The Meaning of Love According to Plato - Essay Example

The symposium is a venerable treatise record of speeches employed in both story and verse by six prominent Athenians to convey a clump of myths and motifs regarding nature, meaning together with the purpose of live. A symposium was a social event in Ancient Greek where people partied after an evening meal. In this occasion, people would drink wine saturated with water, sing songs, make conversation, and tell stories and riddles as well as fables. Those who participated perfumed wore garlands, danced, and entertained by hired mimes, acrobats, and flute-players.

It was during his occasion, Plato remarked on conversations regarding the meaning of love with a discourse of speeches. He begins lessons of this formidable yet a life-determining discussion by referring to love as a great god, marvelous as to how he came into being, and very wonderful according to how he treats fellow gods and people. Love is a god and no one knows when it commenced existing but believed to have come into being after what the poets’ term as chaos and earth (Plato 57). Referencing from Plato’s definition of love, I think love in terms of genealogy is the oldest god meaning that it is virtually eternal and there has never been a time when it was not there.

Since love is a god and ancient, he offers the greatest goods such as gentle relationship full of great love with neither shame nor pride. Love is the origin or source of greatest gifts that has its stand in the heart of all humankind considered noble and within every generous act. Plato’s description of love as source shows that love is a motivational power that generates need to establish a relationship and maintain it for as long as possible. In this case, the value of the greatest gifts of love does not necessarily mean satisfaction of erotic needs (Plato 19).

It also values virtue development and distinguished character within both parties. Some of the gifts that come along with love include justice within towns, good guidance in life, bravery in war as well as getting rid of fear and shame. Love fills people with might that enables them to overcome danger and deepens their courage to an extent of losing their lives in place of their loved ones. Love is a motivation for noble and high actions and benefits the lives on men effectively as it gives the greatest gifts (Plato 23).

Regarding this definition of love, I think love is kind and caring as it gives people motivation and courage to face any kind of challenge or risk including death. I also presuppose that love creates emotions that make people develop feelings towards others and in the process begin trying winning the subjects love, establish a relationship that the lover maintains for good. Further, Plato portrays definition of love with unmitigated praise saying that love is neither noble nor ignoble. In this definition, there are two types of love, which are Common Aphrodite and Heavenly Aphrodite (Plato 35).

In this arena, love is neutral, but what determine its position are its actions and sentiments. If sentiments and actions of love depict negativity, it means that love is ignoble and shameful in this scenario. If love’s actions as well as sentiments come out as a product of nobility and goodwill then love in this particular scenario is noble and honorable. According to Plato, love that a vulgar feels is ignoble and produces ignoble sentiments. He classifies this kind of love in the class of