Book cover art for Symposium by Plato

Symposium

Plato

Date of Birth
427 BCE
Date of Death
347 BCE
Known For
The Symposium, Republic

In this philosophical dialogue, set during a banquet to celebrate a prize awarded to the tragic poet Agathon for his work, Socrates and his companions discuss the nature of love. In their speeches, which include touches of both tragedy and comedy, Plato’s real-life characters give us some of the most sublime meditations on this topic and make us confront questions about how we speak and write about such philosophical themes.