Thursday, October 3, 2013

"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. 8th, 2013.)

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with this quote because Eros, being the god of love, controls what humans care about the most. And as we read in these stories love can lead to suffering, such as Orpheus faced when he lost Eurydice, and death, like when Pyramus and Thisbe took their own lives. Love can lead to tragedy greater than anything else. And the god of love, Eros, had power over all of this. So if men truly did comprehend this, Eros would be honored much more highly in Greek culture.

Anonymous said...

When I read Aristophanes’ speech it made me think perhaps men knew the power of Eros, they just didn’t respect him for what he was. Maybe men thought the word ‘love’ was weak and not something to worship or even desire because it always seems to be a cause of pain. An example is when Selene, the moon goddess puts her love in a deep sleep so she can be with him every night, but instead he never wakes up. So now Selene feels only sorrow because she can never be with him, “...her passion brings her only a burden of pain…” (118). Another example is how Thisbe and Pyramus kill themselves to be with the love of their life since they think the other is dead, “She plunged into her heart the sword that was still wet with his life’s blood” (107). Now if these were the only kind of stories I heard about love, then I too would not want to fall in love. Love seems to be a trap that creates even the wisest person to go blind and do things without thinking about the consequences. So who would want to celebrate to that? If you don’t want love in your life then staying away from worshiping the god of love sounds like a pretty good idea.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the quote because a fair amount of the myth we have read have to do with some kind of love, whether it be true love, family love, or even lack of love, and all of these myths, they talk about Venus, Aphrodite, maybe Hera, but they new talk about Eros, who also has control over love. When we look at the Eight Lovers Myths especially, all of their actions are prompted by love. That's why Orpheus looked back and Pyramus and Thisbe end up killing themselves, yet Eros does not receive any credit.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with this idea that Eros, who is love, should be given as much if not more respect than the other gods. A good demonstration of the power of love is in the story of Baucis and Philemon, where even though they are poorer than everyone else, they still love each other enough to not care about what they have, and only care about having each other. In the end their love prevails and they are granted the gift of being together forever. Only love has the power to do this, and such a display of raw power shows how highly Eros should have been respected.

Anonymous said...

I very much agree with Aristophanes' speech. People should give a large amount of respect and worship towards Eros, for he is the god of love. I've heard much of Gods such as cupid or Hera who are also involved with love, yet Eros receives little mention. Maybe people only chose see the tragedy in which love can bring, so they didn't want to associate with Eros. But I also think that people would want to honor Eros for maybe he has power to create success in love! In each of the Eight Lovers Myths, love affects people's joy, suffering, actions and all around life. Love is obviously a great power in itself. By honoring Eros, people would have a very powerful God on their side. I think that men really had to not have comprehended or understood the importance of Eros to not rightfully honor the god.

Anonymous said...

I agree with this quote because Eros, God of love, controls the thing that controls humans; love. If Eros is not honored by great altars and sacrifices, someone can have bad luck in their love life. One example is the Pyramus and Thisbe myth when they take their own lives because they cannot be together.

Klarissa Schwiethale said...

I would agree with this quotation because of the great power the love holds of people. I also find it surprising that Eros was not worshiped like the other gods, because love is one the most valuable things to people in life. People need love, want love, and search for love. One example can be seen in Pyramus and Thisbe. These two lovers are so overcome with their love, that they believe that without each other they cannot continue to live. Love also cannot be denied. In the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, Pygmalion tries to deny that he needs love. Yet, in the end he is showed the necessity that true love plays in his life.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the quote because Greeks, similar to modern times, would only marry a single person and if they were to marry another the initial marriage would be voided. It is acceptable in other cultures to have multiple wives, but Greeks had different views about love. Eros should receive more praise because he is the one that supposedly brings the two together. Maybe the Greeks didn't build him altars because he is always present and always causing love, whereas the Greeks would want to please a god like Demeter so that they yield many crops.

JonathanC said...

I agree with this quote and the mythology we've read seems to agree with it also. Love is one of the most powerful human emotions and it is love along with fear which devoted humans to the gods, so Eros played a major role in their culture. The story of Cupid and Psyche shows the lack of respect for Eros as represented by Psyche looking at Eros but in the end the myth also shows the respect that should be commited to Eros as represented by Psyche completing Venus's tasks.

Anonymous said...

I agree that the men had failed the God of love (Eros) in many ways. They knew the power that Eros had, yet they also managed to underestimate his power. Love may have seemed inevitable or childish to the men, so they took no interest in the "game". That was a huge mistake on their part, but it was also a choice not to love because of experiences/stories they had. In this situation it is hard for everyone to be content.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Aristophane was correct when speaking of how Eros deserved more than words.he has had such an impact in all the stories of the other gods and is given no credit. he creates the scene for other gods to impact such as Hera and marriage. or even in war when most battles started with lack of love or affairs. Eros is the leader of all the broken hearted and all the happily in love. He has given so much and has gotten nothing back. In the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, he is present through the hole in the wall. he is their connection and their hope because he has brought them together. Eros has taught everyone the true ways to live with every day difficulties. he understands more than the other gods yet the ancient greeks never saw him that way. Aristophane was entirely correct in saying that the Greeks should have given Eros more appreciation and more rituals toward him. they should have begged for his happiness and pleasure towards them rather than expected it.

Anonymous said...

I do agree that man has failed Eros and so do the myths we have read. Love is such a powerful emotion and can control so much of ones life but not many people realize this. When someone is in love they make choices that they might not if they were not in love, but they don’t realize it at the time. If they would realize it they would comprehend how powerful love can be and maybe praise Eros more than they currently do. In Cupid and Psyche, Psyche betrays Cupids wish and wishes that she didn't but due to her love for Cupid she does whatever Venus tells her to because she wants Cupids love again. Psyche realized that she was doing it out of love but most people would not in that instant.

Davidc said...

I agree with this statement entirely. When cupid says "Love cannot exist where there is no trust." he is backing up this statement. It takes a very long time to establish enough trust to love something or someone. Once people find true love they are entirely taken by it. Their lives are revolving around it. It is a powerful emotion.

Anonymous said...

People spend more time thinking about war, beauty, and death when they should instead be concerned with finding love and keeping it. In the myth Pyramus and Thisbe both of the families are too concerned with the war between their families to pay attention to love. “They longed to marry, but their parents forbade.” There parents ignored the power of love and cupid and therefore they ignored the most powerful force in the world and it ended badly for all.

Anonymous said...

I agree that man failed Eros. Love simply cannot be understood or comprehended by man. Psyche is the perfect example of that. She betrays Cupid by looking upon his face when he said to trust him, she cannot look. "Love cannot exist where there is no trust." Psyche does not understand all that love entails, but does anyone really know all that it means?

Anonymous said...

I agree with the quote that Eros is under worshiped. The power that love brings allows men to do incredible things. In a sense we do worship him nowadays. Look at all the love story movies that are made in our day. A good example of this is actually from the Psyche & Cupid myth. After Cupid has to flee, Psyche feels love towards him and goes to great lengths to let him know. Aphrodite makes Psyche do seemingly impossible tasks, but she overcomes them with a little help and the power of love. That is what people have done, and still do. We go to great lengths to express our love. We acknowledge the power of Eros, but we do not comprehend it. It is impossible to comprehend, but it is there.

Anonymous said...

I agree that mortals should pray and offer sacrifices to the ones that hold their fate. I do not agree that loves cannot exist if Eros does not give his blessing. Love is a powerful emotion that has moved mountains. If love is burning strong, it will find a way. While Cupid and Psyche prove without Eros's guidance and protection, love may not exist.

Anonymous said...

While I read this part of the speech, I can only think that this statement is very true. The god of love did not receive the attention that was deserved. Love has power over many, if not all, and causes people to do so much that they would not normally do. "The Eight Brief Tales of Loves," are perfect examples of what people might do for the ones they love. Like Romeo and Juliet, Pyramus and Thisbe took their own lives thinking that their significant other was dead. Another great tale is Orpheus, the mortal who chased his lover down to the underworld and tried to drag her back. The god of love, Eros, could not possibly hold more power because there is already nothing someone won't do for those they love. Even mighty Zeus followed many lovers and defied if wife, the goddess of marriage to "love" another. Some praise him, others Athena or Demeter, but no one praises the one who controls the most.

Anonymous said...

Love can change people, and can cause them to do irrational actions they would not normally do. In the story of Cupid and Psyche, Cupid states that, "love cannot exist where there is no trust". In order to get Cupid's trust back, Psyche did actions she would not have normally done, in order to get Cupid back. Eros didn't get the attention he deserved, which makes this statement true. Men didn't comprehend the power of love, as its seen throughout many stories we have read.

Anonymous said...

Tajalik Davis

Hour 1


Aristophanes’ quote is an accurate description of the God Eros and his followers. Eros’ arrow and love spells can cause people to do dangerous and evil things in order to please their love interest. Eros made Medea fall in love with Jason which caused her to become obsessed with making Jason happy. She disobeyed her father’s wishes, killed her brother and killed her children in order to live happily ever after. Eros shares some of the blame, he caused a girl to used dark magic and kill her family with one arrow. His arrows don’t just make people fall in love, they create an unhealthy obsession. Eros deserves more credit than he has been given.