Quite a few comments have been posted about symposium. Audio plato the republic is a dialogue, after all, so if youre feeling like recreating that sense of conversation, listening to it on audio book could be the perfect solution. The symposium by plato full audio book ancient greek. The republic is a socratic dialogue by plato, written in approximately 380 bc. Plato, the greatest philosopher of ancient greece, was born in athens in 428 or 427 b.
Socrates and aristodemus will attend a banquet at agathon, with aristophanes, appolodore, pausanias and. In symposium, a group of athenian aristocrats attend a party held by agathon to celebrate his victory in the drama festival of the dionysia. A translation by seth benardete with commentaries by allan bloom. The prominent place the symposium holds in our canon comes as much as a result of its literary merit as its philosophical merit.
The symposium is a collection of dinner conversations in the subject of love and whilst very of its time, still relevant today. The listed critical essays and books will be invaluable for writing essays and papers on the symposium. The dramatic nature of plato s dialogues is delightfully evident in symposium. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. This classic discussion on love is presented in its. Socrates and aristodemus will attend a banquet at agathon, with aristophanes, appolodore, pausanias and eryximachus. For my money a good translation, very readable and entertaining and good forward explaining the work, which i read afterwards. On one level the book deals with the genealogy, nature and purpose of love, on another level the book deals with the topic of knowledge, specifically. The works contained in this audiobook include the republic, the apology, crito, and symposium. Sep 07, 2016 the dramatic nature of plato s dialogues is delightfully evident in symposium. The topic of love is taken up in the form of a group of speeches, given by a group of men at a symposium.
M4b compatible with most audio book players and itunes. Nov 14, 2012 the symposium by plato full audio book ancient greek philosophy subscribe to greatest audio books. In a way, its a romantic discussion, filled with zeal towards. The greek word sumposion means a drinking party a fact shamefully ignored by the organizers of modern symposia, and the party described in plato s symposium is one supposedly given in the year 416 bc by the playwright agathon to celebrate his victory in the dramatic festival of the lenaea. I tried to listen to this recording a month ago when we were going over the republic. This is the best audio book of platos republic and its. Allens superb new translation of platos symposium brings this classic text to life for modern readers. The discussion culminates in a radical challenge to conventional views by platos mentor, socrates, who advocates transcendence through spiritual love. Symposium by plato, part of the internet classics archive. In a way, its a romantic discussion, filled with zeal towards the beauty, the passion for philosophy as a search for truth.
Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the republic and what it means. He attended socrates trial and that traumatic experience may have led to his attempt to design an ideal society. Introduction to platos symposium the symposium tells the story of a drinking party in which the guests agree to put aside their desire for wine, women and music and deliver speeches in honor of eros, a. Sparknotes philosophy guides are onestop guides to the great works of philosophymasterpieces. Look for the on plato s symposium translation for a more literal version, available in a dialogues of plato paperback. A fascinating discussion on sex, gender, and human instincts, as r. Socrates didnt believe in writing words down lucky for us plato did. Oct 18, 2019 the allegory of the cave, or platos cave, was presented by the greek philosopher plato in his work republic 514a520a to compare the effect of education.
Mar 10, 2020 symposium is one of the major works of plato, and one of the works that laid a foundation for the entire history of western thought. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the republic, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The symposium by plato meet your next favorite book. The marriage between character and thought bursts forth as the guests gather at agathons house to. This audiobook contains plato s most notable books, narrated brilliantly by kevin kollins.
And for a free download of audio notes on socrates check out zaadz notes. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Symposium plato audiobook and ebook all you can books. Education socrates believes that the good of the city outweighs the good of the individual. The symposium, as plato intended it, succeeds both as a work of philosophy, and as a work of seriocomic theater. With wit and insight, they all present their ideas about love from erixymachus scientific naturalism to aristophanes comic fantasy. As in 33 minutes into the 2nd book in the audio version, i was 12 way through the 3rd book. It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of notable men attending a banquet. Socratic symposium after platos in which multiple topics are discussed, and. Inside each philosophy guide youll find insightful overviews of great philosophical works of the western world. The symposium by plato full audio book ancient greek philosophy subscribe to greatest audio books. He studied under socrates, who appears as a character in many of his dialogues. This study guide and infographic for platos symposium offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other.
The symposium is narrated in the thirdperson voice by apollodorus, one of socratess. This study guide consists of approximately 29 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of symposium. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet. Enjoy these four amazing philosophical works that have stood the test of time. Symposium is perhaps platos masterpiece as a work of art, though other dialogues are of greater philosophical import.
Apollodorus tells the story of a drinking party or symposium that occurs long ago. Librivox recording of platos republic read by librivox volunteers. Readers guides are clear, concise and accessible introductions to key texts in literature and philosophy. It is written as a dialogue between plato s brother glaucon and his mentor, socrates, narrated by the latter.
