If it is true that man is controlled by his desire to find his soul’s mate, then Aristophanes’ Myth provides the proof that his quest is not in vain. When we refer to our other halves, our lovers and spouses, it is with the notion that without them we are not whole. Our duality forms a complete union, our desires satisfied in the reflection of another. This intense need for completion, according to Aristophanes, derived from the separation of the whole self, an act of punishment by Zeus, for the mutinous crimes of the children on earth. Outside of mythology, we know that there are many factors that lead us in search of eros, or romantic love. Whether it is biology, lust, or the emotional connection we feel with another, a large majority of our lives is spent either fostering or finding romantic love.

The mortal children in Aristophanes’ Myth, those of the sun, earth, and moon, are whole beings, rounded in their bond with another. They know nothing of separation or yearning for another, and as such are able to focus their attention on their abilities. While they held the same emotional attachments that their eventual offspring would, the fact that they were already together as one meant that they didn’t have to go in search of another to find completion. Today, we are born separate, and utilize eros as choice, emotion, and passion to find and maintain love. Much like current society, the status among the children was striated. The children of the sun, the double male union, held the top position of status, and were heralded by Aristophanes as the “best of boys and youths, because they have the most manly nature”. These homosexual men, who in today’s society are viewed as less virile or manly, became the statesmen of society, the elite. They were considered “…valiant and manly, and have a manly countenance”.  The children of the earth were the double female bonds, and held the middle ground in status. Their mentality was that of homosexual women, and were strong in their wholeness. The children of the moon, disparaged for their androgynous union of man and woman, were considered the lowest class, the abnormal, adulterous in nature. In our society, this union would be the common male and female connection, which is held now as the most ‘normal’ form. Regardless of the different natures of the people of society then versus now, the same underlying need for duality to attain wholeness exists,

In Aristophanes’ Myth, the children anger Zeus in their attempt to overthrow the gods. In their wholeness, Aristophanes found that “Terrible was their might and strength”. After careful consideration, Zeus decided to punish the children for their actions by cutting them in half, separating them from their other halves. To kill them off would mean no offers of sacrifice or worship for the gods, and by separating them, their population would double, and their strength divided by half. After having Appollo mend the people, Zeus demanded he leave them facing their lost halves to keep them humble in reminder of their mutiny. Only when the children begin to die, after becoming obsessed with finding a mate and neglecting themselves in the process, does Zeus move their genitalia to the front so that they can procreate and find pleasure in mating that would sate their needs, allowing them to eat and function. This state of being would become the changed foundation of human life. No longer would people be rounded, complete entities. Now, they would have to seek out completeness in the love of another.

In likeness, people find comfort and understanding. To “embrace that which is like them” is to appreciate the qualities that shape who they are. In Aristophanes’ Myth, he refers to the male unions, homosexual in nature after their separation, as originating from attraction to the attributes that define their manhood. They were “slices of the original man”, and are drawn to that image and likeness, as a result. The same is true for the female unions, also homosexual in nature, in that they too seek their resemblance in a mate. Aristophanes clarifies that while some people may find these homosexual unions shameless, they are in fact “valiant” and “do not act thus from any want of shame”. It is in the nature of companionship and carnal desire that we seek out eros. Much like the children in Aristophanes’ Myth, when we lose love, or whatever form of connection we have with another person, we generally return to our search. Our biological desires add to this in our reproductive years, but can be controlled by choice. However, our emotional needs are what drive this concept into a life-long quest, as we seek a companion for the inevitable road to death.

It is in our ability to find and cultivate love that we discover wholeness. The rounding of our character occurs in the balance of duality. Love is the glue that hold these bonds together, temporarily or beyond death. Regardless of the type of love, or the driving force behind it, most people are predestined to seek out the companionship of others.  For it is in love that we are able to maintain the bonds necessary to promote continued human life.