Socrates Self Portrayal

A detailed Summary of Socrates Self Portrayal

Imagine a hostile courtroom filled with hundreds of jurors and politicians who only wish harm upon the defendant. A rowdy audience is present, with only a scattering of supporters of the defendant and in a definite minority. This is what Socrates faced when he was the defendant, refuting charges of corrupting the youth of Athens among other accusations. Normally, one would plead with the jury in order to free himself from their wrath, but not Socrates. Knowing that his conviction was going to result in death, Socrates used clever tactics through powerful speech, filled with indirectness and sarcasm, to defy traditional law and turn his self-defense into a philosophical provocation in the hopes that he may influence the thought of others.

While Socrates does seem to provide a defense for his life, upon further inspection, the reader finds that he has also forced upon the people of Athens more of his philosophy and perspectives on life. Socrates does this through the same powerful speech from which he supposedly will steer away. A powerful speech is made through diction as well as the sincerity with which it is given. Socrates also believes that the truthfulness of the speech is how the Athenians will be able to tell whether

The relentless questioning by Socrates is another aspect that saturates this provocation. As a philosopher it was his job to question as well as challenge people to think. This is exactly what his whole defense revolves around. Questions frequently arise toward the jurors, toward Meletus, and even toward God. Questions are the initial cause of the trial. Socrates's questioning of the wise men of the town to find out their true wisdom is what endangers him originally. Socrates was simply trying to get across to the world that some of the men who were labeled wise were not. He even claims, "I want you to think of my adventures as a cycle of labours undertaken to establish the truth of the oracle once and for all" (pg. 43). This is not intended to make others feel that his actions were for his own self gratification. It just turned out that in the Greece that he was living in, the politicians did not want to become involved. They were adamant about keeping the status quo within their community, in order to ensure their own political stability, and Socrates, having threatened it through questions became a profitable target for being killed or exiled. In his speech, he argues that majority rule is not justice, but that truth is, and this is all that he has been seeking his whole life. Thus his philosophy comes through within his defense, implying yet again that it was a philosophical provocation.

An additional reason the audience is absorbed within his "naturally spoken" speech is the fact that it is delivered in a sarcastic tone. Sarcasm is at times the highest form of understanding. The fact that he is able to use this sarcasm throughout the defense shows that he understands his audience at an incredibly high level such that he is able to draw them in through its use. One such example occurs while examining Meletus. Socrates states, "Do you imagine that you are prosecuting Anaxagoras, my dear Meletus? Have you so poor an opin

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Approximate Word count = 1317
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English