English 240: Ancient Literature

Study Questions on Plato's Apology

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Journal Instruction Amendment: I had originally planned to write perhaps 8 questions and require a response to 5, but the 4 below are the ones I find most worthwhile. They call for somewhat detailed responses, so please choose three of them for your Plato journal.

1. How does Socrates characterize his accusers, and how does he interpret the charges they have made against him? Refer to relevant sections of the text in your response.

2. It has long been a point of contention whether Socrates is “guilty” of something, or whether we are to suppose him completely innocent of any offense against Athens. What do you think, and why? Refer to the text in your response.

3. Do you think that Socrates intends his remarks as a serious legal defense? Why or why not? What exactly are the main points of his defense, and what do you suppose he is trying to accomplish by means of his remarks?

4. We have spent a fair amount of time in this class discussing Greek heroic characters—Odysseus from The Odyssey, Aeschylus’ Clytemnestra and Orestes, and Sophocles’ Antigone. What picture of Socrates emerges from this dialog—to what extent does he resemble a traditional Greek hero? To what extent does he differ? Refer to the text in your response.

Edition: Plato. Four Texts on Socrates. Plato’s Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito, and Aristophanes’ Clouds. Translators West, Thomas G. and Grace West. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1998. ISBN: 0801485746.