The symposium - Plato

Of all the Greek philosophers Plato (427 - 347 B.C.) was perhaps the greatest. The Symposium - a masterpiece of dramatic dialogue - is set at a  dinner party to which are invited several of the literary celebrities of Athenian society. After dinner it is proposed that each member of the company should make a speech in praise of love. A full discussion follows and the dialogue ends with a brilliant character sketch of Socrates by Alcibiades. Throughout Plato reveals, as few other authors have done, the beauty, power, and flexibility of Greek prose.