Sappho is a household name as far as erotic poetry is concerned. Born in Lesbos around 650 BCE, Sappho stood out as the most celebrated female poet amongst her contemporaries (Scott & Welton, 2008). The main reason why Sappho stood out is because of her unique approach to the explanation of erotic love. Her views of physical love were substantially different from those of her fellow poets, more especially the male ones. Aristophanes on the other hand, is one among the most celebrated speakers on matters of love, sexual intercourse and general erotica. This paper endeavors to explain the differences and similarities between Aristophanes’ and Sappho's views of erotic Love.
Similarities
The most striking similarity between the two poets is the fact that they both praise physical love tremendously. They celebrate erotic love and give it prominence in their works, explaining that such love plays a key role in the sustainability of the human race. The second similarity is the actuality that both acknowledge the fact that homosexuality does exist, and that the couples in same sex relationships are capable of erotic love. Sappho’s works are filled with messages of love for various individuals, both male and female (Sappho & Barnstone, 2009). Similarly, Aristophanes acknowledges that the only difference between male-female and male-male erotic love is the fact that the former is capable of reproduction.
Differences
The primary difference is seen in the fact that Aristophanes associates erotic love with mutuality. According to the comic speaker, erotic love is rooted in symmetric emotions, as opposed to unilateral love affairs (Scott & Welton, 2008). On the contrary, Sappho’s poems on love prominently demonstrate relationships in which there is asymmetry, with one partner having deep emotions for the other – a show of lacking mutuality (Sappho & Barnstone, 2009). Secondly, while both address same sex relationships, it is clear that Sappho prominently refers to female-female relationships. She does not talk about male-male relationships. On the contrary, Aristophanes addresses male-male relationships, but ignores the female version of the same. All in all, both authors’ works are appealing to both heterosexual and homosexual readers.
References
Sappho & Barnstone, W. (2009). The complete poems of Sappho. Boston: Shambhala.
Scott, G. A., & Welton, W. A. (2008). Erotic wisdom: Philosophy and intermediacy in Plato's Symposium. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
