The Death of Socrates is a piece by Jacques Lois David in 1787. The painting depicts the last moments of Socrates life. He was killed by the Athenian government due to his way of teaching. The government thought his methods of teaching was causing his students to think more skeptically. He willingly accepted his death and is now remembered as a genius to philosophy. The Painting of the Death of Socrates shows him on his death bed (literally), he is in the act of willingly drinking hemlock (a poison). He stated, “ The unexamined life is not worth living.” He chose death over going into exile, which would cause him to give up all his philosophic work. In the painting Plato and Crito are surrounding him while in his last moments. I think this image is very powerful, being that they are some of the most highly thought of philosophers in history, and for them to all share that moment together makes the energy in the picture so stronger. The painting now resides at the Princeton University Art Museum.
I think Socrates sacrifice of giving his life for an abstract lesson was a huge movement for the middle class. It showed people how self-control and dignity must be respected. This could have given the middle class people a better feeling about what their roles were in society, and could have sprouted the ideas that their opinions should be valued and their actions should not be smothered by the high class in society. Socrates showed the middle class that they could stand for what they believe in. His morals and drive have made a huge impact on most people who know his story, I think this is exactly how he wanted everyone to remember him by.
References:
www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/socrates.htm
