batch.motif.greek-plato-symposium-jowett-gutenberg-l504-l591
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-plato-symposium-jowett-gutenberg-l504-l591
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
passage_locator:
label: Symposium / SYMPOSIUM / INTRODUCTION.; lines 504-591
start: '504'
end: '591'
translation: Symposium
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage, from Jowett's introduction to Plato's Symposium, describes
the dialogue's characters, classifies the speeches, explains Socrates' speech
as a narrated dialogue with Diotima, discusses the witnesses and narrative framing,
and summarizes Phaedrus' speech on love, honour, heroic examples, and divine favour
toward returned love.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage lists major characters including Phaedrus, Aristophanes, Agathon,
Alcibiades, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristodemus, Socrates, Diotima, Apollodorus,
Alcestis, Achilles, Zeus, and Love.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: obs:2
text: The speeches are described by critics as following in pairs and as having
ethical, physical, poetic, philosophical, mythological, political, scientific,
and artistic aspects, though the passage says these distinctions are not found
in Plato.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Socrates asks questions with Phaedrus' leave and then casts his argument as
a speech that is really a narrative of a dialogue between himself and Diotima.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The passage says Socrates' knowledge of the mysteries of love is given by
Diotima.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Apollodorus is described as having heard the speeches from Aristodemus, who
had been present at the banquet.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Aristodemus is described as the old 'shadow' of Socrates and as going about
barefooted like him.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The passage mentions a fit or trance of Socrates and a similar fit of abstraction
while serving with the army at Potidaea.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The first five speeches are said to be treated by Socrates as fanciful and
exaggerated encomiums of the god Love rather than as true accounts.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The passage says the banquet is a real banquet where love is the theme of
discourse and large quantities of wine are drunk.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Phaedrus' discourse is described as half-mythical and half-ethical and includes
the antiquity of love, the blessing of having a lover, love as incentive to daring
deeds, and examples of Alcestis and Achilles.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: Phaedrus is said to claim that the gods favour returned love from the beloved
more than the original sentiment because the lover is nobler and more divine.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Phaedrus
description: A speaker characterized as associated with philosophical discussions;
his discourse is described as half-mythical and half-ethical and includes love,
honour, daring deeds, Alcestis, and Achilles.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Aristophanes
description: A character described as disguising a serious purpose under comic imagery
and classed by critics among the physical or artistic speakers.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Agathon
description: A character and host over whom Socrates' superiority is represented
indirectly through Diotima's prior victory over Socrates.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Alcibiades
description: A character described as a contrast of great powers and great vices;
his extraordinary narrative is represented as admitted by Socrates' silence.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Pausanias
description: A less-known character and one of the speakers, paired with Phaedrus
in critical classification.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Eryximachus
description: A less-known character and one of the speakers, paired with Aristophanes
in critical classification.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Socrates
description: A central figure who asks questions, narrates a dialogue with Diotima,
professes ignorance, claims knowledge of the mysteries of love as given by Diotima,
experiences fits or abstraction, argues dialectically, and speaks on condition
of truth.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Diotima
description: A figure from whom Socrates receives knowledge of the mysteries of
love and whose dialogue with Socrates is narrated in his speech.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Apollodorus
description: A transmitter of the speeches who has made a daily study of Socrates
and heard the speeches from Aristodemus.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Aristodemus
description: A witness present at the banquet, described as the old 'shadow' of
Socrates and as going barefooted like him.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Love
description: The god Love, praised in encomiums and treated as the theme of discourse
at the banquet.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Zeus
description: Named in connection with reasons given for reconstructing the frame
of man.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Alcestis
description: An example used in Phaedrus' discourse about love.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Achilles
description: An example used in Phaedrus' discourse about love.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: the gods
description: Divine figures said by Phaedrus to favour returned love from the beloved
more than the original sentiment.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: banquet speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: The passage discusses the speeches of these figures and critical pairings
of their speeches.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: dialectical speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Socrates asks questions and will argue with Agathon rather than simply make
a speech.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: teacher or source of knowledge about love
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Socrates' knowledge of the mysteries of love is described as given by Diotima.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: recipient and narrator of teaching
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Socrates' speech is the narrative of a dialogue between himself and Diotima.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: witness or transmitter of the banquet narrative
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:9
- fig:10
basis: Apollodorus heard the speeches from Aristodemus, Aristodemus had been present,
and Alcibiades' narrative is represented as admitted by Socrates' silence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: companion or follower of Socrates
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Aristodemus is called the old 'shadow' of Socrates and is described as going
barefooted like him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: mythical-ethical speaker on love
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Phaedrus' discourse is described as half-mythical and half-ethical and treats
love, honour, heroic examples, and divine favour.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: host or guest in rhetorical setting
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The passage says banquet manners prevent Socrates from winning a victory
over his host or guests, and identifies Agathon as the person over whom Socrates'
superiority is indirectly represented.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: divine figure
assigned_to:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:15
basis: Love is called a god, Zeus is named, and the gods are said to favour returned
love.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: exemplary figure in discourse on love
assigned_to:
- fig:13
- fig:14
basis: Alcestis and Achilles are named as examples in Phaedrus' discourse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: banquet
literal_form: A real banquet at which love is discussed.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: wine
literal_form: Huge quantities of wine drunk at the banquet.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: mysteries of love
literal_form: Knowledge of the mysteries of love claimed by Socrates and given by
Diotima.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: god Love
literal_form: Love personified as a god and subject of encomiums.
associated_figures:
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: Socrates' fit or trance
literal_form: A fit, trance, or abstraction attributed to Socrates, with a similar
occurrence at Potidaea.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: shadow of Socrates
literal_form: Aristodemus described as the old 'shadow' of Socrates.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:7
label: reconstructed frame of man
literal_form: Reasons attributed to Zeus for reconstructing the frame of man are
mentioned among satirical appeals to mythology.
associated_figures:
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Character and speech classification
summary: The introduction identifies major characters and reports critical classifications
of their speeches, while cautioning that these classifications are not Plato's
own.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Socrates frames teaching through Diotima
summary: Socrates, after asking questions, turns his argument into a speech that
narrates a dialogue with Diotima, and his knowledge of love is attributed to her.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Witness chain for the speeches
summary: Apollodorus transmits the speeches from Aristodemus, who had been present;
Alcibiades' narrative is treated as supported by Socrates' silence.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:7
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Banquet, praise, and Socratic truth-telling
summary: The passage describes the banquet as real, with love as its theme and wine
drunk; it also notes Socrates' resistance to exaggerated praise and his commitment
to speaking truth about holy things.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Phaedrus' discourse on love
summary: Phaedrus' speech treats love as ancient and beneficial, connects it to
honour and daring deeds, cites Alcestis and Achilles, and claims gods favour love
returned by the beloved.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:13
- fig:14
- fig:15
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: wisdom about love transmitted by a teacher
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Socrates' speech is framed as a dialogue with Diotima, and his knowledge
of the mysteries of love is said to be given by her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is introductory commentary, not the direct speech itself;
the motif is limited to the stated framing of knowledge transmission.
- id: motif:2
label: divinized love and praise of a love deity
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
basis: The passage refers to exaggerated encomiums of the god Love and says love
is the theme of the banquet discourse.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy label is broader than the passage's literal wording;
the passage focuses on Love as a god and object of praise rather than on a specific
divine beloved narrative.
- id: motif:3
label: returned love favoured by gods
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
- sacred_exchange
basis: Phaedrus is summarized as saying that gods favour returned love from the
beloved more than the original sentiment, because the lover is nobler and more
divine.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a reported claim within Phaedrus' discourse and not a narrated
mythic event in the passage.
- id: motif:4
label: mythic reconstruction of human form
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage mentions satirical appeals to mythology, including reasons given
by Zeus for reconstructing the frame of man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: low
cautions: The passage only alludes to this mythic content and does not narrate it
in detail.
- id: motif:5
label: trance or abstraction of a sage
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage mentions a fit or trance of Socrates and a similar fit of abstraction
during military service at Potidaea.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives only brief commentary on the episode and does not interpret
the trance as a formal initiatory or visionary journey.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 504-515
quote_or_summary: The passage characterizes Phaedrus, Aristophanes, Agathon, Alcibiades,
Pausanias, Eryximachus, and Aristodemus, including Aristodemus being called 'the
little' in Xenophon.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 516-527
quote_or_summary: The speeches are reported as paired and classified by critics
as ethical, physical, poetic, philosophical, mythological, political, scientific,
and artistic, but the passage says these distinctions are not found in Plato.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 528-543
quote_or_summary: Socrates asks questions with Phaedrus' leave, presents his argument
as a speech, and that speech is described as a narrative dialogue between Socrates
and Diotima; Socrates' knowledge of the mysteries of love is given by Diotima.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 544-552
quote_or_summary: Apollodorus, who studies Socrates, heard the speeches from Aristodemus,
who had been present and is described as the old 'shadow' of Socrates, going barefoot
like him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 553-578
quote_or_summary: The passage discusses Alcibiades' narrative, signs of Socrates'
absence, Socrates' trance or abstraction, Socrates' drinking powers, his view
that the first five speeches are fanciful encomiums of the god Love, satirical
appeals to mythology including Zeus reconstructing man, Socratic truth-telling
about holy things, and the banquet with love as discourse theme and much wine
drunk.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 580-591
quote_or_summary: Phaedrus' discourse is described as half-mythical and half-ethical;
it treats honour and dishonour, love's antiquity, the blessing of having a lover,
love as an incentive to daring deeds, examples of Alcestis and Achilles, and the
claim that gods favour returned love from the beloved because the lover is nobler
and more divine.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is an introductory analytic summary rather than a mythic narrative,
so figures and motifs are extracted cautiously from reported content and framing.
No comparison claims were added because the passage does not itself support a
specific comparative mythology claim beyond internal references and critical classifications.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Used only the provided passage and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to supplied options and omitted where unsupported.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-plato-symposium-jowett-gutenberg__l504-l591
passage_sha256=0addfce612dc956289364fb2fda7553a1e11ec7e74464c99d3aea0ae2565f676