The Trials of Socrates!

The Trials of Socrates

 

                The Trials of Socrates has to be one of the most interesting books we have read so far because of its tactics to try and persuade the reader. Socrates is shown in different lights by Plato and Aristophanes (Xenophon as well but I’m going to focus on these two). C.D.C. Reeve places the account by Plato first before Aristophanes’ play titled Clouds. Plato paints a picture as an inquisitive clever wise and intelligent Socrates who is wrongly being condemned to death despite his defense that puts holes in all the evidence. Reeves wants the reader to start out with a specific image of Socrates, as this wise man who was wrongly put to death. In Clouds by Aristophanes, Socrates is portrayed as a man who has his head in the clouds. As this loony guy who is filling everyone’s head with nonsense. One might then infer that Reeves wants the reader to be a Socrates lover and be against the negative view created by Aristophanes. However I believe that Reeves is among the thinkers of Socrates being an arrogant man. Obviously a lot of Socrates views are very valid and correct in questioning things but I think being anti-Socrates in this sense is more of him as a person. I personally am not too fond of Socrates not because of what he stands for but he seems to be an asshole. I think Reeves believes Socrates is an asshole too. When I first saw the cover of the book I noticed the fly. After reading Plato’s account I believed it to be put there as like a fly on the wall but I think it was put there in reference to Clouds. On page 97 the student tells Strepsiades that Socrates was just trying to measure how many feel a flea could jump by putting melted wax on the flea’s foot. This is something that has no importance unless you give it importance. I think Reeves may have looked at Socrates as a useless man as just a fly or a flea but what he brought about was questioning which is much bigger than just him. Socrates is just the fly of a much bigger picture.

                Now I want to look more into Clouds by Aristophanes. I loved this play and I enjoyed it so much partly to do with the fact that I’m a theatre major who has a love for literature. Aristophanes portrays Socrates as this man who worships the clouds rather than the Gods. This is very relevant today because science often contradicts religion and there is a constant moral battle. I think Aristophanes believed in a lot of the things he claimed Socrates believed in. Aristophanes’ theories on the clouds and the inferior and superior argument were too knowledgeable for him to pull them out of thin air but I believe, like most people of this time, Aristophanes feared these ideas and that’s why he satirized Socrates. It is often said in the playwriting world, write what you know, but most importantly write what you fear. I find it so remarkable how much the world has changed. I am a strong believer in my Catholic faith but I find it so fascinating to question it and see other aspects of religion. It’s incredible to think that these Gods of ancient Greece that were so worshiped and adored are now lost and told of only in stories. So much can change in 2000 years and it’s amazing to have these glimpses into the past.