The Role Of Lawareness In The Ladder Of Love By Alcibiades

1024 Words5 Pages
In the Symposium, Alcibiades asserts that Socrates is the only man who has made him feel shame. Alcibiades’ shame seems to indicate that he has reflected on his actions and has learned something from Socrates. However, I believe that he is not ascending towards the beautiful nor has he learn anything from Socrates as his desire takes precedent over love for Beauty. This essay will first analyze the role of shame as self-awareness in the Ladder of Love. Next, through two accounts recalled by Alcibiades in the Symposium, it will highlight the importance of shame in the Ladder of Love. Lastly, the essay will conclude with how shame does not indicate that Alcibiades is ascending towards the beautiful or has learned anything based on the aforementioned points. According to Diotima, only by progressing up the ladder can one obtain the highest form of Beauty. I hold that shame plays an important role in the Ladder of Love as it acts like a “mirror” that reflects one’s actions. It allows one to notice what he lack so that he can achieve it in order to climb onto the next rung of the ladder. For example, one may be on the journey to attain the highest form of beauty, starting from the first rung of the ladder – to love a beautiful body. In order to step onto the next rung, he has to find the common beauty and learn to love other beautiful bodies and so on. But if one does not reflect upon himself, he can be misled to believe that he saw Beauty in its highest form even when he had