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Socrates (movie 1971) — Transcript

by Vuk Atanasovski · 12,484 words · 1,364 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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1:44Today, on the sixth day of the month of ''M unition'' of the first year
1:50of the sixty-fourth Olympiad,
1:54we shall now begin to demolish the walls
1:57according to the surrender terms
2:01we imposed on the city of Athens
2:04by order of Lisandro of Sparta,
2:06our valorous ''poliarcete''
2:11in our presence and that of you Lacedaemonians.
2:35Go ahead.
5:06Ermete.
5:11Alcibiade was just a good for nothing
5:13What are you saying?
5:17He was one of our greatest leaders,
5:19if our strategists had listened to him he would have forced
5:23the Spartans to fight on dry land where he would have defeated them.
5:26at sea, we were lost from the start.
5:29You're talking nonsense.
5:30No, l 'm not at all.
5:32On dry land, Alcibiade had the archers and cavalry of Trace,
5:38and with those more numerous soldiers he would have defeated
5:41the Spartans and followed them as far as the sea.
5:44Ah , how easy it is to talk.
5:47l n the way l 'm telling you. . .
5:50. . . he would have crushed them.
5:53And it would have been easier to capture their fleet.
5:57Yes, whatever you like, but you're letting you're imagination run away.
6:00Look, look at the bitter truth instead, if you can ,
6:05the sea battle cost us the loss of our fleet.
6:08l was told that only several triremes
6:12led by Canon managed to escape.
6:16Lisandro captured 200 ships and destroyed them.
6:22He killed three thousand of our soldiers by sword.
6:26Ah yes, the Spartans tricked us,
6:29and we couldn't do anything else but surrender
6:34ln this way, the naval blockade forced Athens to surrender from hunger.
6:40A good job Teoclasto was a cautious friend.
6:44Yes, and you merchants full of wisdom.
6:49D on't joke.
6:50Here, we're talking about the end of our power and democracy.
6:55And are we surprised?
6:57Acumen and proportion are virtues the young scorn today.
7:01And yet these are the qualities that made Athens great.
7:05Today greed and having no scruples rule,
7:09these have now become the symbols of virility and courage.
7:12l just hope that the Trenta Government forced on us by Lisandro
7:17doesn't make us pay too dearly for our mistakes.
7:20Alcibiade made the mistakes you're talking about,
7:23as if his Sicilian campaign wasn't madness.
7:29At the time we banished Alcibiade and then it was he who saved Athens.
7:34This time again , he will free us from tyranny.
7:37He won't put up either with the outrages the Spartans make us suffer,
7:42or the cruelty the tyrants have set on us.
7:45l know that one of the ''Trenta'' has told Lisandro that now
7:48Athens is no longer governed by its own citizens,
7:51Sparta could finally dominate all of Greece.
7:54Who said that?
7:55One of the ''Trenta''.
7:57l t's Crizia. And added: ''Listen to me well ,
8:00the people of Athens are prepared to put up with the tyranny of the ''Trenta'',
8:06but Alcibiade, who you un justly scorn ,
8:11will do everything to get rid of this tyranny''.
8:16Alcibiade was a pupil of S ocrates.
8:18Like Crizia?
8:19Yes, like Crizia, but Alcibiade distinguished himself more than Crizia
8:22and so he will certainly try to get his own back out of jealousy.
8:28You're right there. Crizia only wants Alcibiade's death.
8:31Teoplasto will soon be the father of a boy if the Gods so wish.
8:34M ay Aphrodite protect Teoplasto.
8:36Our votes are with you.
8:38Thank you , thank you.
9:16Aren't we going to C ocione's house.
9:18l 'm not following you , l 'm tired.
9:20As you like.
9:39Efelide, Arnito, Ermete.
9:46Ah friends... Welcome, make yourselves at home, make yourselves at home,
9:51lunch will soon be served. Take your seats.
10:00And the flute players are not coming.
10:02No, they're not coming.
10:04By order of Lisandro all the flute players have been
10:07gathered before the walls to celebrate their demolition ,
10:10that is what the Spartans are doing now.
10:12And this great party hasn't finished?
10:14- No. - But will they send them?
10:15Yes, C orifeo will send them as soon as possible.
10:17We will wait for them to banquet,
10:19the demolition of our walls should not get us down ,
10:22you'll see that it marks the start of an extremely beautiful era.
10:26l admire your optimism , but the citizens of Athens are now
10:29very much more worried by their intrigues,
10:31rather than any great future,
10:33and profit from the defeat to settle all old scores.
10:41That's how it is.
10:42Everyone says that the Trenta have already received hundreds of reports,
10:45on the other hand, our city has always been one of spies.
10:49Here it is a profession , lucrative and easy.
10:54We are full of examples to cite.
10:57And it would be terribly monotonous to list them all.
11:01l t's jealously above all that pushes our fellow citizens
11:04to destroy each other.
11:06As you see, the Athenians who pretend to be wise,
11:09are nothing but big rogues.
11:12Now you're exaggerating.
11:13Today, we've good reasons for hope. D on't you think so?
11:16What do you mean?
11:17l mean to say that in a certain way the Spartans are protecting us.
11:22When Lisandro asked the C ouncil of C onfederates
11:26what was to be done with defeated Athens,
11:30a Theban suggested raising it to the ground to become pasture.
11:36And selling us as slaves.
11:39The whole meeting approved this idea,
11:43but they couldn't agree on the best method to adopt.
11:48A great discussion followed
11:51until the banquet in honour of the victorious chief.
11:54Everyone sat down to the table and the discussion was postponed for later.
11:58At the end of the banquet a ''focese'' singer, accompanying himself with a lyre,
12:04sang the chorus of Electra by Euripides
12:07and all the enthusiastic guests forgot the decision.
12:13How could they think, even for just a moment,
12:17of perpetrating such an abominable crime like the destruction
12:22of such a famous city, the mother of such great artists.
12:27lf that meeting had been an Athenian Council, it would have expected
12:30Euripides to be condemned to death ,
12:32instead of feeling admiration , jealousy would have been felt.
12:34We must therefore drink to the health of the Spartans.
12:40as lunch is served.
12:43Well , in any case, l 've heard that the Spartans
12:48Will distribute provisions to everyone tomorrow.
12:52They are distributing victuals, the provisions. C ome.
13:00Can someone shut this crow's mouth.
13:03Flea-ridden , scoundrel.
13:07Ah S ocrates, they treated you like a flea-ridden animal.
13:10Well l 'm not really dressed like prince.
13:12You've got a face like a satyr.
13:14Ah , that true and l 've got the stomach.
13:16l should start dancing to keep in shape.
13:19The first who comes along , beats you
13:21and you cannot drag him into court.
13:23What do want. l f l get kicked by a mule l can't get angry,
13:26it's difficult to drag mules into court.
13:29l f you had listened to me, and remembered what for many years
13:32l have been pushing you to acknowledge, you would know that there is only one good,
13:35knowledge, and only one evil , the presumption to know.
13:39l t is good to have ideas about what one knows,
13:42but you Athenians only have opinions, opinions about everything.
13:46Out of pride, and weakness, you always talk about things
13:49you do not know or about things you know badly.
13:52- S coundrels. - But leave Critone alone.
13:55We consider all opinions, even if we disagree with them.
13:59What is important to me is to agree with myself,
14:02and to try to never do the opposite of what l think.
14:05And what do you think, what do you know more than the others?
14:09What more do l know than the others? l know that l don't know anything.
14:13Look at these scoundrels who want to re-make the world,
14:17by being to too punctilious.
14:39The Athenians are very strange M ieto. They do not like the truth.
14:43The case is much more serious than you think, Ermete.
14:46S ocrates was a soldier and an exemplary citizen ,
14:50and he too has become a monster of pride.
14:53Remember that when he was at Plitanno, he was the only one who wanted to stop
14:57the case against those generals who had abandoned 2000
15:00of our bodies in the sea without burial ,
15:02directly before the meeting of the people.
15:05But to judge this horrendous crime,
15:07l don't know what S ocrates wanted, interpreting the law in his own way.
15:10l remember that among those generals, there was a son of Pericles of Estasia.
15:15They returned to port in triumph
15:17as if they had brought back a great victory.
15:19Yes, but the next day, many Athenians found themselves grieving.
15:22and when they called for their son's bodies
15:25they found out that they hadn't even been buried,
15:29condemned to wander for ever without rest.
15:32What kind of a man is this S ocrates who can remain cold,
15:35formal before such a monstrous crime.
15:38l don't know how he could seduce the young.
15:41Anitio's son , for example, left his father to follow him ,
15:45and what great result today is a drunkard.
15:49And Alcibiade, his favourite pupil.
15:52Yes, with him things couldn't have gone worse.
15:54lt is precisely this pupil of Socrates to whom we owe our ruin.
15:58To his ambitions campaigns, to his expedition in Sicily,
16:06now we'll see what Crizia does, our new tyrant,
16:10he too was a pupil of S ocrates.
16:14B e quiet, it's not prudent.
16:51Shouldn't you buy something else for your family to eat?
16:54Ah yes, you're right.
16:55Yes, l 've been going round the city for two days and have completely
16:57forgotten that l left home to buy the bread,
17:00it's true that there was nothing to buy and the events,
17:02completely disturbed me.
17:05What could l take. Ah , give me that octopus, it looks good.
18:02S ee you soon Critone, see you soon you others, bye.
18:32What are you doing?
18:32l 'm coming with you.
18:34Ah , good.
18:53l 've brought you something to eat
19:10Two days. . .
19:17Two days of an xiety.
19:20With the Spartans every where, the city full of dangers
19:25and you go home so they will make you something to eat,
19:28you don't care if your children are hungry,
19:29all you care about is going around chatting with your feet in the dust.
19:33l 've been alone for two days,
19:35two days without anything to eat,
19:38perhaps you think you can eat your own words.
19:40Listen Santippe.
19:41l know your discourses by heart.
19:43But how, if you never let me speak.
19:45Athens, your city is conquered, the Athenians let themselves be massacred,
19:49and he strolls around with the buffoons and little scoundrels that listen to him.
19:53C ome on Santippe.
19:54You've bored everyone with your speeches and instead of mocking
19:58the claimed ignorance of the people you'd be better off looking at yourself.
20:01But look at you. Look at him , this flea-ridden animal.
20:05Now that Athens is beaten , you'll finally have the excuse to no longer
20:09go to the meetings and in this way you can earn the bread for your family.
20:12Talk for talk's sake, at least get paid by those who listen to you.
20:16D o like l ppis, get yourself asked for by the sons of the rich ,
20:19they're stupid enough to give you money.
20:22But l know nothing , Santippe.
20:24And this knowledge does not sell.
20:26Knowledge, Knowledge. But bread is what you buy
20:30and you think you can live on these crusts alone.
20:43l beg you.
20:47Observe well how when Santippe thunders it always ends in rain.
20:52l beg you S ocrates. The downfall is upon us
20:59And hatred is every where, be careful
21:05you've been creating enemies for years,
21:09and in justice comes to strike so soon.
21:31What are you doing?
21:32You've no right to pass here. Go away.
22:33What can be done, they've been in agony for days
22:36and no one can approach to help them
22:38or alleviate their suffering , perhaps with a single blow.
22:46The tyrants have already put 1 500 Athenians under torture
22:50and no one has yet rebelled and Crizia is the worst of all.
22:54Crizia, S ocrates, one of your old disciples
22:57Yes, but if a shepherd slit the throats of half his herd
23:00and let the other half die of hunger,
23:03he couldn't pretend to be a good shepherd,
23:05instead they kill and believe that they are good judges.
23:15Let's pray to the Gods that Socrates doesn't abandon us because of these two.
23:22They pray to the Gods for their destiny to be favoured,
23:25whilst it would be better for them to ask them to help us navigate
23:27towards good, for divine breath to fill our sails,
23:30and for us to be invaded by the exhilaration of sailor
23:33when landfall is seen.
23:39Why, but why haven't Alcibiade and Crizia cultivated reason ,
23:43why haven't they been quiet inside to hear
23:46what the Gods inspired in them.
23:53M edicine cures the body, politics should watch over souls.
23:59Art shouldn't dominate
24:00Art should show justice to all.
24:03C ome on S ocrates, let's get away from here.
24:17Let's stop here and cool down.
24:28A short time ago, talking of Crizia and other tyrants
24:30you used the word madness,
24:33but our tyrants are not mad S ocrates, they are criminals.
24:38l t's the same thing.
24:40D o you know the song that says that the greatest asset
24:43is health first of all , then beauty and then being rich?
24:48Yes, l know it.
24:49Well , that song lies. The greatest happiness is being good.
24:54l t is such a great asset that those who do bad are the mad ones.
24:58That is why l used the word madness.
25:02l t is a madness they draw profit from though , S ocrates.
25:05What profit?
25:08Wealth? Power over other men?
25:13But when they lose the power, what will remain of them?
25:16The memory of the crimes they committed. And what else?
25:20Not knowing good?
25:22An ignorance that only the illusions of power prevented them from seeing.
25:28And what is the reason for their crimes, if not knowing good?
25:32That it keeps them in a perpetual state of an xiety.
25:37ln reality powerful people have the force and use it because they are only weak,
25:42and their weakness comes from the fear that dominates them.
25:46You can see them every where and always surrounded by enemies,
25:49and isn't this perhaps really madness?
25:52But we shall content ourselves to ignore them.
25:56Can a tyrant submit a city to his will?
25:59To what pleases him , there's no doubt, but not what he wants.
26:02M an in fact, can only want good for himself,
26:05and those who commit in justices harm themselves above all.
26:09A little at a time, the memory of the badness he has committed will drive him mad.
26:16l s virtue knowledge of one's own good then?
26:18Knowledge and practice.
26:23Therefore to govern a city without wronging himself,
26:26a powerful man must possess virtue?
26:29Yes, because if a man is valorous, he will serve as an example to everyone.
26:35To survive, states do not need arsenals, or even empires.
26:42l f they are worth something and possess virtue,
26:45the citizens will give their lives to defend them.
26:48S ocrates, here's your wife.
26:59l 've been looking for you for two hours,
27:02and you, you stay here saying beautiful and completely useless sentences.
27:06What's the matter dear? Why are you looking for me so an xiously?
27:09You are summoned to Toros, by Crizia in person. What do they want from you?
27:15D on't worry. We'll see.
27:18While you chat, the others are doing.
27:22Why, what are they doing?
27:30C ome forwards, S ocrates.
27:42We accuse you of breaking the law
27:44that prohibits the teaching of oratory loopholes.
27:47But l have decided to obey the laws.
27:49This one just like the others, in order to obey it better,
27:52l would like you to explain to me what you mean by oratory loopholes.
27:56D oes it mean that l teach the art of convincing with cunning ,
27:58or the natural search for the truth?
28:02Why do you ask this question, seeing that you already know the answer?
28:06You're wrong, l ask you the question because l'm looking for the truth, for you and for me.
28:13l n fact, if you think that l , S ocrates, use a Greek word
28:19to guarantee myself some kind of power over other men ,
28:23then in this case, l approve your interdiction, but perhaps you do not know that l,
28:29l limit myself to making the other others think by asking them questions,
28:33and the ensuing dialogue is only intended to create understanding.
28:39What l know matters little.
28:40We'll content ourselves with giving you a very clear order:
28:43never direct yourself ever again to the young.
28:46OK , but so that l can respect this order as faithfully as possible,
28:53- tell me Callico - in your opinion , up to what age are men young?
28:59Those who have not reached thirty.
29:02Therefore, if l have to buy olives from a merchant
29:05Who is younger than thirty, l cannot ask him the price.
29:09D on't joke with us S ocrates, you've understood us perfectly well.
29:13l see that you want to stop me from talking about justice.
29:16Respect the guardians of the herd, if you want the sheep to stay in peace.
29:44You all know Cleone of Salamina. We have condemned him to death.
29:49You citizens, and you S ocrates,
29:55have been assigned to capture him.
29:58Arrest him.
30:00l n this way you can prove your loyalty to the country
30:05And your loyalty to the new government of Athens.
30:07Go, and don't waste time.
30:29And to think that l admired Crizia.
30:31Now l 'm ashamed to have admired him.
30:35l will become a misanthrope.
30:37Look what point we've got to. l hate these tyrants with all my soul.
30:42You hate them , but you're ready to obey them because you are afraid.
30:45l have no hatred for them , but l will not follow their orders.
30:48l 'm going home.
30:51But that's madness, S ocrates
30:56S ometimes it is necessary to know how to be mad.
31:27Why don't we attack?
31:30By good luck, they have destroyed the walls of Athens.
31:33We'll wait for the signal. Traspiro wants us to take over the guard posts.
31:36l t's Spartans in charge of them , not confederates, do you know that?
31:39Yes, l do.
31:40l n any case l don't fear death ,
31:42better to die for Athens than to live in exile.
31:44l f the Thebans hadn't welcomed us as they did,
31:46we wouldn't be here this evening.
31:47They could have captured us and handed us over to the ''Trenta'' Tyrants
31:51Who would have condemned us to death.
31:52You're right, l still don't understand why the Thebans first allied
31:56With the Spartans to defeat us and then gave us exile after the ruin.
31:59B ecause they too now fear the hegemony of Sparta.
32:02This is where their generosity is born from.
32:03Their complicity . .
32:05Silence!
32:07That's the signal. Let's go.
33:50Can you see anything?
33:51No, nothing , but acclamations from the crowd can be heard.
33:54Trasibulo is the new hero of the day.
33:57Yes, Crizia died during the battle of Piraeus,
34:00l know from Erocle, my neighbour, who took part in the battle.
34:03He returned before the others because his mother is dying.
34:06He was present at the taking of the Fort of Philae.
34:08And also at the battle of Piraeus.
34:10l t was there where he saw the bodies of Crizia and Castore.
34:13The taking of the Fort of Philae was a master stroke,
34:17in the middle of the night and by surprise.
34:20When l heard that the Spartan fleet was blocking the port of Piraeus
34:23l really feared sacking.
34:24By good luck, Pausania ordered Lisandro
34:27to evacuate all the Spartan garrisons.
34:30The king of Sparta is a wise man.
34:31He knows that they cannot keep the Athenians
34:33Subjugated by their enemies for too long.
34:36And therefore, he saved the life of our S ocrates without knowing it.
34:40l f he hadn't given that order and if Trasibulo hadn't attacked
34:43Crizia would have put S ocrates to death that night
34:46B ecause he had refused to obey his orders.
34:48Here they are, they're coming.
34:50C ome, let's go.
35:35People of Athens, the tyranny is dead,
35:38democratic constitution is restored.
35:46We will watch over everyone together so that all the citizens of Athens obey the law.
35:52l n my opinion , l propose granting political amnesty to everyone
35:56so as to celebrate our re-conquered freedom fittingly.
36:04All those of us who served the tyrants will be exiled.
36:10We will not stain our land with their blood.
36:22Look how happy they are. We've finally got our laws back.
36:25But where are they going?
36:27To the Pritaneo. They are the 50 councillors'' elected in the various tribes,
36:33or expressed better, the different peoples of Athens.
36:36They now govern the city with the ''arconti'' and everyday the ''Epistato'' ,
36:41or better the head of state, is chosen from their ranks,
36:44and this takes place by drawing lots.
36:47From among them all , everyone has the chance
36:51of assuming the supreme power.
36:54But only for one day?
36:55Only for one day, from one sunset to the next.
36:59The ''Epistato'' keeps the State seal ,
37:02and the key to the temple where the public treasury is safeguarded.
37:07l t would be imprudent to hand over the supreme power to one man ,
37:11even if a very wise one, for any longer time.
37:14Even l could be elected for a day?
37:16Why not! l f the Gods so desire and if luck is on your side.
37:22lt may also happen, if you give proof of worth, that you will be invited to the Pritaneo,
37:27in your old age, like other illustrious citizens,
37:31with absolutely no other worries other than
37:35teaching children respect and love for our traditions.
37:51A-then-s. Look, everyone leaves
37:56Athen's marks in the ground,
39:13Dracone.
39:17White bean. The Gods have chosen you.
39:27Aceo.
39:33Black bean.
39:37The citizens will see how mad l am ,
39:41they will see it well when the facts come to light.
39:47The snow falls from the cloud
39:50and the hailstones in fury
39:52and the thunder explodes from the lighting flash.
39:56l n the city, this is how ruin comes from the powerful
40:00and the people become the slaves of one man just through their own foolishness.
40:06l t is difficult to apply a brake to a man who has been too exalted.
40:11l t's therefore better right from the start to have. .
40:14S ocrates, listen. D o you remember Aristofane?
40:20Wait. And you others come, we'll have some fun.
40:24Do you remember the comedy he wrote about you? l'll recite it to you.
40:27Oh holy trinity, oh rain clouds, oh emptiness, and you my capable tongue,
40:33holy trinity who crushed weak Zeus with your turbine.
40:37Listen to my prayer: l adore you! Ah , ah , ah. Ah , ah , ha.
40:45Zeus the Olympian , is perhaps no longer the God of Gods?
40:50You. Perhaps you don't even exist.
40:52And who makes it rain?
40:54You. The clouds. Have you ever seen rain in fine weather?
40:59And who pushes the clouds in the sk y if not divine Zeus?
41:03A turbine, l'm telling you, a vast turbine, but tell me, what do you really want from me?
41:12Oh S ocrates, l would like you to teach me
41:15how to get rid of my creditors.
41:17Now, S ocrates, l am the creditor, give my money back to me.
41:23Ah, ah. My poor friend, you must have banged your head, you're repeating yourself in vain.
41:28l 'm repeating myself?
41:29You , Yes, you're repeating yourself, but answer my question.
41:32When it rains, does new water fall each time
41:35or is it the same water that the sun has pumped back?
41:38l don't care. C ome on give my money back.
41:41What, you want your money, while ignoring all celestial things?
41:48Pay me only the interest, l ask only this.
41:52You. The interest, but what on earth is that?
41:56lt is the money that you add to the rest in proportion to the time that passes.
42:00You. Good answer, but tell me, when it rains does the sea level rise?
42:07No. l t always remains the same as itself.
42:10You. The sea doesn't rise by a drop and you want
42:15to increase your money? Ah , ah , ah. Blasphemer. Blasphemer!
42:22What do you think about it, S ocrates.
42:24The actor is good, but his S ocrates does not exist.
42:27That's true. l had forgotten that you think you are a master of virtue.
42:32You're wrong. l simply practice the same trade as my mother
42:36she was an obstetrician , but its not children l deliver,
42:40but the truth and thanks to this to an art that l and several Gods know.
42:45S ee, he brings us new Gods.
42:48No. l simply believe in my inner voice,
42:51like you believe in the omens of the birds.
42:54The Athenians are the sons of the earth.
42:58lf they have been hit by destiny, it is precisely because chatterers like you
43:03have twisted their traditions and because of this.
43:06Stop! Leave him alone!
43:23Those who want to see the sun
43:25burn their eyes if they look at it in the face.
43:27They should study by watching it reflected in the water.
43:31The soul becomes blind if we want to see discover the truth of details.
43:36l t must take refuge in the world of reason.
43:39l f you cannot even feed a slave, S ocrates,
43:42how do manage not to die of hunger?
43:45l 've learned to get by on the minimum.
43:48You see, it is because l settle for little, that l am always closer to the Gods.
43:55You're luck y S ocrates. l need everything in continuation.
44:01l t's only wealth that counts S ocrates,
44:03without it you're not worth anything , even in the eyes of the Gods.
44:08You are wrong , compared to a rich and dishonest man
44:12the Gods prefer a poor and virtuous man.
44:14l f being poor is enough to possess virtue,
44:19then there's no doubt that you are a model of it.
44:22But if you don't make your pupils pay you
44:24is this perhaps to attract them to you more securely?
44:26M aybe he's paid by the Spartans.
44:28The one they don't like, they send here to us.
44:30Leave him alone. They treated even Homer as a madman.
44:36They are faithful to their country, just like any one of us.
44:41Nevertheless Alcibiade was you're favourite pupil ,
44:46The one who brought us to ruin. Alcibiade the mutilator of the hermae,
44:52who you taught scorn for tradition to.
44:55No. l just made him understand that he had to know how to recognise
44:59what life continually brings us that is new.
45:01And this is how you want to talk about his betrayal and our ruin.
45:06And Crizia? Didn't he, like you , say
45:09that the Gods are just the invention of politicians?
45:12And Plato? Another of your pupils.
45:15l heard that youngster proclaim precisely here that
45:19until philosophers aren't heads of state or the heads of state are philosophers,
45:24things at Athens will go from bad to worse.
45:27Too bad if ignorant people laugh at us, but tell me,
45:31who would you turn to manage affairs of state?
45:34The citizens.
45:35And how are the citizens who will become the city leaders to be chosen?
45:39By drawing lots? With beans?
45:41You know well.
45:44Directing affairs of state perhaps isn't so difficult?
45:48Yes.
45:49l f you had to undertake a sea voyage,
45:51would you choose a pilot by drawing lots?
45:54No.
45:55And your shoemaker, your farrier, your doctor,
45:58would you choose them by drawing lots?
45:59No.
46:01S ee then. You wouldn't trust your life to a doctor chosen by fortune,
46:05but you a good citizen are ready to place the affairs of the city
46:10in the hands of anyone, perhaps even a pauper,
46:13and now you have admitted that politics is the most difficult of the sciences.
46:16Are you not contradicting yourself then?
46:18S eeing as you know politics so well , why don't you get involved?
46:23B ecause at the time of the trial of the generals l understood,
46:26that the place for someone who wants to fight injustice is in the middle of everyone,
46:29in the mass and not in public office.
46:31On the other hand, l am more useful teaching correct political practice
46:35to a large number of citizens, rather than practising it myself.
46:40B e careful. You're talking like one of those foreign philosophers
46:43who tempest us with their doctrines,
46:45and remember that they have condemned Pythagoras.
46:49l t's sad to see the courts of Athens putting themselves at the service of
46:52of jealousy and fear.
46:54You talk of justice, while the others talk of country.
46:58Where is your country then , S ocrates?
47:01Athens is my country. l 've demonstrated this on the battlefield,
47:04but followed by believing that the earth is immense and that many other peoples
47:08are scattered around the sea, like frogs around a pond.
47:11Wisdom isn't just Athenian ,
47:13strength is not just Spartan or prudence C orinthian.
47:17Other peoples posses these virtues.
47:19l am Athenian, but l'm also a man, just like all the other men on the earth.
47:23B e careful what you're saying.
47:26They could accuse you of offending our Gods
47:29And of scorning our traditions.
47:31Traditions only make sense if we can assess their meaning.
47:35We must be distrustful of habits.
47:37The leaders of our democracy, chosen by chance out of habit,
47:41almost all ignorant with the presumption of knowledge,
47:45can be the easy prey of the first who comes along
47:47and can commit in justices.
47:49This is why every day we can measure the force of defamation.
48:16Esculapio, you who care and heal ,
48:18remember that Teodoro, who offers you this cock,
48:21has always been scrupulously faithful and has never neglected you.
48:26Grant him the healing of his son.
48:28S end illness and death far from his family.
48:30M ay your intervention preserve him from the anger of Hades
48:33and from the hostility of infernal divinities.
48:57There is no doubt that everything man possesses comes to him from the Gods,
49:01but l wonder if the Gods need our gifts.
49:16Teodoro l offer you this thigh and this meat
49:18so that you can smell the aroma.
49:21Esculapio, fulfil His request.
49:23By offering a cock, a pigeon , a lamb, or any way something very small ,
49:28in exchange for the protection and love of the gods,
49:30man asks for his desires to be satisfied.
49:35l n other words: a lot.
49:37We even hope to be spared from death with a cock.
49:41There l can understand, S ocrates.
49:43D eath is horrible and certainly more painful than birth.
49:48That maybe, but it may also be sweeter, if we approach the truth.
49:53We are all mortals, S ocrates, and we will all die one day.
49:59l f death is sweet and means liberation ,
50:04we will joyfully sacrifice a cock to Escalapio.
50:07Critone, you promised, in the meantime l believe that death is a liberation.
50:13l f l cannot have any certainty while l live in my body,
50:16one of the two things must be true: either there can be no knowledge for me
50:20or l will have such knowledge through death... and you know how curious l am.
50:27Esculapio, may l die surrounded by my friends, steeped
50:31l n the hope of finding the rest of knowledge on the other side.
50:41M eleto, son of M eleto,
50:42accuses S ocrates, son of Sufronico of the following crimes:
50:46S ocrates does not believe in the Gods of Athens;
50:49S ocrates preaches new beliefs; S ocrates corrupts the young.
50:54The accuser demands the death penalty.
51:12S ocrates. S ocrates.
51:14S o, what makes you run so early in the morning?
51:17An accusation against you has been posted to the door of the ''arconte'' palace.
51:22You must see it as soon as possible.
51:28But it is a serious accusation.
51:29A certain M eleto has made it against you.
51:36Sit down.
51:41Look S ocrates.
51:46Goodbye, S ocrates
51:48Look, it's the good-looking l ppia.
51:50l t's a good while we haven't had the pleasure of seeing you in the city.
51:53Where are you going , so well equipped?
51:54l'm going to the gymnasium to give a speech about the genealogy of heroes.
51:59Would you like to hear it?
52:00l've got things to do and unfortunately l cannot accompany you.
52:04lt's a speech l've already done, and everyone tells me that it is very beautiful.
52:09l 'd be pleased to have your opinion as well.
52:11You said it's very beautiful. S o you know what beauty is.
52:14Yes, of course.
52:16And you could explain it to me?
52:19Very easily! A beautiful virgin, Socrates, there's something beautiful.
52:24A good reply. But tell me l ppia, can you say that a she-ass is beautiful?
52:30Yes. l n my town there are some really beautiful she-asses.
52:35And a nice pan , l ppia, can you say that a pan is beautiful thing?
52:38M y dear S ocrates, l don't understand how you can use such a prosaic
52:41object to talk of so elevated things.
52:46What do you want, l 'm just a boor.
52:48Any way, even you must admit that a beautiful pan is beautiful.
52:52Yes, that may be, but the most beautiful pan ,
52:57compared to a beautiful virgin is ugly.
52:59l n the same way that the most beautiful is ugly compared to a God.
53:03- l s that not what you're saying? - E xactly.
53:05And yet just before, you said: ''a beautiful virgin, there's something beautiful''
53:09and now you're telling me when compared to a God she's ugly,
53:12but cannot be beautiful and ugly at the same time.
53:14You see, you still haven't told me what beauty is.
53:16l 'll explain it another day, whenever you like. Goodbye.
53:29S ocrates.
53:32l 've never seen you walk with your head down. What's the matter?
53:36l was thinking of a story they tell in Egypt.
53:39A demon called Teute went to visit king Tamus
53:43to bring him up to date about the arts he had invented,
53:47and to invite him to let the Egyptians participate.
53:50He talked about numbering , calculation , geometry, astronomy,
53:54trick track and dice to finally arrive at writing.
53:58The practice of writing said the demon , will develop
54:02knowledge and strengthen the memory of your citizens.
54:05This is my most beautiful invention and it will lead you to science.
54:09Very good said the king , but can you create new arts Teute,
54:14l can foresee what will happen if it is practised
54:18l can therefore tell you that writing will
54:20give a result completely different from what you imagine.
54:24l n confiding in writing , men will no longer search for
54:26their memories deep down inside them ,
54:29they will forget to trust their memories and in so doing will lose much of their knowledge,
54:35and instead of trying to express themselves with trouble and warmth ,
54:37they will cite texts with elegance.
54:39But what can you reply to citations?
54:43You therefore contrast a living , vibrant literal speech to the word,
54:47to writing that are the image of speech.
54:49Yes, that's right. You could believe that writings speak intelligently,
54:54but when you try to question them , they only repeat themselves.
54:57When written , speeches pass from one hand to the next,
55:00without knowing how to distinguish the weakest one from an intelligent one,
55:03and if the writings attack you , if they accuse you un justly,
55:06you cannot make them see reason in any way.
55:09What's behind all these thoughts S ocrates?
55:11A written accusation against me has been posted to the door of ''arconte''.
55:15Against you? And have you seen it?
55:17No.
55:18Let's go then , l 'll come with you.
55:47What are you doing here S ocrates?
55:49Have you too started to frequent the portico of ''arconte''?
55:53l 'm here because l 've just
55:54posted an accusation.
55:58And l 'm here because they want to drag me to court
56:00for reasons of state.
56:01Who accuses you?
56:03M eleto. He doesn't seem so hostile to me.
56:06They tell me he accuses me of having introduced the cult
56:10of some new divinity to the detriment of our old Gods.
56:13l t's certainly because of that supernatural voice
56:16you claim to hear inside and which inspires you.
56:19An innovator in the religious field is a kind of defamation
56:23to which almost everyone is very sensitive.
56:26Athenians cannot bear one of them having
56:29the slightest personal knowledge about the Gods.
56:32When l for example predict the future
56:36before the people's assembly, the laugh at me as if l were mad,
56:41and believe me, all my predictions come true.
56:45You'll see, you'll get away with your trial ,
56:49but l 'll get satisfaction from mine.
56:52Who have you registered your accusation against.
56:55Against my father.
56:58Your father?
57:00Alas, yes, S ocrates.
57:02And what do you accuse him of?
57:03Of homicide.
57:05Did he kill one of the family perhaps?
57:08No. Why do you ask me that?
57:10Well, you wouldn't drag your father before the courts for killing someone unrelated.
57:14And why not? l t's strange S ocrates that you distinguish
57:18Between the death of someone unrelated and that of a family member.
57:22The filthiness is the same and if one is aware of a crime,
57:26one must purif y one's self by pursuing the assassin
57:30whoever the criminal is and whoever the victim is.
57:33But what happened?
57:35The dead man was a labourer on one of our farms.
57:39He had been drinking , had hit a companion and killed him.
57:43M y father had him thrown in a ditch
57:46And sent someone to Athens to find out how to deal with the matter.
57:50ln the meantime, he didn't worry about the man who was dying in the ditch.
57:54People reproach me, saying that it is impious,
57:57for a son to accuse his father.
58:00But they, S ocrates, don't know what compassion is. l do.
58:04There wouldn't be any difference between the common people and myself if l didn't know.
58:09S o, dear friend, explain it to me, l beg you.
58:11this will be very useful to me for my trial.
58:15What l 'm doing is compassionate.
58:17Legally pursuing anyone guilty of a crime,
58:20even if father, mother or son.
58:22Zeus, the most just of the Gods, enchained his father Uranus
58:27to punish him because he had devoured his own children.
58:32C onsidering the accusations made against me,
58:34l 'm frankly not willing to talk about divinity
58:37but, between us two, do you really think that things between Zeus and his father went like that?
58:42C ertainly.
58:44And l know details more curious than those the common people know.
58:49You therefore believe that there are conflicts between the Gods.
58:52Yes, and l could tell you some things about the history of the Gods.
58:56which even you S ocrates would be amazed at.
58:58Tell me instead, again for my trial , what compassion is?
59:03What the Gods like, that what compassion is.
59:07What they don't like is piety.
59:10But you just told me that the Gods fight against each other.
59:13Yes indeed.
59:14S o, they argue like men
59:15About what is good or bad.
59:17That's clear.
59:19S o, according to you , the same thing
59:21M ay please one God and displease another.
59:23C ertainly.
59:24The fact that you want to punish your father may anyway please Zeus
59:28and displease Uranus, please Efesto and displease Era.
59:32Yes.
59:33S o, l f l understand well , the same action ,
59:37can please or displease the Gods at the same time,
59:40in other words compassion and piety at the same time.
59:44But that's impossible Eutifrone.
59:46l beg you , tell me what compassion is.
59:48Another time, S ocrates, l 've got things to do, goodbye.
59:53And now, let's worry about our trial.
1:00:07C ome on Santippe calm down. D on't cry.
1:00:09Our poor children.
1:00:10l knew that your mania for bothering people
1:00:13would have brought all the misfortunes on us. l knew it.
1:00:17You must defend yourself How do you think you'll do that?
1:00:19All my life l 've avoided in justice. That's my defence.
1:00:23But how will you reply to all the accusations. You must contest them.
1:00:27No, no, no, no, don't cry Santippe, no, don't cry.
1:00:31S ocrates, l beg you to call an orator to defend you. l beg you.
1:00:37C ome on , don't cry. And to make you happy, we'll call one.
1:00:42C ontact Lisia, S ocrates, he's the best orator of Athens.
1:00:46Go and call Lisia, explain to him , tell him that S ocrates in danger,
1:00:51that he must defend him.
1:00:56Well , first of all the preamble, the ritual information ,
1:01:01then praise for your judges, of noble birth , Athenian race,
1:01:07keepers of an entirely divine wisdom ,
1:01:09heirs of the heroes of Homeric Greece,
1:01:11of such majesty that just on seeing them evil powers retreat,
1:01:16and the enemies of Athens are defeated.
1:01:18What do you think?
1:01:21l n second place the narration.
1:01:24l could say for example: the accusers of S ocrates,
1:01:28well-intentioned persons, but of weak judgement, excited souls
1:01:32without critical spirit before this divine assembly, propose
1:01:37the case of a man who in some manner merits your judgement.
1:01:41Who is concerned? l t's S ocrates.
1:01:44A person known for years for being an original , full of gentleness.
1:01:51What is it about? About doctrines that are supposed to be new
1:01:55and aimed at disturbing youngsters, is that OK to you?
1:02:01M y reasoning will be simple
1:02:03and limited to being the illustration of my preamble.
1:02:07l f new doctrines existed, capable of corrupting youngsters,
1:02:11could you , the holders of Athenian wisdom be unaware of them?
1:02:16No. M uch before our accusers
1:02:19you would have known these doctrines and refused them forcibly.
1:02:24And as for the charge that S ocrates can corrupt youngsters
1:02:28do you know what this means?
1:02:30That at the most this concerns a few kids too weak
1:02:35to play our games,
1:02:39consoling their weakness,
1:02:41by interesting themselves in the originality of an old man. l C ontinue.
1:02:48Now, for the normal digression ,
1:02:52l will develop the main point of my oration.
1:02:56What a wonderful paradox to see just an old man in S ocrates
1:03:01who we can laugh at and forget his past,
1:03:04that past, which you are the living memory of.
1:03:11Shall l remind you of it? S ocrates was a soldier full of courage,
1:03:15ready to give his life to defend our Gods
1:03:19he was an athlete hardened to all the rigours of winter,
1:03:23he was a judge, respectful to the point of obsession
1:03:27of the laws you yourselves enact.
1:03:31And who can criticise the devotion of simple minds.
1:03:36Then , in my defence, l will request your reprieve.
1:03:41No, no, Athenians, do not accuse S ocrates of an offence to you.
1:03:46Since you have known him you have always been very indulgent of his strangeness.
1:03:53Respect the old age of one of your life's companions.
1:03:57D on't tarnish the last years of a man whose death
1:04:00will alas tear him from us in any event. Absolve him!
1:04:08What kind of good do you think you'll do to the Judges with that speech?
1:04:15But it's your good that l want S ocrates, not your Judges'.
1:04:19You are therefore ready to harm them for my good?
1:04:22C ertainly.
1:04:23And how can you good for me if you do harm to them?
1:04:27D o you believe that without a doubt, the most precious good is life?
1:04:30Yes.
1:04:31Life in a lie, or life in the truth?
1:04:35Life in the truth.
1:04:37But if you reply to the lies of my accusers, with other lies,
1:04:41if you persuade them by pleasing them , wouldn't the life coming to me
1:04:46from your eloquence be tarnished by this cunning?
1:04:50No Lisia, life only deserves to be conserved in joy,
1:04:56and the only joy for man is the search for the truth without deviations.
1:05:01Life is worth something if you hope to find the truth one day
1:05:06And the truth , like the stars, is very difficult to reach.
1:05:12From the plain and on mountain tops we look at the
1:05:16stars without the sensation of having gone near them.
1:05:21l t's the same with the truth. You don't have to go close to see it.
1:05:26D o you want to get yourself condemned then?
1:05:29l f democracy wants my death , it must have its reasons.
1:05:34You're mad. We shouldn't fear M eleto who is a poor thing.
1:05:38Think instead of Anito, who is a demagogue, or of Licone who is a rhetorician.
1:05:44You shouldn't forget that above all ,
1:05:46Athenians are sensitive to eloquence.
1:05:50l 'll tell the truth in my way and we'll see if they understand.
1:05:54At my age l 've got no use for fair words.
1:05:57As you think fit. l hope you're right.
1:06:01Lisia.
1:06:05l 'll defend myself alone.
1:06:09M ore madness. You'll end up losing.
1:06:14You've ruined our life, but think at least about our children.
1:06:19l t's for them and for you that l 'll talk in my way.
1:06:24They'll condemn you , l know, they hate you.
1:06:30D on't leave me alone S ocrates.
1:06:34D on't leave us.
1:06:59993, 99 4, 995, . . .
1:07:09. . . 996, 997, 998, . . .
1:07:24. . . 999, 1 000.
1:07:32Oh Erbete, what're you doing here at your age?
1:07:36What're you saying? At my age, l 'm already thirty
1:07:41and with the approval of the Gods l can very well participate
1:07:44as a juror in court. l 've already taken the oath.
1:07:47Zeus. How time flies. l thought you much younger.
1:07:54Black bean.
1:07:58Antimaco.
1:08:04Black bean.
1:08:08Pittaco.
1:08:15White bean.
1:08:24Have you seen the batons?
1:08:26This time our people bears the colour red.
1:08:29l t's the colour that brings me luck.
1:08:31D o you know anything about the trial we'll be jurors in?
1:08:33Absolutely nothing.
1:08:35l n any event, we'll only know the moment we take our places.
1:08:41Today, the Gods seem to be AGAl NST us. How many excluded.
1:08:47l f it's like this also in the other peoples
1:08:49we'll never reach the number of five hundred and one judges.
1:08:51D on't worry, it's never happened in the past.
1:08:56We'll perhaps take longer than usual.
1:08:59But the legal number is always reached.
1:09:05White bean.
1:09:16Hey, you're forgetting the badge,
1:09:19without that, you won't get the three obols due to you at the end of the trial.
1:11:10Oh Athens, daughter of Zeus, mother of wisdom , war and the arts.
1:11:16You who gave us the olive and the use of the rudder,
1:11:19remember the sacrifices we have offered to you.
1:11:23M ay your sentence inspire us and may your shield protect us.
1:11:28Oh you Athens the valorous, oh you Athena, the indomitable goddess.
1:11:53You who have been chosen by fortune with the goodwill of the gods,
1:12:00know that you must pass sentence on the occasion of this
1:12:06trial brought by M eleto, supported by Anito and Licone, against S ocrates.
1:12:14M eleto, son of M eleto, accuses S ocrates son of S ofronico
1:12:20Of the following crimes.
1:12:23First, S ocrates does not believe in Gods of Athens;
1:12:29second, S ocrates proposed new beliefs;
1:12:34third, S ocrates corrupts the young.
1:12:40The accuser demands the death penalty.
1:12:44The accuser speaks first, M eleto may speak.
1:12:56l am not driven by personal interest,
1:12:59by coming before this court to accuse
1:13:02our co-citizen S ocrates of the crime of impiety.
1:13:09l t is because of love for Athens.
1:13:12S ocrates wants to replace the worship of our old Gods with
1:13:17the worship of new demons, taking care not to indicate
1:13:21their nature, because he is always more inclined
1:13:25to destroy, rather than to construct.
1:13:29This crime, now that we've found peace again ,
1:13:34threatens to spark off the just anger of the gods
1:13:39against our country, against Athens.
1:13:44With a truly distressed soul , l feel it my duty
1:13:50to request the death penalty for S ocrates.
1:13:56The existence of Athens itself is in your hands.
1:14:04And he says that he is not acting out of personal interest
1:14:08Anito may speak.
1:14:14Athenians, you've known me for a long time
1:14:19and you know how much l love our city,
1:14:22it's S ocrates' fault that we have already suffered a great disaster
1:14:27the Gods didn't save us from that terrible punishment we suffered. . .
1:14:38l 've come from the agora. M eleto made a bad speech.
1:14:40People didn't take him seriously. .
1:14:42And this is why l 'm telling you Athenians,
1:14:44no one here must dictate your conduct.
1:14:48Now you know what the accusations are.
1:14:52l know your wisdom ,
1:14:54and am certain that you will know
1:14:55how to make the right decision according to conscience.
1:15:07We have heard the accusers.
1:15:09The accused may now speak. S ocrates may speak.
1:15:19Athenians, they have told you that l was an orator.
1:15:24l tell you that at my age - l 'm seventy -
1:15:28that it wouldn't be any good for me to practice eloquence.
1:15:32This is the first time l appear before you on the platform
1:15:35of a court of justice, but many who have heard me talk
1:15:39in the streets, in the public squares can tell you that l speak here
1:15:44as elsewhere, in my way, in other words, l only seek the truth
1:15:50without any formal devices.
1:15:53The law demands me to speak to defend myself
1:15:56And l will do that.
1:15:59However, before replying to my accusers,
1:16:02who l listened to with the greatest attention ,
1:16:06l must contest the gossips that for twenty years now
1:16:11have insisted in confusing me with a certain S ocrates
1:16:15Who is busy analysing The mysteries of the earth ,
1:16:17or, even worse, of venerating clouds.
1:16:21Such a person is just in the spirit of those
1:16:24who have maliciously put me on stage
1:16:26An atheist and Aristofane
1:16:30or those who imitate him , do not at all hide
1:16:33the severity of the their accusations behind their prank.
1:16:38The figure they present to you , who walks in the air
1:16:42or does a thousand silly things, more or less scientific, of which
1:16:46l know nothing of, doesn't remotely resemble me.
1:16:50l appeal to the witness of those who know me.
1:16:55When it is said that l concern myself with the education of many young people
1:16:58so as to be paid and to teach them to make
1:17:03an incorrect cause correct, a lie is being told.
1:17:09l n fact, l myself content myself with searching for the truth.
1:17:13l f l had the fortune to be wise like l ppia or Giorgia,
1:17:17whom you all certainly know l would not hesitate to be paid.
1:17:24Unfortunately, l am ignorant and
1:17:27the only thing l know, is that l don't know anything.
1:17:31This kind of knowledge cannot be sold.
1:17:36Now, one of you could exclaim:
1:17:38''But tell me S ocrates, if, there is nothing extraordinary about you
1:17:44why this defamation and why this trial?''
1:17:48and l would reply: ''because l possess wisdom''.
1:17:58l beg you , Vi prego. M y witness is the God of D elfi.
1:18:02D o you all know Clerofonte.
1:18:05He was a childhood friend of mine and his death upset me greatly,
1:18:11to you he was a democrat
1:18:15a man who was exiled
1:18:18under Spartan domination.
1:18:20His brother is here and will testif y for me in his place.
1:18:37At D elfi my brother Clerofonte asked Pizia
1:18:41if there was anyone in the world wiser than S ocrates.
1:18:44Pizia replied that no one in the world was wiser than him.
1:19:02This reply from the oracle surprised me because l didn't know
1:19:06that l was wise.
1:19:08Nevertheless as the oracle couldn't lie
1:19:11l started looking for all those passing themselves off as wise,
1:19:14in the hope of discovering the meaning of the divine word.
1:19:19After questioning a large number of the most eminent men
1:19:24l suddenly understood what the oracle wanted to say.
1:19:28l was the wisest, because those politicians, those poets
1:19:31had the presumption of knowing while not knowing anything
1:19:36whilst l , S ocrates, had always been aware of my ignorance.
1:19:42l have made many, many enemies because often
1:19:46it is the most powerful figures that have the greatest defects,
1:19:52but l have remained at the service of God who obliges me to search for the truth,
1:19:58even if this search has revealed to me, that many who pretend
1:20:00to be wise, are not at all in reality.
1:20:08l now turn to M eleto.
1:20:11This exemplary citizen , this M eleto l tell you is guilty
1:20:15because he has dragged me into court
1:20:18pretending to interest himself in things he doesn't know anything about.
1:20:22Reply to my question , M eleto.
1:20:25Do you not perhaps give great importance to the education of the young?
1:20:30Yes, certainly.
1:20:32Given that you hold that it is l , S ocrates who corrupts the young ,
1:20:35you will certainly know who improves them , answer then ,
1:20:39your silence may lead the court to believe
1:20:41that you don't know anything , tell me who can improve the young?
1:20:46There are the laws.
1:20:48And who knows the laws the best?
1:20:51Look around you S ocrates, your Judges.
1:20:55All of them , or someone among them?
1:20:59All.
1:21:00By Zeus this is good news. And those down there listening to us,
1:21:06do they too have a good influence on the young?
1:21:09Without a doubt.
1:21:10And the members of the council?
1:21:13The members of the council too.
1:21:16l n short, do all Athenians have a good influence on the young?
1:21:19All except S ocrates who corrupts them. l s that what you want to say?
1:21:23Yes, And as forcibly as l can.
1:21:26Ah , what a poor chap this S ocrates is, what a horrible destiny,
1:21:31and what happiness there would be, if it were true that everyone in the city
1:21:35had a good influence on the young
1:21:37and that just one man , this S ocrates corrupts them.
1:21:41Meleto, you have demonstrated that you do not have the slightest knowledge
1:21:44of the problems for which you have dragged me into court for.
1:21:48But tell me again , is it not true that bad people always do bad things
1:21:53to those who approach them, whilst good people always do them some good.
1:21:57l agree.
1:21:58And do you know anyone, by chance,
1:22:00who prefers bad ways to good ones?
1:22:03Ah , no, certainly not.
1:22:06Accusing me of corrupting the young ,
1:22:08means accusing me of making them bad,
1:22:10do you think l corrupt them voluntarily or involuntarily?
1:22:14Voluntarily, this is more than certain.
1:22:17How is that M eleto?
1:22:20You know that bad people do bad things to those who approach them
1:22:23and expect me at my age not to know that.
1:22:26You therefore believe by making those around me bad
1:22:29l don't know that l 'm exposing myself to being maltreated by them?
1:22:34No, or l do not corrupt the youth or if l do so, it is without wanting to,
1:22:40and in this case, my involuntary fault
1:22:42is not the jurisdiction of this court.
1:22:44Well said S ocrates, you're right!
1:22:49And, even imagining that l corrupt the young as you explain ,
1:22:53these young persons, now grown up, are not here to criticise me of it?
1:22:59They themselves, or at least their fathers or their brothers.
1:23:04l see Critone father of Pritoculo, Adimante father of Plato,
1:23:08Pausania father Anfistene, and others still.
1:23:13Why don't they assail me,
1:23:15why didn't you call them to support your accusation.
1:23:21You say that l corrupt the young , by inciting them not to believe
1:23:25in the city Gods to follow other beliefs.
1:23:30D o you claim that my Gods are not the city Gods
1:23:32or do you mean that l don't believe in any God?
1:23:36l affirm that you do not believe in any God.
1:23:39Unlike other men , l wouldn't therefore believe
1:23:42that the moon and sun are Gods.
1:23:44By Zeus, citizens, he doesn't believe, he affirms that the sun
1:23:48is a rock and that the moon is similar to the earth.
1:23:54M y poor boy, unfortunately, you confuse me with Anassagora,
1:24:00and this confusion cannot please the court
1:24:03which is much better informed than you.
1:24:06Everyone knows that it is the books of Anassagora that abandon
1:24:08these propositions and wouldn't l be ridiculous
1:24:13to appropriate ideas that are not my own?
1:24:16But to return to the question l asked you ,
1:24:18is it perhaps true that l don't believe in any God?
1:24:21Absolutely true.
1:24:24Tell me, M eleto, is it possible to believe in the reality of
1:24:27Human actions, without believing in the reality of men?
1:24:31l s it possible for example, to believe in riding
1:24:34Without believing in the existence of horses?
1:24:36No.
1:24:37And again, can you believe in the manifestations of a supernatural power
1:24:40Without believing in the same power?
1:24:43Can you believe in the acts of the Gods without believing in the Gods?
1:24:47No, it's impossible.
1:24:49Ah , finally You reply correctly.
1:24:51And so you admit that if l believe in the manifestations of a supernatural power,
1:24:56l implicitly believe in the existence of this power.
1:25:00Citizens. . .
1:25:04M eleto's accusation is based only on defamation ,
1:25:09this defamation can bring my death , but before you
1:25:13l will not behave like a coward.
1:25:15When at war our generals assigned me a post
1:25:19l remained firm, and if God gives me the task of reasoning, l will not desert.
1:25:28M en fear death as if they are
1:25:31certain that it is the worst of ills, on the contrary,
1:25:36it is the greatest of goods and wisdom is
1:25:41recognising our ignorance as far as it is concerned.
1:25:45l love you Athenians, but more than you , it is my God l will obey
1:25:50and because it is he who commands me, l shall not cease to reason
1:25:54Until my last breath.
1:25:58Listen to me.
1:26:00As far as my personal life goes, l have always been negligent
1:26:03in a different way to that of the common man
1:26:08and if l talk to you like a father or an elder brother
1:26:12it is because the God living in me commands this.
1:26:15None of my accusers have been able to say that my promptness
1:26:21has ever given me any profit,
1:26:24my poverty would talk to disprove them.
1:26:28Now it may seem strange that l keep giving suggestions to everybody,
1:26:34but l do not dare give suggestions to the whole town in a meeting.
1:26:39This is due to an extraordinary effect,
1:26:44a voice inside me, which prevents me from
1:26:49from playing politics every time l would like to.
1:26:52This voice on the other hand has saved my life because
1:26:54l f l 'd been involved in politics l would have been dead long ago.
1:27:00And now Athenian citizens, l have finished my speech.
1:27:03l will not attempt to instil pity in you , or even
1:27:07to wrench absolution from you ,
1:27:10simply remember that my God has placed me here
1:27:15to keep the truth on the alert.
1:27:19l f you let my accusers convince you , you will kill me
1:27:26and after my death the God will not send you anyone else
1:27:30who defends the truth.
1:27:32An endless torpor will swallow you up, think on it.
1:27:38And now l place myself in your hands, so that you may judge according to the laws l respect
1:27:44and your decision will be the best for all of us.
1:27:58We shall now proceed to vote.
1:28:50l'm certain they will absolve him, it's not possible for them to condemn him.
1:28:54l on the other hand am worried.
1:28:57Unfortunately, those people are almost all his enemies.
1:29:00l n any case, if he is condemned, S ocrates can always propose
1:29:03commutation of the penalty. That's the law.
1:29:08What could he propose?
1:29:10Who knows. He is always unpredictable.
1:29:13Let's hear the result of the ballot.
1:29:19Following the ballot of the votes
1:29:21S ocrates is declared guilty by a majority of sixty votes.
1:29:28What do you propose to mitigate your penalty? You may speak again.
1:29:41Athenians, l am not shocked by this result,
1:29:47l am rather surprised to be condemned by such a slight majority.
1:29:51As for the punishment, M eleto proposes death.
1:29:55l n turn what penalty can l propose to you , what penalty to inflict on a man
1:29:59who has always sacrificed his personal ambition
1:30:02in the interests of his fellow citizens.
1:30:05To be just, he shouldn't be punished, on the contrary,
1:30:08grant him some reward and do it now
1:30:12as if we were dealing with anyone and not me, S ocrates.
1:30:17On the one side there is the poor man who must anyway continue his work
1:30:21and where do they put the deserving citizens
1:30:25so that they may grow old, sheltered from need, where do they put
1:30:29the benefactors of the city? l n the Pritaneo.
1:30:33You should therefore put me in the Pritaneo.
1:30:36Try to reflect , S ocrates, do not provoke the court.
1:30:39This man debases the court's dignity.
1:30:42What else could l propose. A fine? l n other words life in prison ,
1:30:47seeing l have no money to pay it. E xile? At my age?
1:30:51To go off to a foreign land?
1:30:53l f my fellow citizens can't stand me,
1:30:56how could foreigners.
1:30:59No. l f we have to talk according to justice, l claim what is right:
1:31:04that l stay and feed myself at the Pritaneo.
1:31:09The accused proposal has been voted on according to the law.
1:31:14Your proposal has been rejected.
1:31:17The assembly asks for the death penalty with a majority of 1 40 votes.
1:31:23l n normal circumstances, execution should take place within 24 hours
1:31:28but as the city entered its annual purification period yesterday,
1:31:33we order the execution to be stayed,
1:31:35until the Holy Ship commemorating the victory of Theseus over the Minotaur
1:31:40with its voyage returns from D elo.
1:31:44S ocrates, if you like, you may express your last desires.
1:31:59Citizens of Athens, if you had waited a little more time
1:32:03death would have arrived alone to free you of S ocrates.
1:32:07We shall leave this assembly, l condemned to death and you ,
1:32:12my judges condemned by the truth.
1:32:15And your lives will be marked by the in justice
1:32:19that you have now committed.
1:32:21Neither this morning , when l presented myself before this court,
1:32:25nor, before, when l got onto this platform ,
1:32:30nor at any moment of this trial , did the
1:32:35divine voice criticise my behaviour or my words.
1:32:38This is because all the events of this day were desired by the Gods.
1:32:44As for death , either it is truly eternal sleep,
1:32:50or the soul remains in an eternal house.
1:32:55Whatever it is, l have no fear.
1:32:58B efore dying , l simply make this prayer.
1:33:03When my sons become men ,
1:33:07if they should ever demonstrate the presumption , torment them ,
1:33:14as l have tormented you , if they prefer money to virtue
1:33:18scold them , as l have scolded you , if you do this,
1:33:25you will have given me, at the end of the day, what is justly due to me.
1:33:30But now the time to separate has arrived.
1:33:35l to die, and you to live.
1:33:40Which is the better destiny?
1:33:43Only the Gods can answer. l say goodbye.
1:33:53l can't wait any longer.
1:33:56l t's useless foreseeing the minimum details,
1:33:59we must execute our plan.
1:34:03Everything is ready now. The guides have been paid.
1:34:08And the guards suffer the influence of S ocrates greatly.
1:34:11Listening to them , he is a gentle, model prisoner,
1:34:15the most courteous they have ever known.
1:34:24As for the authorities, it seems they are willing to close an eye.
1:34:28S ocrates' escape would be received well by public opinion.
1:34:33You can't say that if they execute the sentence.
1:34:38But the Gods protect us. l t's been more than a month that
1:34:41adverse winds prevent the Holy Ship from returning from D elo.
1:34:46And visiting S ocrates in his prison this month
1:34:50has let me see freedom.
1:34:55When l think he is sad, not because the assembly
1:34:58condemned him to death
1:35:00but because it committed an in justice in condemning him.
1:35:03l nstead of mumbling , now his escape is ready,
1:35:06someone should go and tell him.
1:35:08The winds have changed and the Holy Ship can return to port
1:35:12From one minute to the next.
1:35:13And if he refuses?
1:35:16That's impossible.
1:35:20No, with S ocrates, nothing is impossible.
1:35:23Efigene is right, Plato should explain things to him.
1:35:26But Plato is ill.
1:35:28Critone then. Yes, Critone.
1:35:30You'll go to find S ocrates tomorrow at dawn ,
1:35:32to talk to him and to get his approval.
1:35:35You must go Critone.
1:35:38OK , l 'll try.
1:36:01You've come much earlier than usual. What's going on?
1:36:03l just want to be alone with S ocrates and during the day it's impossible,
1:36:08this prison is always crowded.
1:36:12C ome in.
1:36:44What're you doing here, it's still very early.
1:36:46Yes, l know, it's dawn.
1:36:49l 'm surprised the guards let you in.
1:36:52We're good friends.
