“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” Rock, pop, and finding your partner

Fly around the world of mythology based on philosopher Plato's "Feast"

The song ``Origin of Love'' is based on the ancient Greek philosopher Plato's work ``The Feast.'' John Cameron Mitchell read ``Feast'' to Stephen Trask and requested that he compose a song based on its contents.

Plato was a disciple of Socrates, who is considered the father of philosophy, and is also known for passing on Socrates' philosophy in place of Socrates, who did not leave behind any writings. ``The Feast'' is also one of Plato's many ``dialogues,'' in which his master Socrates was invited to a feast held by the poet Agathon, and he wrote about the conversations he had with the guests about ``love.''

It is unclear whether the somewhat confusing format of the ``Dialogues,'' based on conversations, is actually Plato's creation, or whether it is a reproduction of an actual conversation. After all, it is a story from BC, and ``The Feast'' was written after Socrates' death. It is said that at a party where 28 men gathered, each of them gave a speech about love, but it is difficult to imagine that anyone would have remembered it accurately in an era when there were no recorders or stenographers. However, there is no way to prove that either. After all, this is a story from BC.

However, Socrates is not an important character for the song ``Origin of Love.'' What is important is the poet Aristophanes, who, like the other characters, shares his theories on love. Aristophanes tells of a mythical time when humans had four limbs, in pairs. In ancient times, there were three races: men and women, and the man and woman in between, who were torn apart by the gods. Men were called "Children of the Sun," women were called "Children of the Earth," and androgynous races were called "Children of the Moon." This story is directly used in the lyrics of ``Origin of Love.''

However, ``Origin of Love'' is not just a song based on the contents of ``Feast.'' Of course, emotional aspects such as urgency and sadness are at the core of the song's originality, but even if you simply follow the lyrics literally, you can see that it has made a huge leap forward from "Feast." The story of the song began with Greek mythology, and soon the Norse god of thunder Thor, the Egyptian god Osiris, the Indian god, and even the Roman god Jupiter invaded the story. Through the joint efforts of gods that transcend regions and sects, humans lose their half and are scattered to every corner of the earth. This is connected to the concept of ``Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', which is a story about ``you'' living somewhere in the world.

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