symposium   

own son, and in name only related to him; and so noble did this action

of hers appear to the gods, as well as to men, that among the many who

have done virtuously she is one of the very few to whom, in admiration

of her noble action, they have granted the privilege of returning

alive to earth; such exceeding honour is paid by the gods to the

devotion and virtue of love. But Orpheus, the son of Oeagrus, the

harper, they sent empty away, and presented to him an apparition

only of her whom he sought, but herself they would not give up,

because he showed no spirit; he was only a harp-player, and did

not-dare like Alcestis to die for love, but was contriving how he

might enter hades alive; moreover, they afterwards caused him to

suffer death at the hands of women, as the punishment of his

cowardliness. Very different was the reward of the true love of

Achilles towards his lover Patroclus-his lover and not his love (the

notion that Patroclus was the beloved one is a foolish error into

which Aeschylus has fallen, for Achilles was surely the fairer of

the two, fairer also than all the other heroes; and, as Homer

informs us, he was still beardless, and younger far). And greatly as

the gods honour the virtue of love, still the return of love on the

part of the beloved to the lover is more admired and valued and

rewarded by them, for the lover is more divine; because he is inspired

by God. Now Achilles was quite aware, for he had been told by his

mother, that he might avoid death and return home, and live to a

good old age, if he abstained from slaying Hector. Nevertheless he

gave his life to revenge his friend, and dared to die, not only in his

defence, but after he was dead Wherefore the gods honoured him even

above Alcestis, and sent him to the Islands of the Blest. These are my

reasons for affirming that Love is the eldest and noblest and

mightiest of the gods; and the chiefest author and giver of virtue

in life, and of happiness after death.

This, or something like this, was the speech of Phaedrus; and some

other speeches followed which Aristodemus did not remember; the next