There are several dialogues that provide different perspectives of the ancient trial of the philosopher Socrates, which offer alternative written interpretations of his defense and final days which resulted in his unexpected execution. Some of this literature can be argued to define this untimely death as a tragedy. Using these dialogues and secondary sources such as John M. Cooper’s edition of the Trail and Death of Socrates, Robert J. Bonner’s paper on the legal settings of the Apology, and Robert S. Brumbaugh’s philosophical understanding of Socrates trial, this paper will assess to what extent, if any, is Plato’s “Apology” or Socrates’ death tragic. Although some might argue that Socrates was wise and an established war hero, his death should not be considered tragic. Socrates entertained the idea of his death with humor, stayed true to his beliefs by challenging his opposition, and chose to stand trial versus fleeing or lighter sentence which ultimately led to his demise. …show more content…
Towards the end of his life after sentencing, he acted jokingly around those close to him. In the account of Phaedo, there are several examples of this including taking the poison cheerfully, joking about being buried, and owing an offering of a bird to a mythological God. How can someone who takes his own death so lightly, have it be described as a tragedy when the victim himself doesn’t seem to be suffering in any way imaginable. His humor in death helps defend the idea that his death is not a tragedy, and more so of an irony. This same type of humor was seen in the challenging of his opponents in the