I must admit that Phaedrus is not easily read. There are many different concepts going on, and I get the feeling that they are not clearly defining merely love, and at that, not merely love of man (or woman), but instead, a lover of higher things such as knowledge and truth.
In defining love as a madness, Socrates accepts the arts and philosophy as the beloved of those who seek it, or are driven by it to honor and treat it as a lover would a partner. The glorifying of it, the intent to know it fully, the falling slave to its call is similar to the relationship of lovers.
Maybe Phaedrus is a bit beyond my realm of understanding, but I am determined to inch my way along the length of speechs and am heading now into the final discourse between Socrates and Phaedrus. These question and answer dialogues usually reveal a clearing up of some of the long speeches that come before.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology