‘’If you think that by killing men you can prevent someone from censuring your evil lives, you are mistaken; that is not a way of escape which is either possible or honorable; the easiest and the noblest way is not to be disabling others, but to be improving yourselves. This is the prophecy which I utter before my departure to the judges who have condemned me’’. Socrates

For most of his long life, Socrates was able to function as a critic, questioning Athenian values and annoying important and powerful people in the process. He acquired a mixed reputation, being viewed on one hand as a harmles eccentric and on the other as a dangerous social critic and ‘’free thinker’’. Socrates’ philosophical method consisted of raising question after question, and many Athenians found this attitude undemocratic, disrespectful and threatening, they preferred conventional beliefs.

Finally, resentment, distrust and hostility against Socrates grew to such proportions that he was brought to trial for ‘’Not worshiping the Gods of the State”, and ‘’Corrupting the young’’. These were potencially capital offenses, and they demanded death. At that time it was customary for individuals charged with such crimes to submit to voluntary exile, but Socrates didn’t choose this option. Athenian trials consisted of two parts. First, the jury determined whether or not the acussed was guilty as charged. If guilty, the second stage of the trail determined the most appropiate punishment.

Socrate’s jury consisted of 501 members, Socrates defended himself and was judged guilty, at that time, there was a way to escape from death, that was public humilliation, defendants were expected to tear at their clothes, roll on the ground and throw dirt on themselves while crying and wailing, they would usually have their wives and children and friends cry and plead for their lives, an important function of the trail involved making peace with those who were offended. Instead of following custom, Socrates pointed out that it would be undignified at his age to grovel for a little more life, he refused to allow his family and friends to crawl either. To make things even worse, he reminded the jury that many of them believed he was not guilty and had been falsely convicted.

Socrates could not be executed on the day of the trail, as was customary because the trail had lasted longer than usual, extending into late afternoon, the beginning of a holy period. He was put in prison to await the end of the holy period, which was about a month. While there he continued to pursue his philosophical questions. He was offered the opportunity to escape, the officials going so far as to make it clear they would not stop him, he refused, and finally the holy period ended and word came that Socrates must die before sundown.

A number of friends visited him in prison on the last day of his life, he discussed the nature of the soul and told a mythical story about the soul’s inmortality, he went to bathe while his friends talked about what he had said, Plato reported that his friends felt as if they were losing a father and would be orphans for the rest of their lives. His wife and children were brought in to say goodbye, when they leave, the jailer came in saying that it was time. Many condemned men resisted drinking the poison until late into the evening, getting drunk and putting off the inevitable for as long as they could, but Socrates asked that the poison be prepared and brought to him.

He drank from the cup, and some of his friends cried loudly, for he said, What is this strange outcry? I send the women away because they might behave in this way, for I have been told that a man should die in peace, be quiet then and have patience. When they heard his words, they were ashamed and refrained their tears, and he walked about until his legs began to fail and then he lay on his back, and said: ‘’When the poison reaches my heart, that would be the end’’. ‘’Such was the end of our friend; conserning whom I may truly say, that of all the men of his time whom I have known, he was the wisest and justest and best.’’ Plato