Socrates on Trial: A Play Based on Aristophane's Clouds and Plato's Apology, Crito, and Phaedo Adapted for Modern Performance

Front Cover
University of Toronto Press, Nov 25, 2007 - Philosophy - 144 pages

More than 2,400 years after his death, Socrates remains an iconic but controversial figure. To his followers, he personified progressive Greek ideals of justice and wisdom. To his detractors, he was a corruptor of the young during wartime and one of the reasons Athens had suffered a humiliating defeat to Sparta in 404 BC. Socrates' story is one of historic proportions and his unyielding pursuit of truth remains controversial and relevant to the present day.

Socrates on Trial presents the story of Socrates as told to us by Aristophanes, Plato, Xenophon, and others. The play uses fresh language to emphasize what is important in the works of these ancient authors, while at the same time remaining faithful to the general tenor and tone of their writings. Andrew Irvine has created a script that not only fits comfortably into the space of a single theatrical performance, but is also informative and entertaining. Suited for informal dramatic readings as well as regular theatrical performances, Socrates on Trial will undoubtedly appeal to instructors and students, and its informative introduction enhances its value as a resource.

Complete with production and classroom notes, this modern recasting of the Socrates story will make riveting reading both inside and outside the classroom.

 

Contents

Irvine_2342_001ps
1
Irvine_2342_021ps
21
Irvine_2342_025ps
25
Irvine_2342_029ps
29
Irvine_2342_033ps
33
Irvine_2342_123ps
123
Irvine_2342_131ps
131
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2007)

Andrew D. Irvine is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia.

Bibliographic information