Socrates as Eros: the models of erastēs in Plato's Symposium

Abstract

In the Symposium, Plato presents six speakers praising the god Eros and his impact on human life. In this essay, I propose that each speaker describes a particular model of erastēs or erōmenos, which directly corresponds to the speaker’s own social status and is present in Athens of the V^th and IV^th B.C. At the banquet an unofficial contest unfolds among the speakers regarding the most prominent and superior model of erastēs in classical Athens. In Socrates’ speech, Plato introduces a new model of erastēs in the city, the philosopher-erastēs. Plato intends to demonstrate the superiority of the philosopher-erastēs in comparison to the other models of erastēs. As it becomes evident in Alcibiades’ speech, Socrates himself is the philosopher-erastēs in the city, who surpasses the other models of erastēs by implanting aporia in the Athenian people and leading them to self-consciousness through his philosophical logoi. In the conclusion of my essay, I argue that Plato’s intention in the Symposium is to present Socrates as the embodiment of Eros, who turns everyone into a lover of true Beauty and redirects them to their inner self.