Faces of Love

Common Love

In classical Greek literature the subject of love is commonly a prominent theme. However, throughout these varied texts the subject of Love becomes a multi-faceted being. From this common occurrence in literature we can assume that this subject had a large impact on day-to-day life. One text that explores the many faces of love in everyday life is Plato’s Symposium. In this text we hear a number of views on the subject of love and what the true nature of love is. The speech that we will focus on is the speech by Pausanius. Pausanius’s speech concentrates on the goddess Aphrodite. In particular he looks at her two forms, as a promoter of “Celestial Love” as well as “Common Love.” This idea of “Common Love” can be seen in a real life context in the tragedy “Hippolytus” by Euripides. This brings the philosophical views made by Pausanius into a real-life context.

The speech by Pausanius in Plato’s Symposium divides the goddess Aphrodite into two beings, each responsible for a different aspect of love. To prove the existence of her double life he cites her creation. There are two versions of the birth of Aphrodite, one coming from Hesiod’s work, Theogony, where she is borne out of Uranus’ castrated genitals as they splash into the sea; the other is from Homer’s work, the Illiad, where she is said to be the daughter of Zeus and Dione. (Notes on Plato’s Symposium 180e) From these two vastly different creations she takes on two vastly different forms. Pausanius describes one of her forms as “Celestial” love. This type of love springs out of the Aphrodite created from Uranus’ genitals. This form is “wholly male” (Symposium 180c) which inspires men to be attracted toward other intelligent men. This “Celestial” love only occurs on the most morally sound levels and creates a connection between two men for the intellectual betterment of each other. In this type of love the two can “properly” satisfy their desires, on both an intellectual and a physical level. Pausanius uses this face of love as his ultimate ideal, hard to recognize and harder to achieve. “Common” love was far more likely to occur. This form of love comes from the other side of Aphrodite, created from Zeus and Dione. This Aphrodite inherits aspects from both the male and the female parents. This makes “Common” love more frequent between men and women (though Pausanius does touch on “common” love in males). “Common” love is the love that “ordinary people experience.” (Symposium 181b) It is described as “totally random” (Symposium 181b) and happens when there is a physical attraction between two bodies. This form of love is slandered by Pausanius saying that it does not “properly” satisfy the needs of the lovers as it only operates on the physical level. This form of love is the one apparent in Euripides’ tragedy Hippolytus.

In Hippolytus, Euripides tells the story of Phaedra’s love for Hippolytus. Phaedra is the stepmother of Hippolytus and she falls madly in love with him. The love described in this play is clearly the same love as Pausanias relates in the Symposium. Pausanias defines “Common” love in two parts. The two main aspects of “Common” love occur at random. These criteria are that it must occur between a man and a woman, and the love is based on a physical attraction.

The first defining feature of “Common” love is that it occurs between men and women. In our real-life occurrence of this concept the “Common” love occurs not only between a man and a woman, but also between the extremes of both sexes. Phaedra is depicted as a weak-bodied and tricky; two traits looked down upon by Greek males. In the early scenes of the play unrequited love affects Phaedra so deeply that she cries, “Lift me up! Lift my head up! All the muscles/ are slack and useless.” (Hippolytus 198-199) She is the epitome of an emotionally crippled woman. Her craftiness is seen in her final actions. In her suicide note she accuses Hippolytus of rape. To deal with his rejection of her she has to destroy his life. On the other hand Hippolytus is portrayed as a chaste, intelligent man, both ideals of a Grecian male. Hippolytus shows both of these qualities in the speech he makes shortly after his father accuses him of the rape. He describes his chastity in the following:

“I am a virgin to this very day.

Save what I have heard or what I have seen in pictures,

I’m ignorant of the deed. Nor do I wish,

To see such things, for I’ve a maiden soul.”

Hippolytus L. 1004-1007

Hippolytus lives a life so noble he has refrained from physical pleasures. His intelligence is then reaffirmed in his father’s reaction to the speech:

“Why, here’s a spell binding magician for you.

He wrongs his father and then trusts his craft,

His smooth beguiling craft to lull my anger.”

Hippolytus L. 1038-1040

Hippolytus’ speech is so powerful his father almost forgives him for the death of his wife. Hippolytus embodies the Greek ideals of a man, nobility and intelligence. These are contrasted with the ideals of women’s flaws, a weak-body and deceiving mind. From this juxtaposition we receive “Common” love at its height between the best of men and the worst of women.

The second aspect of “common” love is that the love is based upon a physical attraction. In Hippolytus the love involved is certainly based upon a physical attraction. Phaedra, having little if any contact with Hippolytus before the time of the play, is infatuated with Hippolytus. In the prologue, the roots of Phaedra’s love are revealed, “Phaedra saw him/ and her heart was filled with the longings of love.” (L. 26-27) This sets a precedent for the scenes that follow shortly after. All of her grief has its base in a physical attraction for Hippolytus. She speaks of how she has tried do deal with this lust in a speech to the chorus leader:

“Then I believed that I could conquer love,

Conquer it with discretion and good sense.

And when that too failed me, I resolved to die.”

Hippolytus L. 397-400

Phaedra was so infatuated with Hippolytus that all of her discretion and good sense was outweighed by her desires. Lust affected Phaedra to such a degree that she felt she was unable to live out her life. This description of lust shows that Phaedra’s love for Hippolytus is the same as the love described by Pausanias as “Common” love.

Throughout the play love is used by Euripides as a key plot factor and in many ways sets the outcome of the play. This love was definitely based on a physical attraction between a male and a female, thus making it “Common” love. The fact that Euripides uses “Common” love lends credibility to Pausanias’ philosophical ideas. The appearance of this idea suggests that it had realistic roots. . The events that took place in the play, such as the relationship between Phaedra and Hippolytus, must have been realistic so a Greek audience would believe the story. Even though Hippolytus is a fictional play the events that take place must have their roots in realistic events. This allows us to believe that Pausanias’ philosophical ideal was in fact a real life issue that Athenians dealt with in day-to-day life.