Mediating Eros: The Structure and Relations of Erotic Participation in Plato and Plutarch

Erica Kunimoto, M.A in Political Theory at University of Calgary


Abstract

This article explores the transformative possibilities present in the eros. Using Plato’s Symposium and Phaedrus, and Plutarch’s Advice to the Bride and Groom, the article demonstrates the various ways in which erotic openings involve a degree of mediation in their striving for the beautiful or immortal. In raising questions about the individual transformative potential in the face of something objective, this article asks us to consider how participation and mediation effects, and reflects, on both the lover and beloved - both parties of a relationship.