Symposium

work by Xenophon

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July 14, 2026

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The Symposium is a work by Xenophon that depicts Socrates in conversation with friends at a drinking party. This gathering, known as a symposium, was a common practice in ancient Greece, where aristocratic men would meet to discuss philosophical and political topics, and recite poetry. Xenophon's Symposium is considered by some scholars to be a valuable portrayal of Socrates' thought and way of life. The work is characterized by conversations that shift between seriousness and lightheartedness, often focusing on personal relationships.123

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Socrates
Xenophon
Xenophon’s Symposium is a depiction of Socrates in conversation with his friends at a drinking party (it is perhaps inspired by a work of Plato of the same name and character) and is regarded by some scholars as a valuable re-creation of Socrates’ thought and way…
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Xenophon’s Symposium is a depiction of Socrates in conversation with his friends at a drinking party (it is perhaps inspired by a work of Plato of the same name and character) and is regarded by some scholars as a valuable re-creation of Socrates’ thought and way…
Read More

Xenophon
Socratic works
Symposium narrates a party where conversation, interspersed with cabaret, shifts continually between frivolity and seriousness. Personal relationships are a common theme in the two most substantial sections (the guests’ quirky accounts of their own most prized assets and Socrates’ speech on physical and spiritual love)…
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Symposium narrates a party where conversation, interspersed with cabaret, shifts continually between frivolity and seriousness. Personal relationships are a common theme in the two most substantial sections (the guests’ quirky accounts of their own most prized assets and Socrates’ speech on physical and spiritual love)…
Read More

Western dance
Dance in Classical Greece
355 bc) in his Symposium tells of the praise Socrates lavished on a female dancer and a dancing boy at one such occasion, finally himself emulating their beautiful movements. Elsewhere, Xenophon describes a dance representing the union of the legendary heroine Ariadne with Dionysus, an early example of narrative…
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355 bc) in his Symposium tells of the praise Socrates lavished on a female dancer and a dancing boy at one such occasion, finally himself emulating their beautiful movements. Elsewhere, Xenophon describes a dance representing the union of the legendary heroine Ariadne with Dionysus, an early example of narrative…
Read More