Original subtitles

these were the alternatives

Athens 399 BC

the philosopher's Socrates has been condemned

and his execution has just taken place

friends of Socrates discuss his death

we were all there

the guard who was sympathetic

released him from his chains

I have never seen him calmer

he tried to probe the nature of death

and immortality with us

but I felt that even he

with all the power of his mind

could not illuminate that darkness

and then Crito abruptly asked

What way shall we bury you?

and he answered

any way you like

but hold me and make sure I don't run away

I cannot make Crito believe I'm the same Socrates

who's been conversing with you

he thinks I'm already the other Socrates

you'll soon see a dead body

and he asks 'How shall we bury you?'

I see my words

with which I've been comforting you and myself

have had no effect on Crito

be of good cheer, friend Crito

and say you're burying my body only

Do with that whatever is usual

and as you think best

He then requested that the poison be prepared

and brought

The guide told him to drink deeply

walk until his legs grew heavy

and then to lie down

and the poison would act

Such was the end of our friend.

Of all men I have known,

he was the wisest

the most just and the best

Why was a man like Socrates put to death

At his trial

these were the charges that were brought against him

Meletus son of Meletus of the deme of Pitthos

accuses Socrates son of Sophroniscus

of the deme of Alopece of the following

Socrates is guilty of crimes

in refusing to recognise the gods of the state

and in introducing strange new divinities of his own

He is further guilty of corrupting the youth

the penalty requested is death

Are Meletus and those who joined with him in making this accusation

ready to argue their case?

We are

Take the oath, then

I, Meletus

I, Anytus

I, Lycon

swear that my previous deposition

Listen to the accusations that would be made against Socrates

decide if corrupting the youth

and not recognizing the gods of the state

are the real reason Socrates is being tried

my family if I perjure myself

Look also for parallels between this situation

and the political and social confrontations that are occurring today

I wish to sketch for you

a picture of the sorry times that we have been through

You five hundred and one citizen jurors of Athens

who will decide the fate of this man, Socrates

is there one of you who does not remember Athens

when Athens had wealth, power, empire?

Our navy dominated the Aegean

the trade of nations was stored in our warehouses

great walls surrounded our city and its ports

magnificent temples were built

genius flourished in every art!

The whole world looked to us for leadership

But what has befallen us?

Our long walls, destroyed,

our trees, burned, our trade, ended

our treasury, emptied, our navy, lost

our empire, gone, tens of thousands of our citizens, dead!

And who more than any other man

was responsible for these disasters? Who was it?

Alcibiades! Alcibiades!

Alcibiades,

with his mad schemes, his desecrations

his arrogance!

And who was the teacher of this traitor

Alcibiades, by whom was he guided?

Socrates! Socrates!

Yes, Socrates!

After we were overcome by the Spartans

their leader, Lysander,

may the gods cast the very syllables of his name!

set up a government here

Surely most of you have reason to remember this government

it was called the Council of Thirty, was it not?

I see the memory is vivid!

You are Pionius, are you not?

You are Pionius! Answer!

Yes, Pionius

I've been told by a very credible source

that you spoke out in the marketplace

Was it not the marketplace?

yes the marketplace

against us.

No!

Praised the late, discredited and corrupt democracy

and spoke out against us, your lawful government

My family!

They will get a pension

your warehouses will be taken over by the state

We are very busy! Other cases must be heard today

Critias, Theramenes

the pair we all have caused to remember well

One thousand five hundred put to death

Five thousand exiled

and whose disciples were they, by their own admission? Whose?

Socrates!

Socrates, again, behind disasters, traitors, tyrants!

Socrates!

And this man who sits alongside me on this platform

this man of courage and probity,

Anytus, overthrew the Council of Thirty

restored democracy

declared an amnesty

to bridge the differences that separated Athenians.

Because of this peace declared by Anytus

those like Socrates

go unpunished for their political crimes

I accuse him of no political offences

I only wish to remind you of what has happened

and of what might happen again

Who is to speak next of the accusers?

