Aristophanes View Of Love - 1243 Words

Our human nature was not what we always thought of it to be, in simpler times two were made as one. We roamed the earth in unity with our other halves without the burden of trying to find them. However, Zeus did not find this to be in his best interest because of how we behaved so he split each being in two. As a result of this split we must now go about our lives in search of our other half. This is the speech that Aristophanes gave in Plato’s Symposium a book composed of various speeches from many different famous Greek people. Aristophanes’ view of love is compelling because it describes our very human nature to find our love, it justifies the reasoning of why there are different sexualities, and it gives an explanation as to why our bodies are the way that they are today. The main idea of Aristophanes’ speech is that humans were not the way that they are today mentally, physically or emotionally. â€Å"Each of us, then, is a ‘matching half’ of a human whole, because each was sliced like a flatfish, two out of one, and each of us is always seeking the half that matches him† (p.27, 191E). What is most compelling about this is that here Aristophanes explains the yearning that people have for love in their lives. Due to this split many may feel as if a piece of them is missing and they may only find it once they find that person who they were once in union with. As stated previously this is where Aristophanes puts into perspective the notion that everyone truly has their otherShow MoreRelated Aristophanes Agathon in Women at the Thesmophoria Essays1459 Words   |  6 PagesAristophanes Agathon in Women at the Thesmophoria Aristophanes and Agathon were peers in Ancient Greece. Aristophanes was the master of comedy, and Agathon was the master of tragedy. 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