True Love and Looking for the Original Half
The Origin of the Sexes in Aristophanes Speech in Plato’s Symposium
Aug 28, 2009
Aristophanes claims that mankind has neglected and misunderstood love; otherwise, they would have built temples and altars and made sacrifices for love. Love is like a doctor that helps and heals all the diseases and paves the way for human happiness. After this praise, in which he points out that his opinions differ from those of Pausanias and Eryximachus, Aristophanes talks about the myth of the creation of the sexes.
The Androgynous World of the Original Human Nature
The original human nature was different at first, according to the tale of Aristophanes. There were, in fact, three sexes, the third one being “androgynous,” a combination of both sexes.
Furthermore, the primeval people were different as their backs and sides formed a circle and they had four hands and feet, two faces and four ears. They had the ability to walk in all four directions and were mighty and strong.
One day these creatures decided to wage war on the gods. They intended to climb to heaven and attack the gods. The gods thought that if they were to kill and annihilate these dangerous creatures, then there would be nobody left to respect and honor them with sacrifices; yet at the same time they could not allow such insolent behavior from the creatures below.
The Creation of the Sexes and the Search for the Missing Half
Zeus decided to cut them in half which would diminish their strength and make them more numerous, meaning that the gods would have more worshipers. It would also serve as a lesson of humility so that the creatures become aware of the consequences of their pride and actions.
Then with the help of Apollo and over a period of time humans were created as they are now; men and women were finally separated from each other and their genitalia at the front enabled them to propagate the race if they wished to do so.
Since each person is now half of what they used to be in their primeval state, there is a constant longing for finding the other half. Men who used to be androgynous are looking for women; while others who used to be made up of both female or both male parts are on the quest for a same-sex attachment to complete their previous state.
The Superiority of Male Homosexual Love
However, Aristophanes considers those men who prefer to love and spend the rest of their life with another man a superior form of love. They are the “original man” and seek all that is like them – of male nature and believed to be valiant and manly.
Men who seek such unions have made the best statesmen, which is for Aristophanes sufficient proof of their superiority. They may not be interested in begetting children, yet they would be willing to do so in order to obey the law; nonetheless, what they would prefer most is to live unwed but with their loved one for the rest of their life.
They constantly yearn for their other similar part and only when they find each other do the two halves complement each other and they become one again; if they could they would like to melt into each other following and satisfying their “ancient need.”
Aristophanes, however, finishes his speech by including both men and women as the benefactors of love. Humans used to be one and whole but afterward they could only reach that state through the pursuit of love. Each must search for his or her own true love which would guarantee them lasting peace and happiness.
Sources:
- Platon. Dialogos. Editorial Porrua: Mexico, 1998.
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