The Symposium (Penguin Classics S.) - Softcover

Gill, Christopher

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140446168 ISBN 13: 9780140446166

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1999

Synopsis

As a master of dramatic dialogue, Plato has few rivals, and in THE SYMPOSIUM he is at his most incisive and entertaining. The scene is a dinner party for the literati of Athens, the action a series of speeches by the guests. From these there emergesa complete and complex philosophy of love. The pivot of the argument is Socrates' speech in which sensuality is transcended and we move from the sensible to the ideal world. But just as the preceding speeches are vital to the theme and scheme of progression, so too is the brilliant character sketch of Socrates by Alcibiades which rounds off the dialogue. By combining his formidable skills as a philosopher and as an artist, Plato creates in THE SYMPOSIUM an ingenious harmony of thought and word.

About this title

Review:

'This commentary ... does three things superbly. It explains Plato's Greek punctiliously, especially the less familiar constructions, particles, and words that are often loosely or wrongly translated. With a razor's sharpness it cuts through sloppy or faulty logic in Plato's Greek. And it provides the necessary background material, whether historical, literary, sexual, or social.' Greece & Rome

' ... few books can have given in three pages so informative and at the same time so provocative an account of Plato's philosophy.' The Times Educational Supplement

'This is a tight-packed, authoritative, but readable edition.' J.A.C.T. Bulletin

Book Description:

Plato's Symposium is the most literary of all his works and one which all students of classics are likely to want to read. Sir Kenneth Dover provides here a sympathetic and modern edition of the kind that is long overdue.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0140446168
• ISBN 13: 9780140446166
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144