Lycon

Greek laws

have always been closely associated with religion

To submit to the law is to obey the gods

Yet despite

the fact that piety has held the state together

we have seen a steady growth in disrespect to the gods

But not long ago, that great writer of tragedies,

Aeschylus, could declare

It is Zeus alone who shows the way to perfect knowledge

through minds, every road I pass

but all our veins say that which names

thee, Zeus, the highest one!

And in a few short years, we have progressed to this

The gods are like fleeting dreams!

Faith in oracles is foolish!

The writer of these impious words is here today!

Euripides, disciple of...?

Socrates! Socrates!

indeed Socrates

and among those prosecuted for blasphemy

there was the philosopher, Anaxagoras

who contended that the sun was a red hot stone

and the moon was made of earth

whereas as we all know

they are really traditional Athenian deities

And who was it who studied with Anaxagoras?

Socrates!

Socrates, again!

Oh! And there was Protagoras, who contended that

that man, not the gods, is the measure of all things!

And who professed admiration for Protagoras?

Socrates!

You might recall that Protagoras was a sophist

one of that accursed crew of so called 'philosophers'

usually foreigners

who could speak learnedly on a subject

whether they knew anything about it or not

who, for money,

could teach you to make the worst side of an argument

appear the better

so you could get ahead

always arguing and questioning,

the sophists destroyed men's faith in the old truths

They made our young people clever

but not wise

and who was the greatest questioner and arguer of them all?

Socrates!

Yes, Socrates, the super-sophist!

Do you recall what our cunning poet

Aristophanes had to say about sophistical Socrates?

Do you remember Aristophanes' play The Clouds?

Oh Socrates!

What do you want, mortal?

What are you doing up there?

I walk upon the air and elevate my mind!

Only up here, dangling my vast intellect in the heavens

can I scientifically perceive

the secrets of the universe

By Zeus, what marvelous words!

Zeus? Did I hear you say Zeus?

Are you mad, sir?

There is no Zeus!

No Zeus? Then who makes it rain?

Have you ever seen it rain out of an empty sky?

No

But when there are clouds, it rains?

Yes!

therefore, sir, it is the clouds that cause rain, not Zeus!

Powerfully argued!

But what about thunder? Surely the gods cause thunder!

Reflect, sir,

when you gorge yourself on your wife's stew

does not your belly rumble?

Think of the rumble your tiny stomach makes

then think of the sound the boundless clouds can produce

when they have indigestion

Oh, sacred and wonderous thoughts!

Teach me to reason like you do, Socrates,

and success will be mine!

A satire, to be sure,

but scarcely more ridiculous than the man himself

with his bare feet, his dirty coats

his poverty and his endless questions

and his anti-democratic tendencies

is there anyone here who knows me as anything

but an honest man, a blunt speaker?

if there is I would hear his voice now

Coward?

Speak up, if you think I'm a coward

A cruel or vindictive man?

Then listen to me, carefully

if Socrates regains his liberty

your sons will be ruined by his words

they will rebel against your authority

and the sacred traditions of the state

I say this because

this is exactly what happened to my own son

Where are you going, boy?

Where am I going? To buy fish.

Where are you going to buy fish?

To the fish market by the Grey Cay

If you were going to buy vegetables

where would you go?

To Cliestan, in the market near the Agora

And meat?

The same marketplace

And where would you go to find wise and noble men?

Huh?

Follow me and be taught

That moment my son was no longer mine, but his

Socrates, however

is not interested in leading the youth to wisdom

but in demonstrating that no one except himself is wise

my son now criticizes everyone

even our great man of earlier times

and what is galling to me

is that Socrates teaches this disrespect

yet he himself refuses to take part in public affairs

he does nothing but confuse and disrupt!

No spartan spy has been as dangerous as Socrates

he destroyed the morality of our forefathers!

Athens has been torn by war and tyranny

Our democracy has just been restored

Our city has the right,

it has the duty to destroy such as he

Don't be misled by his glib words

his philosopher's eloquence

he will try to make just one more word

If you frustrate the state and the vengeance of this doing

for the transgressions of this evil old man,

the crime will fall on your own heads!

Vengeance of the gods will be on you!

The accused will speak now

Men of Athens

How you have been affected by my accusers

I cannot tell

I know they almost made me forget who I am

Of the many falsehoods told by them

one amazed me

saying that you should be on guard against my eloquence

if by eloquence, they mean truth

then I'm eloquent

but I am an old man

appearing in a court of law for the first time

so please think only of the truth of my words

not their awkwardness

Anytus and his

associates are dangerous to me

but far more dangerous to me are the others

the ones who began accusing me when you were children

and long ago took possession of your minds with their lies

they claim I'm a student of natural science

and refer to a comedy by Aristophanes

in which a man called Socrates talks nonsense

or they likened me to those who teach for money

and instruct

and how to make the worst cause appear the better

if you have ever heard me hold forth on these matters

I ask you to speak out now

A friend of mine who most of you knew, Chaerephon

once went to the Oracle at Delphi

Pythian prophetess, who speaks with the tongue of Apollo

is any man wiser than Socrates?

priestess

No man is wiser than Socrates

No man is wiser than Socrates

No man is wiser than Socrates

When I heard that

I asked myself what can the god mean

for I know I have no wisdom

Yet can gods lie?

I thought if I can find a man wiser than myself

surely no great task, then the Oracle is mistaken

so I went to a politician with a reputation for wisdom

but when I spoke with him

I could not help thinking that

he wasn't really wise at all

no matter what people said

I tried to explain that to him

but he became irritated with me

I thought, well,

neither of us knows anything really beautiful

or profound

but at least I am better off than this fellow

because he knows nothing and thinks he knows everything

while I know I know nothing

so I went from one person to another

in search of a wise man

this inquiry, men of Athens,

has made me many enemies

but it has led me to believe that only the gods are wise

and the Oracle used my name by way of illustration

what he meant is he is wisest who

like Socrates knows that his wisdom is worth nothing

What my enemies will never admit

is that they're really angry

because their pretense of knowledge has been shown up

Meletus you good man and true lover of your country

rise

let me ask you a question

you think much about the improvement of youth

I do

tell the jurors, then, who are the improvers of youth?

you must know since you've taken the pains to discover

their corruptor

The laws improve youth

But who knows the laws?

the jurors

They're able to instruct and improve youth?

They are

All of them, or only some?

All of them!

By Hera, that's good news!

There are plenty of improvers!

How about the people watching the trial today?

They are also improvers

And the members of the Athenian assembly,

do they improve or corrupt?

Improve!

Evidently, every Athenian improves and elevates youth

while I alone corrupt them

is that what you affirm?

I strongly affirm that you are their corrupter!

What about horses, Meletus?

It takes an expert trainer

to bring out the best in a horse

yet you claim an entire city can train our youths

while only I corrupt them

This is the word-playing of a sophist!

As to the other part of your indictment

you say that

I refuse to recognize the gods of the state

Does this mean that I do not believe in gods at all

but I'm an atheist?

I assure you, jurors,

he believes in no gods whatsoever!

Yet your charge

also claims that

I'm guilty of introducing new divinities of my own

You claim that I'm guilty

both of believing in gods and not believing in gods

Can a man believe in human affairs and not humans

or horseman ship and not horses

or flute playing and not flute players?

Surely you jest, Meletus

I've said enough in answering Meletus's charges

yet I know too well the enmities I have incurred

and these will be my destruction

not Meletus or Anytus

but men of Athens, know this:

no greater good has happened to the state

than my service to the god

for I do nothing but to go about persuading each of you

old and young alike

not to take thought about your person or property

but first

to take care about the improvement of your soul.

