The Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato

To refute the oracle, Socrates calls upon numerous men of wealth and status who are considered wise in Athenian society. Pythia replied no, confounding Socrates, who believes he is not very wise at all. Elaborating on this, he explains that his old friend Chaerephon once asked Pythia, the oracle of Delphi, if any man is wiser than Socrates. Socrates attributes his negative reputation to “a certain kind of wisdom” (25). Socrates claims that these accusations are far more injurious than the ones before the court because they long ago poisoned the jurors’ minds against him. Before addressing these accusers, Socrates acknowledges that he has long faced similar charges in the court of public opinion, thanks to works published years earlier by the playwright Aristophanes that branded Socrates as dangerous, impious, and corrupt. His formal accusers are Anytus, Meletus, and Lycon, three prominent Athenians of the type Socrates frequently skewers in public. The second charge is for corrupting the youth of Athens, who regularly follow Socrates around as he confronts men of wealth and status with their ignorance. The first charge is for asebeia, or impiety, stemming from accusations that Socrates introduced new gods and rejected the old.

In the first part, 71-year-old Socrates addresses and defends himself against the two charges brought before the 500-person jury. This study guide refers to the 2002 edition of Plato’s Five Dialogues published by Hackett Publishing.Īpology is divided into three parts.

The Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato