batch.motif.greek-plato-symposium-jowett-gutenberg-l765-l833
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-plato-symposium-jowett-gutenberg-l765-l833
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
passage_locator:
label: Symposium / SYMPOSIUM / INTRODUCTION.; lines 765-833
start: '765'
end: '833'
translation: Symposium
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage interprets the juxtaposition of Socrates' inspired speech with
Alcibiades' drunken entrance and confession. It describes Socrates as outwardly
like a Silenus but inwardly containing divine beauty, discusses Greek male attachments
as mixtures of desire, virtue, education, and friendship, and presents Socrates
as overcoming bodily temptation while love becomes a spur toward philosophical
ascent and moral improvement.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage says that a divine image of beauty resides within Socrates and
that the outward Socrates is to be exhibited as a Silenus-like figure.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Alcibiades enters drunk, accompanied by revellers and a flute-girl, after
Socrates' speech.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The passage states that Alcibiades confesses affections toward Socrates and
says others in the company have also been in love with Socrates and deceived by
him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The passage describes a combination of degrading passion with desire for virtue
and improvement, and says human nature can combine good and evil.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Socrates is represented as a saint who has won an Olympian victory over temptations
of human nature.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The philosopher's upward progress is said to begin through the beauty of young
men and boys.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: Love is described as taking the form of enthusiasm for the ideal of beauty,
like worship of a godlike image of Apollo or Antinous.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The passage says that, when not depraved, the love of youth could be a love
of virtue and modesty as well as beauty.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The passage states that in Sparta and Thebes an honourable attachment of a
youth to an elder man was part of education.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The passage mentions an army of lovers and beloveds that would be invincible
if united by such a tie, and says such a group may have existed at Thebes.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The passage compares these attachments with Achilles and Patroclus in Homer
and says one should hesitate to ascribe an immoral or licentious character to
most of them.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: A young person is described as being entrusted by parents to an elder friend
for training in manly exercises and virtue.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Socrates
description: A figure described as inwardly containing divine beauty, outwardly
associated with a Silenus image, and represented as overcoming temptations of
human nature.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Alcibiades
description: A drunken entrant accompanied by revellers and a flute-girl who confesses
his affections toward Socrates.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Revellers and flute-girl
description: Companions who accompany Alcibiades when he enters.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Pausanias
description: Speaker whose account of the loves of man is used to frame Alcibiades'
affections toward Socrates.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Lovers and beloveds
description: A collective pair-type described as potentially united by a tie that
could make an army invincible.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Youth and elder man
description: An educational relationship in which a youth may be attached to or
entrusted to an elder man for training in exercises and virtue.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:12
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Achilles and Patroclus
description: A Homeric pair used as a comparison for male attachments not necessarily
characterized as immoral or licentious.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Apollo or Antinous
description: Godlike images used as comparisons for the idealized beauty that love
may worship.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: concealed bearer of divine beauty
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Socrates is said to contain a divine image of beauty within him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: Silenus-like outward figure
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage contrasts Socrates' inward beauty with his outward man, named
as Silenus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: victor over temptation
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Socrates is represented as having won an Olympian victory over human temptations.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: drunken confessor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Alcibiades enters drunk and is said to tell things he would be ashamed to
reveal sober.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: festive entourage
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Revellers and a flute-girl accompany Alcibiades.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: interpreter of human loves
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Alcibiades' affections are presented as illustrating the power ascribed to
loves in Pausanias' speech.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: bonded warrior pair-collective
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The passage mentions an army of lovers and beloveds made invincible by their
tie.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:8
label: educational mentor-pupil pair
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: A young person is entrusted to an elder friend for training in exercises
and virtue.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:12
- id: role:9
label: Homeric friendship comparison
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Achilles and Patroclus are cited as a comparison for attachments whose character
should not automatically be judged licentious.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:10
label: idealized beautiful image
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Apollo and Antinous are named as godlike images associated with worship of
ideal beauty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Silenus exterior
literal_form: Silenus, or outward man
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: divine image of beauty
literal_form: divine image of beauty within Socrates
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: Olympian victory
literal_form: Olympian victory over temptations of human nature
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: godlike image of ideal beauty
literal_form: godlike image of an Apollo or Antinous
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: army of lovers and beloved
literal_form: army of lovers and their beloved united by a tie
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Alcibiades' drunken entrance after Socrates' speech
summary: After the speech of Socrates, Alcibiades arrives drunk with revellers and
a flute-girl and is able to reveal matters he would not reveal sober.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Inner divine beauty contrasted with Silenus exterior
summary: The passage frames Socrates through a contrast between an inward divine
image of beauty and an outward Silenus-like appearance.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:3
label: Love as moral and philosophical ascent
summary: The passage describes love of beauty as initiating upward progress and
as an enthusiasm for ideal beauty, potentially connected with virtue and modesty.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:4
label: Educational and military bonds of male attachment
summary: The passage describes honourable attachment between youth and elder as
an educational institution and mentions an army of lovers and beloveds united
by such a tie.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: hidden divine beauty within a humble or comic exterior
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Socrates is described as containing a divine image of beauty while his outward
man is figured as Silenus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is interpretive commentary rather than a mythic narrative;
the taxonomy link to wisdom is based on Socrates' philosophical role and the inner/outer
contrast.
- id: motif:2
label: love of beauty as upward progress
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
- mystical_quest
basis: The philosopher is said to take the first step in upward progress through
beauty, and love is described as enthusiasm for the ideal of beauty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage refers to philosophical ascent in the Symposium, not a physical
journey.
- id: motif:3
label: victory over bodily temptation
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
- wisdom
basis: Socrates is represented as a saint who wins an Olympian victory over temptations
of human nature.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The language is moral and philosophical; no ritual ordeal is narrated.
- id: motif:4
label: mentor-beloved educational bond
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: The passage describes youths attached or entrusted to elder men for training
in manly exercises and virtue.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: This is presented as a social and educational institution, not explicitly
as a mythic initiation rite.
- id: motif:5
label: invincible band united by love-bonds
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage mentions an army of lovers and beloveds that would be invincible
if united by such a tie and connects it with Thebes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports the idea through Plato and later writers; it is not
a developed narrative episode here.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself compares Greek male attachments under discussion with
the Homeric attachment of Achilles and Patroclus, cautioning against automatically
assigning immoral or licentious character to such bonds.
claim_level: same_function
target: Homeric Achilles and Patroclus as a comparative pair of male attachment
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison is ethical and social rather than a detailed shared
mythic plot.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage compares idealized erotic-philosophical devotion to worship of
godlike images such as Apollo or Antinous.
claim_level: same_function
target: godlike image of Apollo or Antinous as idealized beauty
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison is figurative and aesthetic; it does not establish a
narrative link or historical contact.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 765-768
quote_or_summary: Socrates is described as having a divine image of beauty within,
while his outward man is to be shown as Silenus-like.
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 768-773
quote_or_summary: After Socrates' speech, Alcibiades enters drunk with revellers
and a flute-girl and can reveal things he would have hidden if sober.
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 773-779
quote_or_summary: Alcibiades' affections toward Socrates illustrate Pausanias' account
of human loves; several others are said to have been in love with Socrates and
deceived by him.
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 779-785
quote_or_summary: The confession combines degrading passion with desire for virtue
and improvement; human nature is described as capable of combining good and evil.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: quote
locator: lines 792-795
quote_or_summary: Socrates is represented as a saint who has won 'the Olympian victory'
over the temptations of human nature.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from public domain text.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 798-801
quote_or_summary: The philosopher is said to be incited to take the first step in
upward progress by the beauty of young men and boys.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 801-804
quote_or_summary: Love is described as taking a spurious form of enthusiasm for
ideal beauty, like worship of a godlike image of Apollo or Antinous.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 804-807
quote_or_summary: When not depraved, love of youth is described as a love of virtue
and modesty as well as beauty.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 807-810
quote_or_summary: In Greek states, especially Sparta and Thebes, an honourable attachment
of youth to elder man is described as part of education.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 810-815
quote_or_summary: The passage mentions an 'army of lovers and their beloved' said
to be invincible if united by such a tie, and says such a force may have existed
at Thebes.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized with brief quoted phrase.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 820-823
quote_or_summary: The passage says one should hesitate to ascribe an immoral or
licentious character to most such attachments, any more than to Achilles and Patroclus
in Homer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/symposium-jowett.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 829-833
quote_or_summary: A young person is described as entrusted by parents to an elder
friend expected to train him in manly exercises and virtue.
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: medium
notes: The passage is a translator's or editor's introduction/commentary rather
than a continuous mythic episode. Literal extraction is strong; motif assignments
are interpretive and should be reviewed.
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: |-
No available symbol taxonomy items such as cave, fire, milk, mountain, serpent, tree, or water are present in this passage; symbol taxonomy references were therefore left empty.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-plato-symposium-jowett-gutenberg__l765-l833
passage_sha256=08e67db18436b2fb842a54d3b40312fcddd6095f8a249b4cd7796767d8f22ae5