Plato on Love: Lysis, Symposium, Phaedrus, Alcibiades, with Selections from Republic and Laws

These approachable translations make Plato so much easier to understand and follow, and when Socrates takes his interlocutor for a logical roller-coaster, following is essential. The translations might seem elementary compared to other floral translations of Plato, but in my experience, Greek is a rather simple language, and following the word meaning and grammar literally often produces translations such as these in this book. The "fancier" translations are unnecessarily confusing, whereas these translations work just fine. The translator even goes so far as to include footnotes regarding a Greek word that might have different meanings in English, perhaps no meaning in English, and words which might have been added later by scribes who copied Plato's texts. Overall, it is a worthy buy and will allow you to read Plato, nothing more, nothing less.

Despite my strong dislike for Plato, this translation made his writings easier to read and understand. It is very clear and modern in its language. Indeed, in no other version has any humor come through; and two professors of classical studies have commented on the accuracy of the translation. Perhaps other versions have tried for a more 'high-class' respectable sounding language; regardless, the feel of this makes it seem much more real and accessible. The footnotes are especially helpful giving complete descriptions and explanations of the people, situations, terminology, context, and helping tie together the different sections. Most of Plato's philosophy initially sounds ridiculous and fetishistic, or even to be the inane ramblings of an egocentric, self-important person who over estimates his own intelligence - and may very well be - but in this version the underlying ideas are made obvious and it becomes therefor easy to trace how these writings influenced our cultural philosophy and ideas about sex, the purpose of love, and the nature of human striving for perfection.