The Structure of a Greek Play; The Fate of Socrates, written by Alicia DiFrancis, June 2014.

The Fate of Socrates: A Greek Play

Episode One

Prologue

Prosecutor Meletus and allies; Lychon and Anytus enter right of the agora People’s Court center; Plato, and Socrates enter to the left, with Plato following and sits behind Socrates / Unknown, hooded man steps forward into the center and explains the events that will transpire…

”Here before the inquisitive minds of Greece, here under the Gods’ watchful eyes, we shall hear the case of Socrates and confer his judgment!”

[Meletus then moves to the center and lists the charges against Socrates]

Meletus

The year is 399 B.C. and the Assembly of Athens, her magistrates and our beloved Athens finest jurors have gathered in witness for the trial of the so called “great” philosopher, Socrates. Lychon, Anytus, and I, hereby declare Socrates is guilty of refusing to recognize the gods recognized by the state, and of introducing new divinities.  He is also guilty of corrupting the youth.  The penalty demanded is death.

Scene One 

Chorus - Parados, the first chorus of the play

Our jury, 500 strong will decide the fate of Socrates

Greece has experienced defeat

Who is responsible?

Is it Socrates?

Does his disrespect of our gods

And corruption of our youth

As claimed by Meletus cause our suffering?

Let his fate be decided

Meletus

Socrates! For too long Athens has tolerated you

Your eccentric thinkery and barefoot lectures plague our streets!

(faces crowd)

He publicly speaks out against the gods!

He believes they cannot hear him

I ask you noble and wise Athenians,

Can we allow this disrespect of the gods?

Will we suffer because of one man?

How should these acts be punished?

Do we not have a duty to serve the gods justice?

Socrates

(remains seated)

Are these the acts I am accused of Meletus?

To freely think, and express myself?

Or am I but a pawn?

Perhaps you think I propagate Sparta

Or perhaps it is your contempt for my wisdom,

And finding the ignorance in yours,

That brings me here

Why am I truly here?

Meletus, Anytus, Lychon proclaim in unison

You are here, foolish Socrates, because you threaten Athens!

You threaten all of Greece by invoking the wrath of the gods upon us

As well as corrupt our youth with your heretic ways!

Scene Two 

Socrates
I ask you Meletus,
Simply explain yourself to me

On what grounds have I offended the gods?

On what grounds have I corrupted the youth?

Meletus

On the grounds that you are a complete atheist

And it can be without doubt that you seek to spread your mistruths amongst our youths!

Socrates

How shall I defend my actions?

You have said yourself that you are to serve the gods justice

Are the gods not capable of serving their own?

Do we not fear them for this?

Should I not be answering to them, instead of you?

(Socrates humbly stands)

And how is it I am an atheist when you stand here to accuse of me inventing new gods?

Of disrespecting the Olympian gods, rather than discredit them altogether

Do I not merely encourage those to question?

Am I to be faulted for the answers they have found?

(Plato, clearly annoyed, stands)

Plato

I will presume to speak for the prosecution

I feel my words can so easily convey

What he has coyly hidden within his speech

Meletus and his companions claim that because Socrates questions

And speaks freely his thoughts

He is to be condemned

Is this not a hypocrisy of the democracy Athens is so proud of?

Chorus

Plato has spoken for Socrates!

He questions the democracy of Greece!

Are these the friends of Socrates?

You will see that one man is not more powerful than Greece

You will see what is done when one man undermines the might of the gods

How can one man influence the youth of Greece with his freethinking?

It is believed that Socrates questions the values and morals of Greece

Episode Two 

Scene One

Chorus - Stasimon, second chorus signifying the beginning of the second episode

Is it the end of Socrates for the allegations he is charged with?

Introducing new deities and failing to acknowledge the gods

Socrates awaits the prosecutions questioning.

In a society who enjoys the value of freedom and democracy

Would a philosopher be tried with the possibility of death for his teachings?

What evidence can there be to help the prosecution’s case?

[Enter Prosecutor Meletus and Socrates]

Meletus

Gentlemen: I present to you the indictment;

Socrates offends the gods

Blatantly insults our virtue and morals
Questions every action that has lead to our successes,
As well as encourage our children toward the path of anarchy! 

