Necessary Physical Contant in D.H. Lawrences Women in Love and Platos

Necessary Physical Contant in D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love and Plato's Symposium D.H. Lawrence’s novel, Women in Love, presents a complex model of female-male and male-male relationships. Lawrence’s model relies heavily on a similar model presented in Plato’s Symposium. The difference between the two works lies in the mode of realization; that is, how one goes about achieving a ‘perfect’ love relationship with either sex. Lawrence concentrates on corporal fulfillment, characterized in his recurring reference to obtaining a â€Å"blood oath,† while Plato concentrates on a mental, or â€Å"divine† bond. Lawrence’s concentration on corporal fulfillment of love only superficially differs from Plato’s concentration on the mind: both come to the same philosophy of bodily exchange as being a necessary component of relations with either sex. As Barry J. Scherr points out in his article on the relationship between Women in Love and the Symposium, â€Å" ‘Excurse’ [chapter 23] has been recognized by critics as a ‘central chapter’ of Women in Love† (210). The reason for this appraisal is that â€Å"Excurse† presents both a realization and articulation of Lawrence’s view of female-male relationships through the characters of Birkin and Ursula. The transmittance, or â€Å"Excurse,† comes through bodily exchange: â€Å"[Ursula] traced with her hands the line of his loins and thighs †¦ It was a dark flood of electric passion she released from him, drew into herself. She established a rich new circuit †¦ released from the darkest poles of the body and established in perfect circuit† (358). It is through sexual intercourse, or, in the very least, bodily contact, that the connection between Ursula and Birkin is established. Scherr states that â€Å"This scene betwe... ...al connection to take place in order to establish a meaningful bond. These bonds, if properly achieved, are the ideal models of relations between the two sexes. Superficial differences between the two works’ philosophies manifest in a difference in importance: Lawrence stresses the physical connection as paramount, while Plato describes that both physical and mental connections are necessary. Works Cited Griffith, Tom, trans. Symposium of Plato. Los Angeles: University of California P, 1989. Hecht, Jamey. Plato's Symposium: Eros and the Human Predicament. New York: Twayne, 1999. Lawrence, D.H. Women in Love. New York: Random House, 1922. Scherr, Barry J. "Lawrence's ‘Dark Flood:’ A Platonic Interpretation of ‘Excurse’" Paunch 64 (1990): 209-246. Strauss, Leo. On Plato's Symposium. Ed. Seth Benardete. Chicago: University of Chicago P, 2001.