Write for A Cause

"I, um… thought that if perhaps you might be open to establishing a friendship. Entirely platonic, of course."

"Play-tonic?"

"Yes, owing to the ideals of Plato that is attributed to his feelings with the prophetess Diotima…Feelings, he felt, unencumbered by the base Eros, was a surer way to the contemplation of the divine."

I cannot recall with certainty what I felt, or thought, when I heard this dialogue years ago. Perhaps, like many, I found the conversation to be a delightful--albeit awkward--exchange, the beginnings of what I believe many of us could not fully grasp in the moment.

In hindsight, I now see it for what it was--a clear signal sent from the writers, to the viewers. One which I've been longing to analyze, unpack, and share with those who, hopefully, care enough, or just as much, as I do. Which is why I'm grateful to be here.

I am not a philosopher, or a historian. So, my interpretation of these things may not be fully sound. But I do think we can all appreciate the fact that the term "love" is thrown around in the English language to the point where the nuance of the word becomes diluted. We can say we love chocolate, music, our friends, but ideally, the love we possess for each is of a different kind. And I strongly believe that the different relationships in TURN were illustrating this point - and the different kinds of love which exist among human beings, and how that drives our moral development.

In Ancient Greece, there were four main concepts of love - Philia, which describes friendship and goodwill; Eros, the passionate and sensual; Storgē, describing the bonds of natural attachment, most especially the familial; and Agape, often described as the highest form of love - a kind of love which is unconditional, and self-sacrificial. A kind of love which represents a profound commitment to the well-being of others, transcending personal desires.

In the beginning of TURN, we are presented with the already-established relationship of Anna and Abraham ("Abe") - childhood friends turned sweethearts who endured a broken engagement. They still pine for one another, but are married to other people. We see elements of friendship, romantic desire, and a degree of concern that Abe has for Anna and Anna for Abe, when each is threatened with bodily danger. This occurs frequently throughout the series, from the moment we witness their "lovers-meet" scene in Selah's Tavern which turns into a brawl with Captain Joyce and Lieutenant Simcoe, all the way to The Battle at Yorktown when Anna is nearly shot while bringing water to soldiers as "Molly Pitcher" and Abe runs toward her, becoming near-fatally wounded in the process.

But despite a desire for the bodily or physical well-being each has for the other--and, by extension, the desire for each other physically--there is something markedly missing - something which, I'd argue, is present elsewhere.

While it is true that the concept of Eros describes the passionate and the sensual, it also describes something else - a desire or longing for the good and the beautiful. But this concept is illuminated even further. In Plato's Symposium, Love or "Eros" is described, according to the teachings of Diotima, as a Ladder - a series of stages in which Eros develops - beginning with attraction to a single beautiful body, and eventually expanding that attraction, to beautiful souls.

This, I believe, is the transformation of Eros that Anna experienced - with Abe, her relationship represented the lower-rung of the ladder, so to speak - yes, the physical attraction was present. But what of his character? What of his heart? What of his soul? If anything, the development of their relationship gradually portrayed the opposite - she seemed increasingly repelled by him - his mental and moral compass - and although it is likely that the physical attraction remained, it no longer fostered the same intimacy between them.

With Edmund, things were different - she began to experience Eros in a newer, higher form - as a desire for goodness and beauty.

"You are a good, and decent man, Edmund."

She began to see him as the man "golden in head and heart." She fell in love with his mind, his morality, his character - his soul. It is not that a physical attraction, or desire, was not present - on the contrary, if one watches the scenes between the two characters, there are many displays of physical affection/attraction between the two. But even in this, there is a stark contrast - with Abe, it seemed driven by the rushed desire to grasp and possess. But with Edmund, there was a tenderness--a reverence--their fleeting moments of physical closeness were mere manifestations of an intellectual, moral, and emotional intimacy - an intimacy of souls.

That is why, I think, when Abraham asked Anna if she loved Edmund, her answer was not a closed-ended "yes." or "no." It was nuanced - to illustrate that, while her love was similar, it was not exactly the same kind of love or that she and Abe shared. It was of a different level.

"I love him, enough, to save his life."

I love him enough to leave my home, my friends, my country, the ring, -- you. To save him from you. And that was a real sacrifice she was willing to make.

Through her relationship with Edmund, Anna was taught the art of love. And, although Plato's Symposium does not mention Agape (at least, not to my limited knowledge) I believe that Anna's transformation was such that, she became more capable of experiencing and expressing Agape - the love which is unconditional, selfless, and self-sacrificial - the highest form of love, according to the Greeks. She sacrificed her heart, her happiness, her desires, for the sake of his life - not only the life of his body, but I'd argue, of his soul - of his character, of "who he was, and all that he was," even if it meant she could not possess him. Even if it meant losing his trust.