Death Of Socrates

Death of Socrates

Presented by:Bikramjeet Singh Computer Faculty Govt High School,Makhanwindi (Amritsar)

Acknowledgement Dear students, This project is totally dedicated to the students of class 10+2 .The purpose of this project is to make the way of teaching interesting and more practically. Lot of efforts have been put into this project to make it interesting ,easier to study and understanding. I am very grateful to Harsimran singh who has helped me in this project I am grateful of all who helped me in this project.

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It was evening .The hour of sunset was approaching.Socrates was to be administered poision after sunset.He had taken bath and was sitting with his disciples.Soon the jailor came there.He told Socrates that he thought him to be the noblest and gentlest and best of all who ever came to jail.In such he never expected from him any show of anger or ill-will.He said that mostly the condemned prisoners displayed deep sorrow and used very rude language for him when they were offered poison.But he was sure that socrates was different from them.So he(socrates) would realize that jail was not to be blamed.It was his duty to administer poison to the condemned prisoners and he was just carrying out the orders of the authorities.Then he bade farewell to socrates and advised him to bear the situation bravely.The jailer was deeply upset and grieved at heart as the end of socrates life was drawing near.He could not control his emotions and bursting into tears left the place.

After his departure,Socrates turned to his disciples and told them that the jailer had been coming to see him regularly and that he had been very kind to him during his stay in the jail.So he told to his disciple Crito,that they must do as he says,and hence the cup of poison be brought . Crito wanted to prolong the hour of his master’s death.He wanted to spend sometime more with him.So he asked socrates not to hurry as the sun had not yet set.He told his master that he knew that many men,who,in order to enjoy the company of their near and dear ones,had taken the poison even after the announcement had been made.Socrates told Crito that he was not going to follow the example of others because he did not think that he would gain anything by drinking the poison Little later.He did not want to cling to that which no longer belonged to him.Moreover,death for him was only a journey to new life.He thought that he would fall in his own eyes by delaying the hour of his death.

Crito signalled the servant who was standing nearby.The servant went out and after sometime returned with the jailer carrying the cup of poison.Socrates asked the jailer to direct him how to proceed.The jailer told him that after drinking the poison he should walk about until his legs were heavy and then he should lie down to let the poison act.Saying so,the jailer handed the cup of poison to Socrates who took the cup modestly and without any trace of fear.He did not look perturbed from the thought of death .Then he asked the jailer if he could make a libation out of that cup.He was told that they prepared only that much poison as was deemed to sufficient.Then he took the cup to his lips and cheerfully drank the poison. When his disciples saw him drinking the poison, they could not restrain themselves they were so grieved that even when they tried hard to check their tears,they failed to do so .Crito was feeling very miserable. He found himself equally helpless to control his tears.Appolodorus who had been weeping all the time,broke out in a loud and passionate cry. At this all lost control of themselves.Socrates alone retained his calmness.He admonished them for their strange behaviour.He told them that he had sent away the women because he knew that they being more emotional and sentimental would be weeping and crying.But he never expected this king of behaviour from others.So he advised them to have patience.on hearing his words they were ashamed of their coward behaviour and exercised control over themselves.

As per the directions given to him by the jailer,Socrates continued walking until his legs been to fail,and then he lay on his back.He was growing cold and stiff.His foot was pressed hard then he was asked if he could feel.He replied in the negative .The jailer said when the poison reach to the heart,that would be the end. Before leaving for the other world,Socrates spoke for the last time.He said to Crito that he owed a cock to asclepius and asked him if he would remember to pay the debt crito promised to pay the debt and asked his master if there was anything else to be done.There was no answer to this question.In a minute or two he was dead.Crito closed his eyes and mouth. Thus the wisest and justest and best man of his time met his end in a very quite and peaceful way.