Compare Agathon’s and Socrates’ways of speaking in the Symposium. Who do you think is the most convincing? The most persuasive? Why? (Focused on the way they speak for Love)

Comparison of Agathon 's and Socrates ' Ways of Speaking in the Symposium

Both Agathon and Socrates speak of Love in terms of the highest reverence , as we find in Plato 's Symposium . But Socrates is not only reverent , he also understands the inner essence of Love . The understanding helps him to be honest in his reverence , while Agathon can be only indiscriminately effusive in his praise . Agathon knows that Love is something extremely important in the life of man , but it is a hazy idea . As a result he deifies Love and sings

praises to him , without understanding what he is really saying . Indeed , the discussion had begun on the question of why Love , as a deity , was not sung hymns and encomiums to , when all other deities were so accorded . The general urge among the group was to fill this lack , and therefore it was decided upon that they take turns to sing praises to Love , each in their own way Finally it is Socrates ' clarifications which make it clear to the party why Love is not held up as a deity on whom encomiums must be bestowed Indeed , the speech of Socrates in not a paean at all , but rather a disclosure of the inner mysteries contained in the notion of Love . The clarification of Socrates helps us to understand that Love is a spirit that leads to God , and therefore is not due the praises that apply to the divine

The first argument concerns whether it is possible to be reverent towards Love without attributing towards it the highest qualities Agathon , and indeed the rest of the party , have confused love with the object of love , and this is the first thing that Socrates desires to make plain . Agathon 's holds reverence towards Love . He also knows that the object of love is due the highest praise . The two are then confused and he feels an obligation to sing praises to Love in the highest terms thinking that any lack in his effort would make him appear not reverent enough . When it comes to his turn Socrates finds that he cannot take part in this ritual . He too is reverent towards Love , but this is because he knows the deeper mysteries that it contains . He tells the party

[T]he proposal , apparently , was that everyone here make the rest of us think he is praising Love - and not that he actually praise him . I think that is why you stir up every word and apply it to Love your of him and his gifts is designed to make him look better and more beautiful than anything else - to ignorant listeners plainly , for of course he wouldn 't look that way to those who knew (Cohen et al ,

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Socrates desires to praise in his own way , and this is by telling the truth about Love . The fundamental truth is that love is a lack . One loves because one desires to possess the beautiful and the good...