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The purpose of this paper is to consider some of the ways in which the complex narrative structure of The Symposium illustrates its theme: the nature of erotic love. The focus is on two characteristics of this structure. On one hand, the indirect transmission and the care required in the constant recollecting and retelling of the conversation that took place at Agathon's house illustrates how eros can preserve identity only through the constant retrieval of what is being constantly lost, a fate that even our knowledge, erotic and mortal as it is, cannot escape. On the other, the sudden interruptions and recommencements illustrate the peculiar temporality of a love that is “out of place” and “out of order.” Philosophy, as an instance of such love—however privileged—emerges here as anything but a progressive, orderly march toward the truth.