Symposium by Plato

Plato's Symposium—a timeless dialogue on love, beauty, and the soul. Speeches by Socrates and companions explore Eros from physical desire to pure beauty. Translated by Benjamin Jowett, narrated by Mark Cassidy. 📖 About the Work Set during an Athenian banquet, Symposium features a series of speeches exploring the nature of Eros (love). Reflections range from humorous to profound, culminating in Socrates' retelling of Diotima's mystical teaching on love as a ladder ascending from physical desire to the contemplation of pure beauty. More than a philosophical treatise, this is a dramatic, poetic, and deeply human work that continues to influence ideas about love, desire, and the relationship between body and soul. ✍️ About Plato Plato (c. 428–348 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and student of Socrates who founded the Academy in Athens. His writings laid the foundations of Western philosophy, covering ethics, metaphysics, politics, and epistemology. Symposium, along with The Republic and Phaedrus, is among his most celebrated dialogues. 🎙️ Narration & Translation Mark Cassidy brings steady, accessible narration to Benjamin Jowett's elegant English translation, preserving the clarity and rhetorical style of the original Greek. Each voice is distinct, making the philosophical ideas easy to follow with full on-screen subtitles—ideal for study, reflection, or relaxed listening. 📚 Timestamps 00:00 – Symposium by Plato 00:13 – Persons of the Dialogue 00:35 – Scene: The House of Agathon 03:00 – Apollodorus' Preface: Recounting the Story 07:30 – Phaedrus on Love as the Oldest of the Gods 15:00 – Pausanias: Heavenly vs. Common Love 24:00 – Eryximachus: Love in Harmony and Medicine 33:00 – Aristophanes: The Myth of Soulmates 45:00 – Agathon: Love as Young, Beautiful, and Virtuous 58:30 – Socrates: Questioning Agathon & Introducing Diotima 1:13:30 – Diotima's Ladder of Love 1:31:30 – Alcibiades Interrupts: Praising Socrates 1:46:30 – Closing: Aftermath and Reflections 📘 At Chillbooks, we present fully subtitled audiobooks of classic literature, philosophy, and historical texts. 🔗 Follow Chillbooks: All Links • Spotify • YouTube • Instagram