The details that contribute to a picture of the personality of Socrates are scattered in the writings of his pupils (chiefly Plato and Xenophon) and of the historians or other writers. By means of these pieces of information we can see him teaching truth and virtue, not only by his words but also in his life. His life, especially its ending, displays such drama and such a tragic conclusion that I consider it worthwhile to transfer it from the stage of history to the stage of the theatre, in order to assist those readers or ...
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The details that contribute to a picture of the personality of Socrates are scattered in the writings of his pupils (chiefly Plato and Xenophon) and of the historians or other writers. By means of these pieces of information we can see him teaching truth and virtue, not only by his words but also in his life. His life, especially its ending, displays such drama and such a tragic conclusion that I consider it worthwhile to transfer it from the stage of history to the stage of the theatre, in order to assist those readers or spectators who wish to know more but have not the time or the opportunity to search through the complex bibliographical maze to find the relevant details and become acquainted with Socrates. It was with this in mind that I ventured to write this play in four acts. After studying the relevant literature, I found the greater part of the setting of this play almost ready-made in Plato's Dialogues "Euthyphron", "Defence of Socrates", "Kriton" and "Phaidon". I extracted the most important parts from these dialogues, translated them freely into colloquial speech, and supplemented them with details from sources other than Plato. I modified their setting and context, wherever necessary, to suit them to the demands of a theatrical performance, and adapted them accordingly.The setting of the first act is entirely the work of my own imagination. I thought it probable that the closest friend of the famous Xanthippe, Socrates' wife, would have been the wife of Apollodoros who, according to the Platonic dialogues, especially the "Symposium", but also the "Memoirs of Xenophon", was such a close friend of Socrates that he never left his side. So I gave his wife the name of Thaleia and created a discussion between her and Xanthippe on the subject of Socrates. I put into their mouths details about the personality and philosophy of Socrates which come from ancient texts, in such a way as to make emerge the character and "philosophy" of Xanthippe who, according to Xenophon, was "the most difficult of women".
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