Symposium (Xenophon)
Encyclopedia
Xenophon
's Symposium
(Συμπόσιον) records the discussion of Socrates
and company at a dinner given by Callias
for Autolycus
, son of Lycon. (Some commentators identify this Lycon with the Lycon who was one of Socrates' prosecutors. However, others doubt the identification; John Burnet
, for example, claims it "is most improbable".) 421 BC is the dramatic date of Xenophon's Symposium.
While Plato's Symposium
consists of a series of lengthy speeches in praise of love, Xenophon's is dominated by witty repartee.
A contest of words emerges between Socrates and Callias, and each of the symposiasts is asked to describe the thing which he prides himself on most. All their answers are playful or paradoxical: Socrates, for one, prides himself on his knowledge of the art of pimp
ing.
The story comes to a climax when Socrates praises the love Callias had for Autolycus.
, a Victorian-era scholar who translated many works by both Plato and Xenophon, believed that Plato knew of this work, and that it influenced him to some degree when he wrote his own Symposium.
However, most later scholars have taken the argument against an army of lovers in Socrates' final speech as proof that Xenophon had based his work on Plato's, since this concept is mentioned in Plato's work. The speech seems to parody or pastiche the erotic speeches in both Plato's Symposium and Phaedrus.
Though some scholars have argued that the long speech of Socrates contains later additions, and opinion is divided as to which author was first to write a Socratic symposium, a work considered the standard study of this piece as of early 2000 holds that Xenophon wrote the Symposium in the second half of the 360s, benefiting from Plato's former Socratic literature.http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2000/2000-04-10.html
As for being informative historical sources about Socrates, Xenophon's Symposium and his Oeconomicus
are regarded by most scholars today as practically worthless.
Xenophon
Xenophon , son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary, philosopher and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates...
's Symposium
Symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium was a drinking party. Literary works that describe or take place at a symposium include two Socratic dialogues, Plato's Symposium and Xenophon's Symposium, as well as a number of Greek poems such as the elegies of Theognis of Megara...
(Συμπόσιον) records the discussion of Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
and company at a dinner given by Callias
Callias III
Callias , son of Hipponicus by the former wife of Pericles, an Alcmaeonid and the third member of one of the most distinguished Athenian families to bear the name of Callias...
for Autolycus
Autolycus of Athens
Autolycus was a young Athenian athlete of singular beauty and the object of the affection of Callias. It is in honour of a victory gained by him in the pentathlon at the Panathenaic Games that Callias gives the banquet described by Xenophon....
, son of Lycon. (Some commentators identify this Lycon with the Lycon who was one of Socrates' prosecutors. However, others doubt the identification; John Burnet
John Burnet (classicist)
John Burnet was a Scottish classicist.-Education, Life and Work:Burnet was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh, and Balliol College, Oxford, receiving his M.A. degree in 1887...
, for example, claims it "is most improbable".) 421 BC is the dramatic date of Xenophon's Symposium.
While Plato's Symposium
Symposium (Plato)
The Symposium is a philosophical text by Plato dated c. 385–380 BCE. It concerns itself at one level with the genesis, purpose and nature of love....
consists of a series of lengthy speeches in praise of love, Xenophon's is dominated by witty repartee.
A contest of words emerges between Socrates and Callias, and each of the symposiasts is asked to describe the thing which he prides himself on most. All their answers are playful or paradoxical: Socrates, for one, prides himself on his knowledge of the art of pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
ing.
The story comes to a climax when Socrates praises the love Callias had for Autolycus.
Relationship to Plato's Symposium
There has been some dispute about whether Xenophon's or Plato's work was written first. Henry Graham DakynsHenry Graham Dakyns
Henry Graham Dakyns was a translator of ancient Greek. He is known for his translations of Xenophon's Cyropaedia and Hellenica, The Economist, Hiero, On Horsemanship. His name sometimes appears in print as H.G. Dakyns. Dakyns was a tutor for Lord Alfred Tennyson's children...
, a Victorian-era scholar who translated many works by both Plato and Xenophon, believed that Plato knew of this work, and that it influenced him to some degree when he wrote his own Symposium.
However, most later scholars have taken the argument against an army of lovers in Socrates' final speech as proof that Xenophon had based his work on Plato's, since this concept is mentioned in Plato's work. The speech seems to parody or pastiche the erotic speeches in both Plato's Symposium and Phaedrus.
Though some scholars have argued that the long speech of Socrates contains later additions, and opinion is divided as to which author was first to write a Socratic symposium, a work considered the standard study of this piece as of early 2000 holds that Xenophon wrote the Symposium in the second half of the 360s, benefiting from Plato's former Socratic literature.http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2000/2000-04-10.html
As for being informative historical sources about Socrates, Xenophon's Symposium and his Oeconomicus
Oeconomicus (Xenophon)
The Oeconomicus by Xenophon is a Socratic dialogue principally about household management and agriculture. It is one of the earliest works on economics in its original sense of household management, and a significant source for the social and intellectual history of classic Athens...
are regarded by most scholars today as practically worthless.
External links
- Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
has the e-text of Dakyns' translation of Xenophon's Symposium