Socrates on Trial
A Play Based on Aristophane’s Clouds and Plato’s Apology, Crito, and Phaedo
Adapted for Modern Performance
(University of Toronto Press, 2008)
ART 365
More than 2,400 years after his death, Socrates remains an iconic but controversial figure. To his followers, he personified progressive Greek ideals of justice and wisdom. To his detractors, he was a corruptor of the young during wartime and one of the reasons Athens had suffered a humiliating defeat to Sparta in 404 BC. Socrates’ story is one of historic proportions and his unyielding pursuit of truth remains controversial and relevant to the present day.
Socrates on Trial presents the story of Socrates as told to us by Aristophanes, Plato, Xenophon, and others. The play uses fresh language to emphasize what is important in the works of these ancient authors, while at the same time remaining faithful to the general tenor and tone of their writings. Andrew Irvine has created a script that not only fits comfortably into the space of a single theatrical performance, but is also informative and entertaining. Suited for informal dramatic readings as well as regular theatrical performances, Socrates on Trial will undoubtedly appeal to instructors and students, and its informative introduction enhances its value as a resource.
Complete with production and classroom notes, this modern recasting of the Socrates story will make riveting reading both inside and outside the classroom.
(Description Source: The University of Toronto Press)
Author
Andrew Irvine is a professor of philosophy at UBC’s Okanagan Campus. He received his PhD from the University of Sydney for work in the Department of Traditional and Modern Philosophy on mathematical truth and scientific realism. Since then he has published and lectured on topics in the philosophy of mathematics, the history and philosophy of logic, and the philosophy of law. He is especially interested in the work of the twentieth-century philosopher, essayist and social critic, Bertrand Russell. He is co-author of the logic textbook Argument and author of the stage play Socrates on Trial.
UBC Library Holdings
How to Purchase this Book
From the Publisher – The University of Toronto Press
From Used-book Sellers – ABE, Amazon, Antiqbook, Biblio, Vialibri
Paper ISBN: 9780802095381
Hardcover ISBN: 9780802097835
ePub ISBN: 9781442692541
PDF ISBN: 9781442685543
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