The Function of Desire in Relationships Between a Man and a Youth Essay

The structure and function of different types of sexual relationships were an important part of Athenian culture, and many rules and traditions formed around these relationships based on the mores of society. The male citizens were considered the most important segment of the population, and many Greek writers address the cultural conventions, ideals, and beliefs that formed around these relationships. The three main types of sexual relationships that involved a male citizen are marriage, the relationship between a young man and an older mentor, and sexual encounters with prostitutes. Plato’s Symposium, a dialog on the nature of love and desire, describes many of the beliefs that Athenians held, especially about the relationship between a man and a youth. The main focus of this paper is the ideal function and place of desire in these male with male relationships, and the benefits this particular bond held for society. The socially accepted structure of these relationships between an Athenian man and youth was characterized by pursuit and courtship on the part of the man. He was to go after an attractive youth, hoping to make him his beloved [eromenos]. The older man was expected to be the aggressive partner, pursuing the youth out of his erotic desire. In turn, the beloved was expected to be the passive partner, rejecting the man’s advances for a respectable amount of time, and then to enter the relationship to gain the older man as a mentor, not as a sexual partner. This aggressive man and passive youth structure continued into sexual acts, with the older male acting as the dominant, penetrating partner, while the younger man was the passive receptive partner. According to cultural rules, however, it was considered emascul... ...in parentage of any children the wife might give birth to after this time. In the realm of politics, a failure to serve or to fulfill ones duties was also a stain on the honor of the household and family- it is portrayed as much more public than the ideal private bond between lover and beloved. This manifestation of Celestial love benefited both the lover and beloved, as well as serving society by creating a strong bond that was characterized by its honor and virtue. This bond generated the most powerful form of loyalty a citizen man would experience, and he believes that more than any other loyalty, this love would make men honorable in battle, politics, and business in order to make their beloved proud. In turn, the beloved sought to learn form his mentor in order to become an honorable citizen and individual, eventually passing these values on to his own beloved.