Alcibiades Speech

Alcibiades Speech

By using Socrates as an overarching metaphor of Eros itself, Alcibiades' speech takes the ideal praises of Eros in the other speeches and demonstrates the manifestation of the ideologies that are present in the human condition. Alcibiades' speech encompasses the flaws of humanity and that his lived experience validated the ideals of eros while also providing examples of practical application. The first section of Alcibiades' speech likens Socrates to a statue of Silenus and the satyr Marsyas. The comparison of Socrates to the statue of Silenus "full of tiny statues of the gods" directly parallels him to the gods so that Socrates embodies Eros itself (Sym. 215B). Alcibiades also claims that while Marsyas needs an instrument and divine melodies in order to possess humans to "reveal those people who are ready for the god and his mysteries," Socrates is able to do this "but with words alone" (Sym. 215c). Alcibiades sees the beauty and compelling nature of Socrates' mind and the unrelenting pull that Socrates has on "man, woman, or child" which he uses to determine if one is capable to comprehend philosophy (Sym. 215d). The height at which Alcibiades holds Socrates supports Phaedrus' position that the "lover is more godlike than his boy" being that "he is inspired by a god"(12 180b). ADD TRANSITION (develop this idea a little bit more. Not sure how, but it would be a good idea to do). Alcibiades reinforces Phaedrus' claim that lovers are godlike. However, Phaedrus' argument

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