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The Symposium: Plato's Ideas

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The Symposium Ancient Greece was a time of many great minds. Arguably one of the greatest was a man named Plato. Plato lived from about 429 to 347 B.C.E. He had an incredible life in Athens that was not always easy. At one point he was sold into slavery as the golden age of Greece came to an end. Dionysus of Syracuse did not appreciate Plato’s theories and sold him into slavery to be a tutor. Plato ended up being the tutor to Alexander the Great who would later take over Greece. When it was discovered who Plato was however, he was set free.
The troubles Plato went through never tore him down. He was an idealist who wanted to spread his knowledge. He did this by opening an academy where he taught a number of future great thinkers, including Aristotle. He also shared his ideas and …show more content…

Plato talked about important issues of Ancient Greece through most of his writing. This story continues to apply to people today as we continue to try to define love. Even Plato appears to be unable to define it. As in all philosophical issues, there can never be a black and white, correct answer to find and apply. The field of philosophy looks at issues that are always changing, growing, and adapting. Love is changed by beliefs, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender, and so much more.
Plato gives the audience an opportunity to look at some different beliefs about the origins, meanings, and forms of love. From Zeus splitting people in two with certain sexual orientations being better than others, to love being about finding the good and beautiful in another’s soul. Plato does not ask the reader to believe a certain way. The work gives the reader an opportunity to dig into these characters beliefs and see what coincides with theirs. For those who are open-minded, there is a chance to grow and change their beliefs as different ideas come to light throughout the

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