The Last Days of Socrates: Euthyphro; Apology; Crito; Phaedo (Penguin Classics)

xliv, 256 pp. Translated by Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant, with introduction and notes by Harold Tarrant. "The trial and condemnation of Socrates (469-399 B.C.), on charges of heresy and corrupting the minds of the young, forms one of the most tragic episodes in the history of Athens in decline. Plato chose to set the four works of this volume, despite their different subjects, in the context of the events leading up to Socrates' execution. Euthyphro and Crito are typical Socratic dialogues, showing the pungency of his mind in addressing the question of man's relationship with the gods and with society. The Apology is Plato's version of Socrates' speeches at his trial -- a brilliant and humorous manifesto for a life guided by self-responsibility, though deliberately doomed to failure as a legal defence. In Phaedo, Plato develops his own philosophy out of Socrates' calm confidence in the face of death." Includes: Chronology; Preface; General Introduction; Further Reading; A Note on the Texts; Euthyphro - Holiness: Socrates in Confrontation; Apology - Justice and Duty (i): Socrates Speaks at His Trial; Crito - Justice and Duty (ii): Socrates in Prison; Phaedo - Wisdom and the Soul: Socrates about to Die; Postscript: The Theory of Ideas in the Phaedo; Notes; Index.