How to be a good symposiast and other lessons from Xenophon'sSymposium

Abstract

Xenophon's Symposium lies at a confluence between two trends in modern scholarship. On the one hand, its author and his writings have recently attracted a resurgence in interest and credibility. No longer is Xenophon regarded as merely a ‘literary dilettante’, a dull, unimaginative and ultimately incompetent philosopher, or a conservative gentleman of the British old school. He is rather a political radical, an innovator in literary form, and the defender of a ‘trendy and shocking philosopher’. In this vein, his Symposium has been rescued from condemnation as a poor imitation of Plato's dialogue of the same name. No modern reader of Xenophon's work would go so far as Eunapius in declaring its writer to be ‘the only man out of all the philosophers to adorn philosophy in word and deed’. Yet, as Huss's comprehensive commentary has shown, the Symposium is much more than the product of an amateur philosopher and writer. It is a work of considerable complexity which draws on a variety of literary influences beyond Plato's Symposium, mixing seriousness with jest in order to explore, among other issues, beauty and desire.

Arkaik Dönem’de Yunan Symposion Geleneği ve Kahraman Kültü İlişkisi

“…Bu erkekler, andron'larda toplanarak symposion düze leye kişilerdi. Symposion'l rd hem k hr m l k hikâyeleri i l t ld ğ hem de ke dileri üzeri e düşü dükleri şiir gösterileri de gerçekleştirirlerdi (Hobde , 2004, 2010, s. 13). Krater, ö emli bir st tü objesiydi.…”

“…Ark d şl k e s şl ilgili meziyetler, k hr m l k hikâyeleri l t l r k ö ülürdü 15 . Ser mik içki k pl r üzeri deki figürlerle birlikte değerle dirildiği de symposiark yoluyla "erkeklik e diğerleri de f rkl olm /özgü lük (oios, mounos)" ile "ke di i ko trol etme e ş r l k" durumu u ort y ko duğu görülür (Hobde , 2004, s. 135) 16 . Bu meziyetler, k hr m d olm s bekle e özelliklerdir.…”

Combative capping in Aristophanic comedy

“…Socrates retorts that if Philip were to offer an eikasmos of the Syracusan along those lines he would adopt the likeness of an abuser because to say that the Syracusan only resembles the noble and virtuous is to imply that everyone is better than he. Philip and his companions pester Socrates a little more but the philosopher is firm that the eikasmoi must stop and suggests a bout of singing to distract 31 Hobden (2004) 130. Hobden offers analysis and further bibliography on the subtle use of eikasmoi at Xen.…”