Describe how Plato, Sappho, and/or Catullus conceive of love (and/or friendship). You can choose to only discuss one of the three works or compare two or three of them. You can also choose to compare their views on love with The Odyssey. You can also choose to focus more specifically on either the lover or the beloved if you like.

During the symposium, all the attendees attempt to explain love. Socrates describes love based on a conversation he had with Diotima long ago. He states that love is between beauty and ugliness, mortal and immortal, wisdom and ignorance. Diotima tells Socrates the story behind love: Love is the son of Poros (resource) and Penia (poverty). She explains that love is not just the love between two people, but rather the purpose of love is to give birth in beauty. Diotima then goes on to say that it is not enough for philosophers, or lovers of wisdom, to only assist in the birth of ideas. A real lover of wisdom must conceive ideas himself. Socrates’ speech on love is very different from the others. He delves into the different elements of love and not only the physical, sexual components of love.