Homosexual Relationships Involving The Great Deities And...

Many of us grew up enjoying the myths and legends about Greek gods, mortals, and monsters that have been enjoyed by adults and children around the world for thousands of years. But not many, if any, would remember ever reading about homosexual relationships involving the great deities and brave heroes. In facts, those pieces of information were considered by our moral standards unappropriated and negligible, such that they had to be distorted in some way before the stories reach the public. The Greeks in Plato’s Symposium, however, are loud and proud of their homosexuality. Some argue that same-sex romance is the ideal and most honorable example of love since it guides the lover and the beloved to achieve the highest goods of life – wisdom†¦show more content†¦These relationships, though there were exceptions, were relatively short-lived. They usually ended once the eromenos had crossed the threshold into adulthood, and, as the result, their romantic relationsh ip turned into friendship. It is not exaggerated to say that male homosexual relationship held a very important position in ancient Greek culture for it had extensive influence on a large part of their social life: in politics, education, history, and mythology. With this in mind, it is no surprise for this practice to be brought up and idealized as the paradigmatic example of Eros in the Symposium. One method the orators use to do this was to subordinate heterosexual relationship and give male homosexual engagement superior and divine qualities. In Pausanias’ speech, he associates male/female romance with the Common Aphrodite’s Love and male/male romance with the Heavenly Aphrodite’s Love (14, 181B-181D). The Love of Common Aphrodite, Pausanias argues, is â€Å"vulgar† because it is based on mere impulse and erotic desires (14, 181B). Participants in this kind of love, men who chase after women, are controlled by lust and, therefore, unable to see pass the physical beauty of the bo dy. On the other hand, the Love of Heavenly