In them plato cast his teacher socrates as the central disputant in colloquies that brilliantly probe a vast spectrum of philosophical ideas and issues. Plato is one of the few philosophers who also writes good literature. On one level the book deals with the genealogy, nature and purpose of love, on another level the book deals with the topic of knowledge, specifically how does one know what one knows. Plato constructed the symposium as a story within a story within a story. Symposium gives a picture of the sparkling society that was athens at the height of her empire. In symposium, a group of athenian aristocrats attend a party held by. It is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory, and arguably plato s best known work. After trial, get 1 audiobook and 2 audible originals each month. The dramatic nature of platos dialogues is delightfully evident in symposium. The guests decide not to get drunk, but drinking a little and discuss about love.
It is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory, and arguably platos best known work. My first foray into plato and a good place to start an easy going quick read book. Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to. I have made summaries of the dialogs which i enjoyed the most. In ancient greece, a symposium was an afterdinner drinking party that commonly included such amusements as music, dancing, and conversation.
Platos symposium is one of the most loved classics from the ancient world, a work of consummate beauty as both philosophy and as literature, most appropriate since the topic of this dialogue is the. Mar 07, 20 audiobook audio book book ebook ebook e book listen to books audiobook full harry potter book charts youtube book novel shakespeare horror books category education. The symposium sparknotes philosophy guide making the reading experience fun. A model of the kind of text one needs for lecture courses. In the symposium, plato recounts a drinking party following an evening meal, where the guests include the poet aristophanes, the drunken alcibiades, and, of course, the wise socrates. On one level the book deals with the genealogy, nature and purpose of love. The revelers give their views on the timeless topics of love and desire, all the while addressing many of the major themes.
Cancel online anytime and keep all your audiobooks. Symposium is one of the major works of plato, and one of the works that laid a foundation for the entire history of western thought. This is one work that i would almost force everyone to read if i could. Plato s allegory of the cave is what many believe to be the foundation of. Take our free symposium quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your knowledge. This is the best audio book of platos republic and its free. Ppt platos the symposium powerpoint presentation free. See a complete list of the characters in the symposium. Buy the symposium penguin great ideas new ed by plato isbn. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for. They talk about love until the drunken alcibiades bursts in, and decides to talk about socrates instead. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. For a brief introduction to plato check out plato in 90 minutes. The greek word sumposion means a drinking party a fact shamefully ignored by the organizers of modern symposia, and the party described in platos symposium is one supposedly given in the year.
The symposium is a philosophical text by plato dated c. Introduction to platos symposium the symposium tells the story of a drinking party in which the guests agree to put aside their desire for wine, women and music and deliver speeches in honor of eros, a word often translated as love but more aptly described as sexual desire or passionate love. Read a brief overview of the work, or chapter by chapter summaries. Allen supplements his translation with a commentary that not only enriches our. In ion, plato presents a dialogue between his influential teacher socrates and a distinguished rhapsode, ion. The greek word sumposion means a drinking party a fact shamefully ignored by the organizers of modern symposia, and the party described in plato s symposium is one supposedly given in the year 416 bc by the playwright agathon to celebrate his victory i. Symposium is central in platos philosophy, since it talks about love and ideas. It is written as a dialogue between platos brother glaucon and his mentor socrates, narrated by the latter. Notes per the princeton university book and various web sources.
Plato, ray childs, new internet technologies agora. The marriage between character and thought bursts forth as the guests gather at agathons house to celebrate the success of his first tragedy. The symposium is a philosophical book written by plato. Symposium study guide contains a biography of plato, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. While socrates considers himself a common man who only speak the. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Socrates and aristodemus go to a party given for agathon, since agathon has just won a contest for the performance of his tragedy. Here is a complete audiobook of plato s symposium, translated by benjamin jowett. Education socrates believes that the good of the city outweighs the good of the. Continue your study of the symposium with these useful links. It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of.
He has already given one party, the previous evening. Griffiths translation is well chosenit is swift an unlabored, perfect for a dramatic presentation. On one level the book deals with the genealogy, nature and purpose of love, on another level the. Platos republic full audio book part 1 of 2 by plato. Actor robin field reads the symposium of ancient greek philosopher plato c.
The men there talk and drink and then decide that each should give a speech in praise of the god, love. Apollodorus relates to an unnamed companion a story he heard from aristodemus about a symposium, or dinner party, held in honor of the playwright agathon. They talk about love until the drunken alcibiades bursts in, and. Platos the symposium 1 platos the symposium symposium scene attic red figure cup, c. His best dialogues are a pleasure to readsome can be tedious. For my money a good translation, very readable and entertaining and good forward explaining the work, which i read.