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Plato
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Symposium - Classic Illustrated Edition Kindle Edition

by Plato (Author), L. Carr (Editor), Benjamin Jowett (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 678 ratings
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* Beautifully illustrated with atmospheric paintings by renowned artists, Symposium concerns itself at one level with the genesis, purpose and nature of love, and is the origin of the concept of Platonic love.

* Just as accessible and enjoyable for today's readers as it would have been when first published, the book is one of the great works of Greek philosophy and continues to be widely read throughout the world.

* This meticulous digital edition from Heritage Illustrated Publishing is a faithful reproduction of the original text and is enhanced with images of classic works of art carefully selected by our team of professional editors.
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  1. Print length
    103 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    November 9, 2014
  5. File size
    1445 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Plato (c.427-347 BC) stands with Socrates and Aristotle as one of the shapers of the whole intellectual tradition of the West. He founded the Academy in Athens, the first permanent institution devoted to philosophical research and teaching, and theprototype of all Western universities.

Christopher Gill is a Professor of Ancient Thought at the University of Exeter. He has written widely on ancient philosophy and literature.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00PG6TVQC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Heritage Illustrated Publishing (November 9, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 9, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1445 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 103 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 678 ratings

About the author

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Plato

Plato

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Plato (428-348 BCE) was a philosopher and mathematician in ancient Greece. A student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle, his Academy was one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Western world. He is widely regarded as the father of modern philosophy.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
678 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ericdude
5.0 out of 5 stars Plato's philosophy, obscure & complex, re: love and relationships.
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
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The dialogue is compelling and interesting with plenty of contrasting opinions. Love may make the world go round but it has a strange down side, would you not agree?
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Michaela Milligan
5.0 out of 5 stars Comical, Poetic, Enlightening.
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2020
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5 out of 5 stars!
If you like ancient philosophy, then you will love this book. As most of his Socratic dialogues go; Plato, through the lens of Socrates and his interlocutors, examines the nature of love and beauty. It was unlike anything I’ve ever read from Plato before. I found the levels of perspective to be extremely interesting—if you keep that in mind while going through this, it makes for a very interesting read.
The idea of “a ladder”, seems to present itself if more than one way.
3 people found this helpful
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Damon
4.0 out of 5 stars its NOT a good story. plato goes on and on about how ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2016
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its NOT a good story. plato goes on and on about how heterosexuality is not as good as male homosexuality and ONLY men on men can experience love as its meant to be, (thus insinuating that lesbians are probably the worst off), and further it seems that PEDO love is not only acceptable, but the right way to bring young men up. there were some interesting approaches to the topic of love, the style of discussion was engaging, and the character socrates brings an thought provoking views, but its hard to look past pedo love and the near mocking of heterosexuality as if its for simpletons.

that being said, the book was in great condition, and the published version and delivery were excellent. one star was knocked because plato is lauded for bringing philosophical genius to our culture, but i didnt like the book at all, and despite finishing the short read, got nothing intellectual out of it other than an understanding of ancient greek pompous...but not anyone's fault but plato's.
9 people found this helpful
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D. Avery
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Plato
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2010
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A great little book. It's a great translation and there's a lot of supplemental material here to help the reader understand the text a bit more, which is always helpful. Although as another reviewer noted, it can be hard to tell just who is speaking at any given moment. But that seems to be a common trend with all translations of Plato. All in all it's a great edition to own and great material to read.
6 people found this helpful
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Daniel L Newhouse
5.0 out of 5 stars This is the Plato book that I think most people are thinking
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2021
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It talks about where the sexes are from. In a creation emblem kind of way. It does not talk about the navel (belly button) in any way shape or form. Which is what Demi Moore talked about in the Butcher's Wife. And I was told it was Plato.
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Eduardo
5.0 out of 5 stars The book and its content are 5 stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2021
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Great reading, short though.
One person found this helpful
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Ben Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2017
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Very good translation, with very helpful foreword to set the stage for this composition by Plato.
4 people found this helpful
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Jack B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth it
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2019
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A good and thought provoking book
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Top reviews from other countries

Kaila H.
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
Reviewed in Italy on February 24, 2024
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This is probably one of Plato's most accessible texts. Lighthearted and profound. Interesting excursion on the topic of love that offers an intimate glance of an evening amongst friends in ancient Greece.
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BrytkneeK
5.0 out of 5 stars Same quality as at chapters
Reviewed in Canada on August 19, 2020
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Arrived right on time and was in good condition
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Placeholder
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Greatest Book of All Times
Reviewed in India on May 30, 2020
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I got new book without any damage.
Also the book is a very good read.
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5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Greatest Book of All Times
Reviewed in India on May 30, 2020
I got new book without any damage.
Also the book is a very good read.
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Mr. P. Halewood
5.0 out of 5 stars This is how the ancient Greeks do it...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2012
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The Symposium is a classic dialogue of Plato's and is set during an ancient Greek drinking party, with the discussion revolving around Love/Desire. As well as a philosophical work, it is a fantastic piece of history and the scene of the party is so well presented that you really do get a sense of the social scene in ancient Greece at the time (circa 400BC).

I am quite new myself to the works of Plato and philosophy in general, so I can't offer up a discussion of how it fits into the wider scheme of things but I can say that Symposium is an enjoyable and interesting discussion. Whether the ideas presented in this dialogue are scientifically or even philosophically relevant now I'm not too sure, but it's still a wonderful piece of ancient Greece, complete with the usual references to Greek Gods and Goddesses and musings on the mystery of love. You may be as surprised as I was to read that nearly all references to love and lovers are concerning man and boy relationships, rather than heterosexual relationships, though this is not really important to the nature of love as is discussed. It seems to have been a much more acceptable and normal practice to the ancient Greeks, than it is in the modern world.

Some of Penguin classic' series on Plato's dialogues can be difficult to read, being interspersed with lengthy commentary and footnotes, though that this does not happen with this book. The dialogue is unbroken by any commentary and this is better for the reader, as it allows him or her to produce their own understanding of the text. There is a lengthy introduction and closing notes, though if you do intend to read these then these are best read after you have read the dialogue, again so as not to be influenced by the ideas and conclusions of someone else.

All in all, this a fairly short but enjoyable book, that is an interesting and an enlightening glimpse into the social and philosophical beginnings of western civilisation.
13 people found this helpful
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Mrs T.
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2023
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Fabulous.
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