Isabel Smale Y11 (London)
Every Latin student knows at least five ways of saying ‘kill’, but not necessarily how to say hello. Was death such a significant part of the ancients' everyday lives or does the Cambridge Latin Course just like to be a bit dramatic? If it really is such a big topic, then how did they feel about it. Of course, they believed in the underworld and the afterlife (looking forward to seeing Cerberus when I die, he better be fluffy and cute- I don’t believe he was that vicious, three heads is adorable) but often death was not by choice or at a timely point in their lives (RIP Caecilius!) or at least almost all the characters we know, either by political sanction, or disaster, or in glorified battle.
For some of the major Greek philosophers, it was a little more complicated than that. Σωκρᾰ́της Socrates was condemned to death in 399 BCE for both what he was teaching young Athenians and for ἀσέβεια (asebeia): impiety and disrespect; not believing the gods of the state and mockery of the divine.
It could be that rather than his death being charged for a consequential crime, he became a political scapegoat for Athens’ misfortune at the time due to falling support of the democratic government during the Peloponnesian war. Plato calls Socrates a "gadfly", as a gadfly stings a horse and it responds, Socrates would challenge and critique the politicians and scholars of Athens into action. Of course, they found this quite irritating- no one likes looking stupid in the glare of Socrates’ criticism, so some prominent Athenians turned against him and made accusations.
Rather ironically, according to Plato’s apology, when Socrates was asked what he would suggest for his own punishment he responded asking for a salary from the government and free dinners for the rest of his life for his wisdom and service to Athens.
Socrates went to his sentence of drinking poison hemlock calmly and did not flee his execution. Both Plato and Xenophon believe that he had the opportunity to flee, as his friends and followers were keen to help him escape, however he chose not to. Phaedo claims that among his last statements, he said that all philosophy is training for death, which follows congruously with his approach to death, therefore one of the suggested reasons he didn’t flee was to show that he did not fear death, which he believed no true philosopher would.
Socrates’ last words were:
“ὦ Κρίτων, ἔφη, τῷ Ἀσκληπιῷ ὀφείλομεν ἀλεκτρυόνα· ἀλλὰ ἀπόδοτε καὶ μὴ ἀμελήσητε·”
“ô Krítōn, éphē, tôi Asklēpiôi opheílomen alektruóna; allà apódote kaì mḕ amelḗsēte.”
“Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius, make this offering to him and do not forget.”
Asclepius is a son of Apollo; a hero and god of medicine. Which is ironic, in his circumstances- Thanks for curing me Asclepius! This mortality bug was killing me."
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