Socrates Urging Friends to Restrain Their Grief

What it is

This engraving shows a bearded man seated on a low bed in a stone prison, raising one arm while another man holds out a cup. Around him, grieving friends sit, stand, and embrace, with chains lying on the floor. It was made in 1790 after a design by Jean-François Pierre Peyron and is held by the Wellcome Collection.

Why it matters

The scene illustrates the famous account of Socrates' death from Plato's writings, in which Socrates drinks poison after being sentenced by Athens and comforts his students instead of fearing death himself. This later print shows how the story continued to inspire artists centuries afterward, as a model of calm courage in the face of death.

Look closer

• What does Socrates' raised arm suggest he might be saying to his friends?
• Why do you think the artist chose to show the friends' grief so clearly?
• What does this image leave out that a written account might include?