Following and guidance · Lexicon

From the book

Symposium

Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026

Orientation

At a Glance

The wordThe verb of following can name bodily accompaniment, allegiance, or comprehension.
In the SymposiumThe command to follow brings Aristodemus to dinner; his following Socrates out the next morning closes the frame.
In this edition“If you are able” at 210a should not be omitted.
A place to readSocrates invites a follower; Agathon calls Love a leader whom all should follow.

Meaning

The verb of following can name bodily accompaniment, allegiance, or comprehension. The construction and situation decide which is meant.

Use in the book

The command to follow brings Aristodemus to dinner; his following Socrates out the next morning closes the frame. Between these physical uses Diotima asks Socrates to follow an account whose culmination may exceed him. At the close Agathon and Aristophanes agree while failing to follow attentively. Physical presence and spoken agreement are therefore not sufficient evidence of intellectual grasp.

Places to read

174b; 197eSocrates invites a follower; Agathon calls Love a leader whom all should follow.
210aDiotima’s invitation to follow is expressly conditional on ability.
223dInattentive following of an argument contrasts with habitual physical following.

Translation in this edition

“If you are able” at 210a should not be omitted. At the final physical following Burnet supplies a pronoun identifying Aristodemus; the surrounding narration, not the verb alone, distinguishes him from Socrates.

ἕπομαι (hepomai)

hepomai — To follow, physically or intellectually; following a person does not guarantee following the argument.

174b — Ἕπου. Socrates tells Aristodemus to follow him to dinner.
210a — ἕπεσθαι. Diotima tells Socrates to try to follow if he can.
223d — ἑπομένους. The drowsy poets are not following closely.
223d — ἕπεσθαι. Aristodemus follows Socrates after the party.

Read: Following and guidance.