Symposium and The Death of Socrates

by Plato, Tom Griffith (Translator), Jane O'Grady (Introduction)

Overview

With an Introduction by Jane O'Grady. Translated by Tom Griffith.

In Symposium, a group of Athenian aristocrats attend a party and talk about love, until the drunken Alcibiades bursts in and decides to discuss Socrates instead. Symposium gives an unsurpassed picture of the sparkling society that was Athens at the height of her empire.

The setting of the other dialogues is more sombre. Socrates is put on trial for impiety, and sentenced to death. Euthyphro discusses the nature of piety, Apology is Socrates' speech in his own defence, Crito explains his refusal to escape punishment, and Phaedo gives an account of Socrates' last day.

These dialogues have never been offered in one volume before. Tom Griffith's Symposium has been described as 'possibly the finest translation of any Platonic dialogue'. All the other translations are new.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781853264795
Publisher:	Wordsworth Editions, Limited
Publication date:	01/28/1997
Series:	Classics of World Literature Series
Pages:	211
Product dimensions:	5.03(w) x 7.86(h) x 0.54(d)

About the Author

Plato, one of the most famous philosophers in the world, lived during the Classical Period in Ancient Greece. A student of Socrates and a teacher to Aristotle, he was the founder of The Academy, the first school of higher learning in Europe. Plato is the most prominent figure in the history of Ancient Greek philosophy and the originator of the Platonist school of thought. Using dramatic elements like dialogue and humor, his form of writing was considered innovative in his time. Plato's best–known work, The Republic, is widely acknowledged as the cornerstone of Western philosophy. His other extensively read works include The Symposium, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, and The Laws.