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 come

he tried to prove 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 Kreto 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 Kreto 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 Kreto

be a good cheer friend Krito

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 deam of Pithier

accuses Socrates son of sopronicus

of the deam of alopeque 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

is further guilty of corrupting the youth

the penalty requested his death

our Meletus and those who joined with him

and making this accusation

ready to argue their case

we are take the oath then

I, Meletus, I Anytus

I, Lycon on 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 hurt 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 501 citizen jurors of Athens

who will decide the fate of this man's 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 in its ports

magnificent temples were built

genius flourished in every art

the whole world looked to us for leadership

but what has be fallen 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

with his mad schemes his desecrations

his arrogance

and who was the teacher of this traitor

all sobrieties by whom was he guided

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 30 was it not

I see the memories with it

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

praise 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

creatures and comedies

the pair we all have caused to remember well

1,500 put to death

five thousand exiles

and whose disciples worthy by their own admission

who

Socrates again behind disasters traitors

tyrants Socrates

and this man who sits alongside me on this platform

this man of courage and poverty

and uses overthrew the council of 30

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 to 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 mines every road I pass

but all our veins say that which names

these use the highest one

and in a few short years we have progressed to this

the gods are like fleeting dreams

faith in articles is foolish

the writer of these emptiest words is here today

Euripides disciple of

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 who studied with Anaxagoras

he's a kid

oh and there was Protagoras who condemned that

that man not the gods is the measure of all things

and who professed admiration for Protagoras

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 fought money

could teach you to make the worst side of an argument

appear the better

so you could get ahead

always arguing in in questioning

the sophists destroyed men's faith in the old truths

it made our young people clever

but not wise

and who was the greatest questioner in our group

of them all

yes Socrates the super-sophist

do you recall what our coming poet

Aristophanes had to say about sophistical Socrates

do you remember Aristophanes' play The Clouds

oh Socrates

what do you want Marco

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 side is the clouds that cause rain

not Zeus powerfully argued

but what about thunder surely the gods cause thunder

reflect sir

when you guard yourself on your wife's stool

does not your belly rumble

to think of the rumble your tiny stomach makes

then

think of the sound the boundless clouds can produce

when they have indigestion

oh secret and wonderous thoughts

teach me the reason like you owe Socrates

and success will be mine

a satire to be sure

but scarcely more ridiculous than the man himself

with his bare feet his his dirty coats

his poverty and his endless question

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 of vindictive man

then listen to me carefully

if Socrates regains his liberty

your sons will be ruined by his words

they are rebell against your authority

in 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're going to buy vegetables

where would you go

to clientstand in the market near Niagara

and meat to 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 going 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's 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

only misled by his live words

his philosopher's eloquence

he will try to make just one more word

you frustrate the state and the vengeance of this

do it for the transgressions of this evil old man

the crime will fall on your own head

vengeance of the gods will be on you

the accused will speak now

manager

how you have been affected by my accusers

I cannot tell

I know they almost made me forget who I am

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

and you just send his

associates are dangerous to me

but far more dangerous to me or 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 aristocraties

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 careful

once went to the Oracle at Delphi

the Pythian prophetess who speaks with the tongue of Apollo

is any man wiser than Socrates

priestess

Socrates

when I heard that

I ask 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

and 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 you

I do tell the jurors

then who

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 you

they are all of them are only self

all of them by hero 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

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

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 plague and not flute player

I've said enough and 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 personal 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

for many of you

I have sufficient witness to the truth of that

my poverty

hell and men of Athens

this is my defense

perhaps there are some

who expect me to bring my wife and children

to pray and treat and sought before

yours 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

solid one for innocence

a simple majority of the 501 votes cast

is sufficient for conviction or acquittal

we will begin the vote now

you have a tally I do

you swear it is true inaccurate

I so swear what is the count against

Socrates 263 4

Socrates 234 four abstentions

Socrates son of Sophronicus

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 we're so close

had about 30 votes gone over to the other side

I would have been acquitted

my accusers propose death as a penalty

and what shall I propose man 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 Olympic

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

this is not so

I speak this 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

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

and 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 if I propose that amount no

no 30 minai

30 minai my friends here

Plato, Crito

Catobolus and Apollodorus

ask me to say 30 minai

and they will guarantee the money 30 minai

you will now vote on the penalty

the accusers ask for death

the convicted if I interpret him correctly

requests a fine of 30 minai

for which his friends will stand surety

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 Sophronicus

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

not 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 70 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?