1:36:54Have you been here a long time?
1:36:56Quite a while.
1:36:58l watched you sleeping and was surprised to find you so calm.
1:37:01And why shouldn't l be, l think that sleep and death are alike
1:37:04they both give you peace.
1:37:07l have to tell you S ocrates, that the ship returning from D elo
1:37:11is off Cape Suneo and will enter port today.
1:37:15No, it won't come in for two days.
1:37:18How do you know?
1:37:19l n a dream , l saw a woman veiled in white who told me:
1:37:22''Socrates, you will return to the fertile land of the dead in three days''.
1:37:27And l shouldn't perhaps drink hemlock on the day after the arrival of the ship?
1:37:31You S ocrates, accept death , but we have prepared your escape,
1:37:35you must escape, the prison guards won't oppose us.
1:37:40And where will l go?
1:37:41To Tessaglia, l have friends down there expecting you.
1:37:45But in Tessaglia, my dear Critone, like here, like all of us,
1:37:48l would be put to death.
1:37:51And what will the people say, when they know that we, your friends,
1:37:55let you die, without giving you any help.
1:37:57Ah , don't worry Critone,
1:37:59people worthy of respect will know how things stand,
1:38:02as for the others, it's not worthwhile paying any attention to them.
1:38:05You were wrong to disregard them ,
1:38:07they are the most numerous and capable of the biggest crimes.
1:38:11We know well why they condemned you.
1:38:16You're wrong. l f they were capable of committing the biggest crimes,
1:38:20they would be equally capable of doing the most good.
1:38:24But you S ocrates must live.
1:38:27Why? Have l not performed my task?
1:38:32And wouldn't escaping be to commit an in justice?
1:38:35Think of what would happen if when l leave this prison
1:38:38The laws of Athens came before me and asked me:
1:38:41''Where are you going Socrates?'' - They would Tell me: ''Do you want to destroy us?''
1:38:46And is it possible for a state to survive, if the resolutions
1:38:49it makes remain without force?
1:38:53Until today we were enough for you and you loved us
1:38:56Were you not born here? Have you not procreated here?
1:38:58Haven't you always lived respecting us, even against the opinion of everyone?
1:39:06D on't you think it is un just to rebel against us today?
1:39:10l know you're right.
1:39:12And where will Critone go, to another city, to Thebes, to M egara,
1:39:17you would be welcomed as an enemy, a rebel, and of me they would say
1:39:21that the judges of Athens did a good thing to condemn me.
1:39:25And at my age, with only a short time to live,
1:39:28l think it would be ridiculous to persist in remaining alive.
1:39:32D on't you think it a madness and that everyone would poke fun at me?
1:39:37And my sons, would l have to take them with me into a foreign land?
1:39:40l f you leave them here, we will bring them up.
1:39:43But don't you think it the same if l drink hemlock?
1:39:46No, Critone. l f l die, it's not the fault of the law, but only that
1:39:51of men , and if l reply to in justice with in justice,
1:39:54to bad with bad, l am certain that l would commit sacrilege
1:40:00l know that arriving in the land of the dead, l will be able to repeat my defence
1:40:04and that the laws on the other side, will welcome me tenderly.
1:40:10All the words l 'm saying to you now are coming out spontaneously,
1:40:14and l cannot speak any others. l hear them sing like the sound
1:40:19of a flute and l am like the ''conipanti'' in their delirium ,
1:40:23possessed by heavenly music.
1:40:26Speak if you have something to say.
1:40:31l 've nothing to tell you my dear S ocrates.
1:40:35Then go in peace. Our friends our waiting for you.
1:40:38As for me, let me follow the path God indicated to me.
1:41:09The eleven have come to free him from the chains
1:41:12and have told him to prepare to die.
1:41:37The ship has entered port. Santippe is already inside, go, go.
1:42:07l t hurt me and now l feel pleasure, how strange it is.
1:42:11Pleasure and pain are so close to each other
1:42:14that when a man wishes one, he must suffer the other
1:42:17and if we think that God, not being able to convince
1:42:21his enemies to make peace, bound them finally
1:42:23to one another, this means that when one of them is inside us,
1:42:27the other one accompanies him. . . . what a nice story. . . . .
1:42:32S ocrates. . .
1:42:36S ocrates.
1:42:40You're frightening the children Santippe.
1:42:43C ome on , calm down.
1:42:46C ome on Santippe, calm down.
1:42:49Go my children , go in peace.
1:43:23You've written some verses in prison S ocrates, Edenos told me.
1:43:28l don't want to compete with you.
1:43:33Tomorrow, you will have to cut them up, as a sign of grief.
1:43:38How can you be so calm S ocrates,
1:43:40knowing that the time of death is so near.
1:43:44l t's because l reason and the idea of separating myself from my body
1:43:47does not frighten me, on the contrary, it makes me happy.
1:43:49A wise man should therefore hurry the hour of his death.
1:43:52No, because he should respect the will of the Gods.
1:44:00Why are you speaking in a low voice?
1:44:02Why don't you speak aloud what's troubling you?
1:44:06Now that the misfortune is upon you S ocrates,
1:44:08we don't dare to talk to you of our worries.
1:44:14l t's difficult to convince you of this truth ,
1:44:16for me, death is not a disaster, so talk any way.
1:44:21l fear, S ocrates, that once the soul leaves the body,
1:44:26it too looses its life.
1:44:28But tell me C ebete, what gives life to the body?
1:44:33The soul.
1:44:36And this is always the case?
1:44:37C ertainly.
1:44:39The soul that gives life to the body always brings life?
1:44:42Yes.
1:44:44And does life have an opposite, or is the opposite of life nothing?
1:44:50Life does have an opposite which is death.
1:44:53The soul cannot therefore receive death ,
1:44:55and the opposite of this life of which it is the source.
1:44:59And how do you class those who escape death?
1:45:03They are classed as immortals.
1:45:05As the soul cannot receive death , it is therefore immortal ,
1:45:11and therefore it is not foolish to sustain that this soul is immortal ,
1:45:17and if it is, it should be looked after throughout all life.
1:45:22Another idea, if death were the end of everything ,
1:45:27it would be a great thing for all bad people
1:45:30because their badness would disappear with them.
1:45:34When faced with sadness, in justices and the wickedness of life,
1:45:38remember that passage of the Odyssey when Homer says that
1:45:41Ulysses, beating his chest to encourage his heart in these terms :
1:45:46''Put up with it, heart of mine, you've put up with much more revolting things''
1:45:51D on't talk too much S ocrates, you may get heated up and that could
1:45:54make the poison's action slower, making you suffer more.
1:45:57D on't take it into consideration.
1:46:01Let the executioner prepare everything necessary.
1:46:05l 'm going to wash myself now, so that Santippe and the women
1:46:09Will be spared from washing my corpse.
1:46:11And how should we bury you?
1:46:12As you like, if you succeed in catching me, and lf l don't escape you.
1:46:18D on't cry.
1:46:21Your father's not crying.
1:46:23Think of the lesson he's giving you.
1:46:26Of his courage.
1:46:30When you are men , all the people
1:46:34will have their eyes fixed on you because you are
1:46:36the sons of S ocrates, the most valorous man of Athens.
1:46:43When he walks on the streets it is not a warriors' noise that precedes him ,
1:46:51such noise comes before simulating the fear
1:46:54of those who shake laces and shields.
1:46:58His courage is still
1:47:02and you have to have the heart to recognise it.
1:47:05He never lowered himself to please anyone
1:47:10and clearly says what he thinks
1:47:14and because he does nor speak for his own good, but for the good of everyone.
1:47:19D on't cry, You are the children of a hero.
1:47:24How wise you are Santippe.
1:47:39Call Santippe and the boys,
1:47:41and you give them a good example, be serene.
1:48:23C ome, come here. l 've something to tell you.
1:49:33Oh no! You're dying un justly.
1:49:38Would you prefer me to die justly?
1:50:11Well my friend. You're the expert in poison. What must l do?
1:50:18After drinking it, walk until your legs feel heavy,
1:50:23then lie down and let the hemlock act.
1:50:36l drink to the Gods so they may protect my journey.
1:50:53But why are you crying?
1:50:56D o you not know that nature condemned
1:50:58me to death since the day l was born?
1:51:02l f we have moved Santippe away, it's only
1:51:05to avoid her cries, be strong then
1:51:55Can you feel anything?
1:51:58No.
1:51:59When the poison arrives, the body will depart.
1:52:16M en slander swans at the time of death.
1:52:20S wans do not sing of desperation , because they are happy to
1:52:24go to the Gods to serve them.
1:52:38Here we are, my legs are becoming heavy.
1:53:16Good Critone, we owe a cock to Esculapio, don't forget.

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