Krasis oinou diken: amore coniugale e linguaggio del simposio nell’Amatorius di Plutarco

Abstract

The κρᾶσις metaphor of water and wine in a mixture of balanced proportion aimed at ensuring a correct assumption of the drink, respectful of the rules of the convivium, is taken by Plutarch from the world of the symposium and repeatedly applied in his Amatorius to the love between husband and wife as a deep connection between their souls. Thus, the author expresses a concept of eros coherent with the most genuine Hellenic cultural tradition: this way, eros is the projection on a familiar basis of the φιλία that society should rely on, even in politics, according to Plato’s point of view. Moreover, the vision of eros, as it emerges from the analyses conducted, seems to respect the Aristotelian ethical principle of τὸ μέτριον.