A Simplified Outline of Socrates' Second Speech in the Phaedrus – 'The Great Speech'

The soul in its cosmic setting

1. Introductory statement to the 'fair youth'

2. The Recantation – one ought not to reject a lover because he is mad

a) Madness is not always evil; if given by the gods it is a benefit. Proof through examples:

1. Prophecy

2. Purgation

3. Poetry

4. Love: “We on our part must prove that such madness (Love) is given by the gods for our greatest happiness” (245b)

a) Immortality of the soul—formal proof based upon its self-motion (245c-246a)

b) The difference between immortal and mortal living beings:

1. Perfect and fully winged soul mounts upward and controls all

2. If soul loses its wings it sinks down and is embodied

a) Why the soul loses its wings and what happens if it does:

1. The power of the wing and its proper nourishment:

a) Within the heavens

b) To the divine banquet beyond the heavens

1. The feasting of the gods

2. The feasting of the other souls

a) Those who behold the ideas

b) Those who fail to behold them

3. The Decree of Destiny:

a) Those souls that see the truth in a cycle of the cosmos are safe from harm until the

next cycle

b) Those souls which do not, sink down and are embodied as men:

1. The nine kinds of life based upon the amount of truth seen before birth

2. The 10,000 year cycle of birth, judgment, punishment of reward and rebirth

Summary: All the discourses so far have been about the fourth kind of madness:

The course of love in this world

1. The inspired lover seeing beauty in this world is reminded of true beauty, begins to grow wings, and is concerned for only what is

above. Thus he neglects things here below and is considered mad

2. Of all the forms of divine madness, this is the best

3. Every human “by nature” has beheld the beings

a) The course of love in this world

1. The function of memory and beauty

a) The site of beauty—the act of falling in love

1. One who's vision of true beauty is long past or corrupted surrenders to pleasure, lust and wantonness

2. One initiated into the ultimate mysteries:

a) Is reminded of the true beauty one has seen

b) Gazes at the beautiful one as if he were a god

1. He begins to grow wings again

a) He feels joy when gazing at this beloved

b) He feels anguish when separated from him

c) He becomes distraught from the mingling of joy and anguish

1) He thus forgets family and friends, property and ordinary conventions

and proprieties

2) He is prepared to do anything for his beloved

3) Definition of love—this condition is called love by men

a) The various kinds of lovers

1. Followers of Zeus

2. Followers of Ares

3. Each lover lives after the manner of his god

b) Behavior of the lover towards the beloved:

1. General characteristics:

a) Each selects a beloved according to his own

character

b) Each treats his beloved as if he were the god he

followed

Specific behavior of the different types of lovers:

a) Followers of Zeus

1) Desire a Zeus-like soul

2) When they find him they do all they can to give

him such a character

a) In the process they become they become

themselves more like the god they follow

3) Consider the beloved the source of their joy

a) Followers of Hera

b) Followers of Apollo

c) Followers of the other gods

Summary: the desire of the lover is accomplished and brings happiness to the beloved if he is captured

The capture of the beloved

1. The capture of the beloved

a) The behavior of the beloved:

1) The two horses—their natures

2) Conflicting responses of the different parts of the soul to the beloved

3) The taming of the dark horse

2. The behavior of the beloved:

a) How he falls in love

b) The condition of the beloved after he falls in love

3. The course of mutual love:

a) The continuing problems of the dark horses

b) The different kinds of mutual love:

1) Love based upon control by the better part of the mind

a) Happy in this life

b) Winged in the next life

c) The greatest good that can be secured by man

2) Love based upon honor:

a) Gives into the dark horse on occasion

b) Results in:

1) Lasting friendship in this life

2) Promise of wings in the future

3. Concluding statements:

a) To the “fair youth”:

1) These are the blessings of a friendship of a lover

2) The relationship with a non-lover will:

a) Be mixed with moral prudence and the dispensing of parsimonious gifts

b) Beget illiberality in the beloved's soul

c) Cause the beloved’s soul to be wingless for 9,000 years

b) To “dear love”:

1) I have offered the best recantation I can

2) Forgive my former words and accept these

3) Be kind and gracious to me

a) Do not in anger take away the art of love you have given me

b) Do not deprive me of sight

c) Grant me to be esteemed even more than now by the beautiful

4. If in our former speech Phaedrus or I said anything harsh against you:

a) Blame Lysias

b) Turn him to philosophy:

1. So Phaedrus will no longer hesitate between two opinions

2. But will wholeheartedly live for love together with philosophical discourse