It is all in this indictment

Socrates 

What should I do? 

Defend my intellect?
Lie to appease the masses? 
Or remain unwavering of my beliefs?
Beliefs inspired by the sole motivation for a greater Greece! 

Meletus

Do you not teach our youth to question the gods? 
The mighty and divine authorities,
Which grants us our bounty and victories!

Socrates – the Hubris  – where he admits his “crime”

I do.  I teach them to think

I teach them to make arguments

Is this not helpful to the youth?

I seek only to keep Athens from sleeping

Each lecture, a sting upon her bum

Wakening our society into productive and virtuous action

Meletus

So you say, so you believe

Well I say you are the threat of our future!

Do your teachings not impact the ears they fall upon?

Socrates

I have taught many who are now adults

If I gave them bad advice

Then why have they not stepped forward to support your claim?

The Oracle of Delphi herself has proclaimed,

That I am the wisest of all men

Am I not the one to teach?

Scene Two 

Meletus

Do you not question morals of our citizens?

Therefore the morals of every man here

Every noble Athenian

Every solider that has fallen for our freedom

Anytus

(erupts forward from his seat)

Oh he is much more than a heathen, much more than a corrupter

Socrates is a defiler I tell you!

He aims to steal our son’s minds, as well as their beds!

(the chorus bursts into dramatic gasping and loud murmuring as to suggest disapproval)

Meletus

Please, Anytus, keep personal emotions aside

We must only provide the evidence all of Athens can so plainly see

Unproven rumors are not needed to defeat this “great thinker”

(Meletus says this quite mockingly)

Answer, O Socrates, do you question our morals?

Socrates

I do.  I question morals of all mankind

Does this make me a criminal meddler?

Does it make me responsible for their behavior?

Is every man here forbidden to question,

Or is it just me?

Meletus

Admit your folly so we can be done

Do you disrespect our gods?

Socrates

I do not disrespect our gods

I am obedient to god’s commands

I teach the need for duty to mankind

Ask Plato, ask Crito, ask Lysanias

They know my character

They know Meletus is lying

Allow them to be witnesses on my behalf

Meletus

Plato has already spoken for you!

Spoken for you indeed!

Judges, jurors, and peasants alike,

I ask, was his statement not enough to prove Socrates corruption?

Chorus - the Commos – Chorus and Actors sing this part together

We know Socrates

We are neighbors

We are friends

We were taught by him

But we have responsibilities as Greeks

We must not corrupt our youth

We must remain democratic

But above all else, we must respect our gods

Second & Final Episode - Exodus

Scene 1

Chorus

We the jury,

By a majority find you guilty:

You have corrupted our youth

You have disrespected the gods

Your meddling has led to our defeat through the gods’ wraith

We condemn them so that we may gain their favor once again

Meletus – the Catastrophe - Obvious moment of tragedy 

I, Meletus, the son of Meletus of Pitthos, by the magistrates ruling,

The 500 sound jurors before us, and all of Athens

Sentence Socrates, the son of Sophroniscus of Alopece,

To death

Socrates

How you have felt, O men of Athens, at hearing the speeches of my accusers, I cannot tell,

 But I know that their persuasive words almost made me forget who I was

So powerful was their effect

My defense is useless

I am guilty of only two things;

I am guilty of my knowledge

I am guilty of asking questions

Is there no mind open to my queries?

I am to die,

And if I am to die I demand death by my own hand!

[Here we notice the chorus members are in two different colors, with the majority in brown and a handful in white]

(chorus in brown wails at the verdict, while those is white clap slowly and stoically)                                                                                    

Chorus

No man may disrespect the gods  

All citizens have a duty to educate our youth

But our teachings should not include impiety

Our citizens must respect the gods.

Socrates failed on both accounts

He is condemned to die

May the gods have mercy

May the gods have mercy on Socrates and the people of Athens

"The Death of Socrates" by Jacques-Louis David (1787)

References

Johnston, I. (1998). The clouds by Aristophanes. Retrieved from: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/socrates/clouds.html

Linder, D. (2002). The trial of Socrates. Retrieved from: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/socrates/socratesaccount.html

The Ancient World: A Social and Cultural History, Seventh Edition, by D. Brendan Nagle.

            Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc