The Trial and Death of Socrates

What it is

This book is an 1895 English edition of Plato's Euthyphron, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo, translated by F. J. Church. These four dialogues together tell the story of Socrates' trial, imprisonment, and execution. The scanned copy is held by the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

These dialogues are central sources for understanding Socrates' life and death, as told by his student Plato. They reveal how Plato shaped the memory of his teacher and used his story to make arguments about justice, the state, and philosophy itself. This particular edition shows how Plato's work was translated and presented for English readers studying Greek literature.

Look closer

• Why do you think these four dialogues were often published together?
• What might be lost or changed when a Greek text is translated into English more than two thousand years later?
• How might Plato's closeness to Socrates affect the way he tells this story?