Wednesday, October 3, 2012

"Is It 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

Please use any of the myths we read about love to critique or support this quotation? In your response, react, evaluate, challenge, or contemplate.  (Please complete this blog response by Tue. Oct. 9th, 2012.)

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe that this quote, in pertinence to how love should be worshiped, is wrong. Love hasn't done mankind many favors. I mean look back at the Trojan War, hundreds of people died because of Paris and Helen. Or how Hera punishes men who can't keep their hands off of other women. All I'm saying is that this quote exalts the idea of love much higher than it really is.

Anonymous said...



In all the eight stories we read, love is either ran from or embraced too much. in cupiid/psyche love is all based on love and the way people can trust. in orpheus/ eurydee his love is way too overpowering and clouds his judgement. the greeks had their own view of love and what it means to people and their society.

Unknown said...

I agree with the quote because love really is a powerful source. In the myths about Pyramus and Thisbe their love is what stains the mulberries red. This is extremely powerful because not only does it show the love and devotion to each other but it also shows just how the rest of the world reacts to them. In the Baucis and Philemon myth love is even more powerful. It first starts with them being happy just having each other and then eventually, when they die, they become two different trees coming from the same tree.

Anonymous said...

Love is a powerful emotion. We see this scattered throughout Greek Mythology. One story we see it in is in the story of Ceyx and Alcyone. When her husband Ceyx is lost at sea she goes to find him and when she finds him dead the gods take pity on them and change both of them into birds. So they are free to love each other forever. So, if love is this powerful, why aren’t there temples and statues built to Cupid? I agree with the quote that Love should be honored as it is a powerful emotion and deserves respect and care.

Anonymous said...

love is a very powerful thing, it can bring the best out of you and make you happier than you have ever been.looking at the Orpheus and Eurydice myth shows us that love can be overpowering, in which case we need to be careful about how we love for love could hurt

Anonymous said...

In this quote, Aristophanes points out how the men of the world did not understand the power and importance of Eros. They built temples to his mother, Aphrodite (Venus), yet he was not worshipped in that matter. In the myth of Psyche and Cupid, Eros was just a minor god who fell in love with the most beautiful mortal ever. The story points out how dedicated he was and how he felt about trust in a relationship. I agree that he was one of the true gods they should have looked up to. His behavior was always for the purpose of love and his love for Psyche was pure, unlike many of the other gods.

Anonymous said...

This Quote is saying that the god of love should be the most highly honored because he is the most powerful. But people could not understand this because if they did then they would have been doing it how he thinks is right. This statement does makes sense because cupid did have the power to make anyone god or mortal fall in love. He could cause great destruction if he had wanted too and yet he was not looked upon as such a powerful god. He was even more powerful than, I believe he could control because he stuck himself with his arrow and then fell in love with psyche; his power was greater than he was.

Anonymous said...

In the stories we read love usually ends very tragically. In Pyramus and Thisbe the two lovers deserve to be with each other but are separated. This relates to the quote because Eros deserves great honors but receives none of them and Pyramus and Thisbe don't receive each other.

Anonymous said...

This quote shows how the Greeks held love very high up in their culture. However, I disagree with the quote. The quote says that all the tales of hardship and pain that the Greeks tell of love is the correct way to go about it. I disagree because love should not be something that always ends in pain, and it shouldn't be something that we all have to struggle through. For example, the reason Venus was mad at Psyche was nobody was attending her temples. Love should not be worshiped in such a crazy devoted way that it can cause anger in the gods

Anonymous said...

In the quote, Aristophanes states that humans need to understand love better because of the grip it holds on everyday lives. I disagree with the quote. I don't believe that love needs to be the main focus of our lives. But I do agree that it does shape our lives. In the eight tales that we read, love shapes the journeys of each of the characters. Some of the stories end happy with the people living happily ever after, while other stories end with one person going to great lengths to get their love back just to have it taken away. Maybe the Greeks should not have held love as a mysterious element, but as a something they can enjoy.

Anonymous said...

I believe that the quote is true, but I also believe that there is something personal with love, something that is different with each person which makes it hard to worship one being when every ones opinions of it are different, un like other things such as lighting which stay the same in every one’s mind.

Anonymous said...

This quote from Aristophane definitely reflects how Eros is one of the most important gods if not the most important. Eros has control over all humans and gods. His arrows He doesn’t need violence or anything else to control humans. When a human falls in love they will do anything to protect this love and they will do anything in order to achieve mutual love with the one they love. So love is the most controlling part of man, but it is also the most fickle and the most difficult to harness.

Jamesc2014 said...

The excerpt from "Speech in the
Symposium" is supported by multiple myths about love in Greek Mythology. Eros can be see as the most influental of the greek gods on human being, as love ultimately decides between demise or happiness in greek mythology. The story about Orpheus risking his life by going to Tartarus to bring back his loved one shows how love can make a person go to hell, showing how eros has that power to control others. Even fear would make it harder to go to hell, but because of love Orpheus had no doubts. Quoting Keaton, "So love is the most controlling part of man, but it is also the most fickle and the most difficult to harness." What he says is true and shows how Eros is the most powerful and influental greek god.

Anonymous said...

This quote is saying that love is more powerful than any other force that exists. It really is, but people do not understand that. In the Philemon and Baucis myth, their love is so powerful that they become inseparable. This myth also shows that the love will last forever. It will never die, only change form. This is why this quote is true and that love is the most powerful force known.

Anonymous said...

This quote is trying to show how love is the most powerful force ever. It also shows how love never dies it only changes. this quote is true about love being the most powerful force

Anonymous said...

Is love the most powerful force in the universe? According to the Pyramus and Thisbe myth, you cannot deny love. Love is too overpowering for Orpheus and Eurydice. Love created new life, and has taken life away. You can't control who you love.

Jeffreyrohde said...

The quote is true I believe that there is something with love something that is different with each person and with Eros the love controls man and love is man's greatest emotion and a man will go though anything for love even go to hell and back.

Anonymous said...

I believe this quote is saying that the god of love is the most powerful because almost everything humans do leads back to love. Why did the Trojan War happen? Because Paris and Helen fell in love. I’m not just talking about romantic love. It could be love for a family member or a really close friend. I was watching one of my favorite tv shows and this guy made a deal and died so his brother could live. Granted, it's not real, but he still did it out of love. Our lives circle around love and the things we do for it.

Unknown said...

I believe that this quote, in pertinence to how love should be worshiped, is wrong. Love hasn't done mankind many favors. I mean look back at the Trojan War, hundreds of people died because of Paris and Helen. Or how Hera punishes men who can't keep their hands off of other women. All I'm saying is that this quote exalts the idea of love much higher than it really is

Peter H said...

I think that, because of Eros’s position in the hierarchy of the gods, his place isn’t as powerful among the mortals. Also, Greece was a nation that was often at war, with little time for things like love. They made great stories, but falling madly in love was impractical.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the quote about how love is very powerful. With all the stories we read about love show how love always prevails. In Eros he went to hell and back for love and the story also shows how love is a persons greatest emotion.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the quote about how love is very powerful. With all the stories we read about love show how love always prevails. In Eros he went to hell and back for love and the story also shows how love is a persons greatest emotion.