Think of the state as of a great horse

slow to move because of its size

I am the godfly

sent by the gods to sting the horse into action

All day long, in all places

I am fastening upon you, arousing

persuading and reproaching you

and for this service I have never sought payment

from any of you

I have sufficient witness to the truth of that

my poverty

Well, then, men of Athens

this is my defense

perhaps there are some

who expect me to bring my wife and children

to pray and entreat and sob before you

as is so often done in our trials

but I feel that to do this would bring dishonor to me

and you and the state

There's something wrong in asking a favor of a juror

for his duty is not to make a present of justice

but to deliver judgement

and this judgement is to be given

not according to his pleasure but according to the law

And so to you and to the gods

I commit my cause to be determined by you

as is best for me and for you

This is the time to cast your vote

for guilt or acquittal

For those serving for the first time

the pierced disc stands for guilt

the solid one, for innocence

A simple majority of the five hundred and one votes cast

is sufficient for conviction or acquittal

We will begin the vote now

Do you have a tally?

I do

Do you swear it is true and accurate?

I so swear

What is the count?

Against Socrates, 263

For Socrates, 234, four abstentions

Socrates son of Sophroniscus

you stand convicted!

The vote is available for inspection

The penalty requested is death

At this time, the convicted

has the opportunity to suggest an alternate penalty

the actual penalty will be determined by another vote

There are many reasons, men of Athens

why I'm not grieved at the vote

I expected it

I am surprised it was so close

had but thirty votes gone over to the other side

I would have been acquitted

My accusers propose death as a penalty

and what shall I propose, men of Athens?

What would be a suitable return to a poor man

who is your benefactor and who desires leisure

so that he can instruct you?

There can be no reward more fitting than meals

and a pension, a reward he deserves

far more than the citizen

who's won a chariot race at the Olympics!

Perhaps you think I'm defying you in what I say

This is not so

I speak thus because

I'm convinced that I've never intentionally harmed anyone

Why should I then suggest a penalty that would harm me?

What shall I say? imprisonment?

Why should I languish in prison?

A fine?

I would still have to lie in prison

because I have no money

Exile?

I would be blinded by love of life

if I expected that when you

my fellow citizens, cannot stand my words

that strangers would be likely to endure them

There are some who will say yes, Socrates,

but can't you hold your tongue?

Then you could go to a foreign city

and no one would interfere with you

I have trouble making you understand my answer to this

for if I tell you that

to hold my tongue would be disobedience to the gods

you wouldn't believe I'm serious

And if I tell you that daily conversation about virtue

and the other things I talk about

is a great benefit to mankind

you'd be still less likely to believe me

and if I declare that

the unexamined life is not worth living

then you would certainly laugh

Yet what I say is so

I'm not accustomed to the thought

that I deserve punishment

however

I will propose a fine in proportion to my lack of money

I can afford one mina, therefore, I propose that amount

No, no, thirty minae! Thirty minae!

My friends here

Plato, Crito

Catobolus and Apollodorus

ask me to say thirty minae

and they will guarantee the money, thirty minae

You will now vote on the penalty

The accusers ask for death

the convicted, if I interpret him correctly

requests a fine of thirty minae

for which his friends will stand surety

Do you have a tally?

I do

Do you swear it is true and accurate?

I swear

What is the count

For death, 340, for the fine, 160, one abstention

The vote is available for inspection

Socrates son of Sophroniscus

the penalty for the crimes of which you stand convicted

is death

And so the hour of departure has come

and we go our separate ways

I to die and you to live

which is better

God alone knows

Before his death

friends of Socrates offered to bribe his guards so he could escape

Socrates answered

imagine I am about to flee

and the laws come to me and say

Tell us, Socrates

what you are doing

You imagine a state can exist

in which the decisions of law have no power

but are set aside and trampled by individuals

Perhaps I would answer, yes

but the state has injured me

and given an unjust sentence

And the laws would answer

but what was our agreement with you?

Were you not born and raised

and educated under the laws of the state?

Did you not agree to obey us?

not in haste, but after seventy years of consideration

during which you were free to leave the city

at any time if you thought us unfair?

Because we think it right to destroy you

do you think you have the right to destroy us?

Do you agree?

Do you think Socrates should have stayed and died?

What relevance do you feel

Socrates' ideas have for us today?