As a master of dramatic dialogue, Plato (427-347 в.с.) has few rivals, and in The Symposium he is at his most incisive and entertaining.

The scene is a dinner party for the literati of Athens, the action a series of speeches by the guests. From these there emerge a complete and complex philosophy of love. The pivot of the argument is Socrates' speech in which sensuality is transcended and we move from the sensible to the ideal world. But just as the preceding speeches are vital to the theme and scheme of progression, so too is the brilliant character sketch of Socrates by Alcibiades which rounds off the dialogue. By combining his formidable skills as a philosopher and as an artist, Plato creates in The Symposium an ingenious harmony of thought and word, idea and expression--playful, profound and invariably provocative.