Thursday, February 23, 2012

"The Power Of Love?"


“Men seemed to have failed completely to comprehend the power of Eros, for if they did comprehend it, they would have built to him the greatest altars and temples and offered the greatest sacrifices, whereas he is given none of these honors, although he should have them most of all…”


From Aristophanes’ Speech in the Symposium

Could you use any of the myths we read about love to critique or support this quotation? Please react, evaluate, challenge, or contemplate.  (Please complete this blog response by Thurs.. Feb. 22, 2012.)

13 comments:

Alli Holmes said...

I am kind of on the fence about this quote.I would disagree partially because a lot of the stories you read about Love, he is not really doing any favors for anyone. In the lovers myths, love only gets the characters into trouble. The only person whose love ends up working is Cupid himself,and Persephone. But on the other hand, you may want to worship Eros,in the hope that he will grant you with great love, and no tricks. If you respect him, maybe he will help you out.

Paulh said...

Based on the eight myths we have read and Cupid and Psyche, I totally agree with this quotation. The heroes in these stories do anything they can for love even if it means they kill themselves. Orpheus went down to Hades just to bring his dead lover back to the living. This determination born from Eros is stronger than any of the gods. There is also the case when one of the gods falls in love with a mortal. The fear of this drove many mortals, especially women to kill themselves rather than have a child through a god. So even the other gods can be controlled by this power of Eros.

AbbyC2014 said...

I would say I support this quotation because people tend to underestimate love until they've actually experienced it. I for one, have never really had the experience of knowing the "power of love" we see today in movies, books, and even the people around us. I get my perspective on love from my parents. In both their relationship with each other and their relationship with my siblings and I, I know that love is something that binds people together. I think that in our society today, people have confused love with obsession over material possessions, and that is what they "worship" instead of their families or each other. I liked the Psyche and Cupid myth, because it shows that if you truly love someone, it's more powerful than any obstacles or challenges you may face.

Anonymous said...

I agree with this quotation. People do not truly understand love until they fall in love themselves. Cupid and Persephone are a great example of love and the understanding about it. Though Persephone did not really have a choice on whether or not to love cupid, their love is true and it relates to the quote.

Anonymous said...

During times of food shortage and drought, the Greeks built altars and offered sacrifices to gods such as Demeter in hope of answered prayers. However, Aristophanes argues that all of the praise and devotion should go to Eros, suggesting that love can overcome all difficulties. In several of the love stories in the Greek Mythology text, the couples fate ends up tragic. Endymion is unable to wake up and know that the Moon is in love with him, Daphne hates love and marriage and runs away from Apollo, and Arethusa was changed into spring bubbles once Alpheus chased after her. Other stories end happily, such as Baucus and Philemon and Ceyx and Alcyone. Aristophanes quotation suggests that relationships are successful if they have the blessing of Eros.

Casey W said...

Men do not build temples and honors Eros, the god of love for very specific and well defined reasons. Love seldom ends in a positive light in Greek Mythology and so as much as mortals and divinities alike want to be in love, there is a significant amount of pain and work that comes with love. For instance, in "Cupid and Psyche," Psyche falls in love with the anonymous Cupid and then once she loses his trust, she must go through several very difficult tasks to regain his trusts. Because of all the work to be in love with cupid, the hardship for many would outweigh the benefits of completing each task. In the “Baucis and Philemon” myth, the two lovers, Baucis and Philemon, are being made fun of by Apollo and Mercury who need a muse to play with. There love is tested and because of this they build a stronger relationship. The problem or issue is that the tests of love and the harsh reality that it often does not work out makes it much more difficult for the ancient Greeks to honor their god of love. Love is not something that comes easy and that happens instantaneously but is something that is a constant battle. Few will ever work hard enough to seek the rewards of the god of love. If they did, there would be far more dedications and shrines to Eros.

Anonymous said...

Love is a power much greater than any sacrifice given to any god. The power of love is so great that it took Psyche and positioned her up against Venus’s rage of her son falling in love with a mere mortal. Psyche battled her way against a powerful goddess because love was her guide. Underneath every action is the want, the desire and the love of something or someone to accomplish a task. Psyche wanted Cupid; the god depicted as wearing cloth and shooting arrows is one of the strongest ever to dwell in Mt. Olympus.

Anonymous said...

This quote is obviously saying that eros should worshiped more than any other God, saying that love is the greatest and most important of all things. This quote makes me think of men like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. They both knew love would prevail. Martin Luther King said “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.” Obviously these two men didn't worship Greek Gods, however i think that if you look deeper into the quote you can find things about love that apply to world today.

brendand said...

I dont think this quote really works with the lover stories we read because in the stories we have read the lovers seem to get into trouble because of their love for eachother. Although with the persephone lovers myth things seem to work out so in a way this quote is similar to that.

Anonymous said...

I like how it blames it on men. It is saying that men know nothing about love and thankfullness. Women have the power. We know how to love, it is our nature. In most Greek stories it talks about the woman chasing after the man, it isn't really the other way around, that only happens in fairy tales. I think that men could work on loving, yet others are fantastic at it. Every single person is different in their own way, but in a general sense, women are just better at love.

Rae.A said...

React: People only see what they want to see therefore, they didnt build temples for Eros

Anonymous said...

This reminds me of cupid and phsyce where cupid would not let phsyce see him because she didnt understand therefore when she went to see him he got upset and she lost her love

Anonymous said...

i do agree that eros should have gotten more praise and altars and temples but really he didnt deserve most all of them. Love is a powerful thing and when you have it you should never let it go. when one is in trouble though it causes problems for the others so love is also a tricky thing that gets everyone into trouble. he deserved more so he could have helped people with their love without twists and turns to it