Symposium

himself, and what he lacks — such are the things that desire and love are of?”

“Certainly,” he said.

“Come then,” Socrates said, “let us come to agreement on what has been said. Is not Love, first, of certain things, and next, of those things a lack of which is present to him?”

201a“Yes,” he said.

“On top of this, then, recall of what things you said in your speech Love was. Or, if you want, I will remind you. For I think you said something like this: that the affairs were set in order for the gods through love of beautiful things; for of ugly things there was no love. Was it not something like this you said?”¹

“Yes, I said it,” said Agathon.

“And you say it reasonably, too, my companion,” Socrates said; “and if this is so, would not Love be love of beauty, and not of ugliness?” He agreed.

201b“Has it not been agreed that what one lacks and does not have, that one is in love with?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Then Love lacks beauty and does not have it.”

“Necessarily,” he said.

“What then? What lacks beauty and in no way possesses beauty — do you say that that is beautiful?”

“Surely not.”

“Do you still agree, then, that Love is beautiful, if this is so?”

And Agathon said, “It looks like, Socrates, I knew nothing of what I said then.”

201c“And you did indeed speak well, Agathon,” he said.² “But tell me one small thing more: do not good things seem to you to be beautiful as well?”

“To me they do.”