Plato's Argumentative Essay: The Death Of Socrates

“Either acquit me or not; but whichever you do, understand that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many times”, states Socrates during his trial; before his execution. The Death of Socrates, depicted in Plato’s Phaedo dialogue is widely considered one of the greatest tragedies in human history. Socrates, being convicted of undermining the state religion and corrupting the youth, is sentenced to death by drinking poisonous hemlock, in which he does; resulting in his death with his friends around him. Although it sounds fairly straightforward, there is skepticism on whether or not Socrates committed suicide. Not only did Socrates drink the hemlock poison as if he were happy or excited for the outcome, but he also had many …show more content…
Before Socrates was sentenced to death, he had the chance to suggest a punishment of his own for his crime. This was an uncommon practice of ancient athenian law, and although his suggestion wouldn’t necessarily be granted, the jury would consider it. It was highly likely that Socrates could have avoided a death sentence if he recommended an exile or excommunication sentencing instead. Rather than this, he sarcastically recommended that his punishment should be free meals for a lifetime, being considered more of a reward than a punishment. Socrates’ attitude during the entire ordeal was very cheerful, even to the moments leading up to his death. For most people, knowing imminent death is upon them would create a sense of fear. For Socrates, having fear and trying to avoid the situation would go against his entire philosophy, giving him a hypocritical status. He taught that death was not an evil, as it is a part of life, so it must be accepted in life at one point. He believed that even though his physical self was to die; his soul was to live forever. This is shown by Plato when he is quoted saying “Be of good cheer then… and say that you are burying my body only, and do that whatever is usual, and what you think best”. Along with his cheerful attitude and sarcastic remarks, the fact that Socrates provoked the jury did not help his case.“He …show more content…
As mentioned above, Socrates had the chance to exile himself from Athens rather than face the death penalty, but he choose not to. This choice directly led him to his death. Why would Socrates not suggest exile over the death penalty? Perhaps he felt that exilement would tarnish his reputation, but then again Socrates believed that only the reputation and well being of the soul mattered, rather than physical and body reputation. This is not the only opportunity Socrates had to escape death. Due to the fact that Socrates’ execution was to be delayed because of the holy period, he had gained a month to plan and act in an escape. Within these 30 days of the holy period, rather than escaping, he continued to practice and preach his philosophy. He even made acquaintances with the prison guards through his philosophical questioning and methods, who allowed him the opportunity to escape without repercussions. Socrates still refused to leave given this circumstance. His final opportunity was right before his death with his jailer, whom he treated as a friend. However, even in the face of death, Socrates still refused this and accepted his fate. Socrates heavily respected law and justice, so escaping his death could be considered going against the state of Athens and disobeying the legal decision of the jury, which was against Socrates’ moral beliefs. This