in Sir Kenneth Dover's definitive scholarly edition with Greek text and commentary.

The Symposium (c. 385-370 BCE) takes place at a drinking party where Socrates and Athens' intellectual elite deliver speeches praising Eros. Each speaker offers a different perspective—love as cosmic force, love as completion of our divided nature, love as desire for immortality—building toward Socrates' revolutionary account: love is not possession of beauty but longing for it, a philosophical desire that ascends from beautiful bodies to beautiful souls to beautiful knowledge to Beauty itself, the eternal Form that is the source of all beautiful things.

What you'll discover:

• The famous myth of the divided humans seeking their other half
• Diotima's Ladder—the ascent from physical beauty to eternal Beauty itself
• Love as desire for immortality through procreation and creative work
• Alcibiades' dramatic entrance and his passionate speech about Socrates
• The relationship between eros, philosophy, and the pursuit of wisdom
• Platonic love—desire that transcends physical attraction toward eternal truth
• Complete Greek text with Dover's scholarly commentary
• Cultural context of ancient Greek symposia and same-sex relationships

The dialogue's dramatic structure mirrors its philosophical ascent. Early speeches treat love as physical or social phenomenon. Socrates, recounting teachings from the priestess Diotima, transforms the discussion: love is neither beautiful nor ugly, neither mortal nor immortal, but a daimon (spirit) mediating between human and divine. The lover begins by desiring one beautiful body, then recognizes beauty in all bodies, then in souls, then in knowledge, finally ascending to Beauty itself—eternal, unchanging, the source of all particular beauties. This is philosophy as erotic ascent, wisdom as the highest form of love.

What makes the Symposium essential is its literary brilliance and philosophical depth. Plato creates vivid characters, dramatic tension, and comic moments while developing profound ideas about desire, transcendence, and the philosophical life. The dialogue profoundly influenced Western conceptions of love, beauty, and spiritual ascent, shaping Christian mysticism, Renaissance Neoplatonism, and Romantic idealism. The term "Platonic love" originates here, though Plato's vision is more radical than the phrase suggests—not absence of desire but desire transformed and elevated toward eternal truth.

Sir Kenneth Dover's edition is the definitive scholarly text, presenting the complete Greek alongside English translation with extensive commentary elucidating the philosophy, artistry, and cultural context. Essential for serious students of Plato and classical Greek.

Perfect for: Students of Plato and ancient philosophy, readers of classical Greek seeking annotated texts, those interested in the philosophy of love and beauty, students of the Theory of Forms and Platonic metaphysics, readers exploring the relationship between eros and philosophy, anyone studying ancient Greek culture and symposia, and scholars seeking the authoritative Dover edition with Greek text and commentary.

This paperback scholarly edition presents Plato's Symposium in Greek and English with Dover's commentary—the most literary Platonic dialogue and the foundational text on love, beauty, and philosophical ascent.