Symposium Short Essay Assignments

Short Essay Questions

The 60 short essay questions listed in this section require a one to two sentence answer. They ask students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text. Students must describe what they've read, rather than just recall it.

Short Essay Question - Part 1, line 172a to line 177e

1. How is the story of the Symposium introduced and who is responsible for telling it?

2. What is the setting of the Symposium and the circumstances around it?

3. How well does Apollodorus know Socrates in order to verify the information of what took place at the Symposium?

4. How does Socrates first appear when he is introduced in the Symposium?

5. What do Socrates and Aristodemus talk about on the way to the house and what is Aristodemus' dilemma?