Plato's Symposium
... is the relationship between Socrates and Alcibiades. Socrates is the oldest and wisest philosopher in the Symposium. Because of his superiority, Socrates could never find a lover identical in experience or equal in intellect. Obviously, Socrates would not be in a relationship from which he could not benefit in some way. Often in student/teacher love relationships, the older teachers choose young lovers because youth provides great physical pleasure. Socrates explains his desire for young boys through the speech of Diotima: Beautiful boys and youths – who, if you see them now, strike you out of your senses, and makes you, you and many others, eager to be with the boys you love and look at them forever, if there were any way to do that, forgetting food and drink, everything but looking at them and being with them. (211, D) This quote shows how much Socrates appreciates the strong bodies of the youth who admire him. The older men of society have another motive for chasing the youths: having a young boy for a lover helps the elder partner feel younger at heart. Aristophanes supports this belief in the following speech: And I say there’s just one way for the human race to flourish: we must bring love to it’s perfect conclusion, and each of us must win the favors of his very own young man, so that he can recover his original nature. (193, C) This “original nature” that Aristophanes is talking about is the young age that the older men can never regain. Socrates also mentions this idea in his previously-mentioned speech about our desire for things because we do not posses them. Socrates desires to be young again because he is in the later stages of his life. Only one type of person can satisfy the aging Socrates’ yearning--a younger male. The younger male is the student in the relationship. His benefits from the relationship with an older male include knowledge gained from his elder’s experiences in life, guidance through the adolescent years, and sexual companionship. Alcibiades, Socrates’ youthful lover, can acquire all of these benefits from his older mentor/lover because Socrates is a great philosopher who has experienced life to its fullest and a teacher who is willing to impart his wisdom to an adoring student. Any youth would stand to gain a lot from an older man. Alcibiades explains his affections for Socrates in his speech: If I were to describe for you what an extraordinary effect his words have always had on me (I can feel it this moment even as I’m speaking), you might actually think that I’m drunk! Still, I swear to you, the moment he starts to speak, I am beside myself: my heart starts leaping in my chest, the tears come streaming down my face, even the frenzied Corybantes seem sane compared to me–and let me tell you, I am not alone. (215, E) Alcibiades is a prime example of a younger boy developing a love for his teacher whom he respects because of his great knowledge. The adolescents also gain great experience in love relationships that will help guide them throughout the remainder of their lives. The youths benefit from the experience of the aged. Because both of the parties in the older teacher/young student relationships benefit from being involved from each other, their relationship is symmetrical. Because Socrates recognizes that a symmetrical relationship requires balance, he comes t...