Aristophanes' account of love in the Symposium Jack Arians

The ever-present idea of 'soulmates' in modern conceptions of love has illogical connotations in relation to its origins in Aristophanes' account of love in the Symposium. He tells the story of how Zeus punished mortals by splitting them in two halves, explaining the origins of gender and the idea of marriage as these two halves coming together to form one, perfect whole. Hence, the term 'soulmate.' In this way, love is perfect when two form their whole self in marriage and they will not know eros until that is achieved. This has negative implications for the idea of marriage because this description of marriage is inherently far too co-dependent, and in order for any relationship to be healthy a strong sense of independence and individuality is required. Therefore, calling your significant other your 'soulmate' should be considered a red flag...

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