Symposium

Structure and Organization

Plato's «Symposium» is composed of several parts, each representing a speech by one of the banquet participants dedicated to discussing the nature of love (Eros). The main parts of the dialogue include:
1.Introduction, where Apollodorus recounts the banquet held at the poet Agathon's house. 2. Phaedrus's speech, which speaks of love as the greatest of gods.
2.Pausanias's speech, which distinguishes two forms of love: heavenly and earthly. 4. Eryximachus's speech, which examines love from the perspective of medicine and harmony.
3.Aristophanes's speech, which tells the myth of humans being split into two halves. 6. Agathon's speech, which praises love as young and beautiful.
4.Socrates's speech, which recounts Diotima's teachings on love as a pursuit of immortality through beauty.
5.The appearance of Alcibiades, who praises Socrates and shares his experiences with him. The concluding part includes discussion and the end of the banquet.