The Trials of Socrates

Six Classic Texts

Plato author Xenophon author Aristophanes author C D C Reeve editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Hackett Publishing Co, Inc

Published:15th Mar '02

Should be back in stock very soon

The Trials of Socrates cover

Lampooned in 406 B.C.E. in a blistering Aristophanic satire, Socrates was tried in 399 B.C.E. on a charge of corrupting the youth, convicted by a jury of about five hundred of his peers, and condemned to death. Glimpsed today through the extant writings of his contemporaries and near-contemporaries, he remains for us as compelling, enigmatic, and elusive a figure as Jesus or Buddha. Although present-day (like ancient Greek) opinion on the real Socrates diverges widely, six classic texts that any informed judgment of him must take into account appear together, for the first time, in this volume. Those of Plato and Xenophon appear in new, previously unpublished translations that combine accuracy, accessibility, and readability; that of Aristophanes' Clouds offers these same qualities in an unbowdlerized translation that captures brilliantly the bite of Aristophanes' wit. An Introduction to each text and judicious footnotes provide crucial background information and important cross-references.

As good an introduction to the basic texts and to the historical and philosophical issues surrounding [Socrates] as can be provided today. --John Bulwer, The Joint Association of Classical Teachers Review


An excellent production; good, readable translations; helpful and reliable, but not intrusive supplementary material; and a very useful selection of texts. --Margaret Graver, Dartmouth College


In virtue of their exceptional accuracy, neutrality, and readability, Reeve's translations of the Platonic texts in The Trials of Socrates are recommended (especially for the Greekless undergraduate) as a significant improvement over their predecessors. --Vernon Provencal, Mouseion

ISBN: 9780872205895

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 171g

200 pages