The Differences Between How Socrates is Depicted in The Apology and Socrates and The Clouds
In The Apology , Socrates is depicted as defending himself before his accusers in a court of law in Athens. He is almost seen as a martyr to his philosophy since he was being accused primarily on the spiritual grounds of being a non-believer in the gods of Athens. He is noble and steadfast in his stance of truth in The Apology; he does not bother proving his innocence to the accusers since, according to his understanding, he never forced the younger generation to follow his ideas. Otherwise, those who are older and probably his agemates could have been the first to throw stones at him due to their realization of being misguided by his teachings while young. Despite given the opportunity to choose another form of penalty by the judges, he defers the option and goes for the worst as a sign of martyrdom for what he believed was right and good for the people.
In contrast, the characters seen in Socrates in The Apology are almost directly inverse to the ones depicted in Socrates and the Clouds. At first, his personality is calm and full of intellectual ambiance. His mastery in explaining theories suggests a person of passion and wisdom in what he tries to deliver to people. However, the characters pick another turn when he becomes exhausted from teaching the impossible Stepsiades that he shifts from a cool, calm, and collected individual to an irritated bully. Socrates' eloquence also comes to a threat in this book. Luckily, he manages to pull up in the process and come back to his senses. Socrates and the Clouds tend to depict the weaknesses of Socrates as an individual for learners to understand his imperfections despite being a philosopher.
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Understanding of Socrates before Readings
I used to know that Socrates was a philosopher and nearly a perfect man who has amassed a lot of knowledge in the world. He was a genius, in my opinion. I never thought he was more of a human being before I came of age and started encountering some of his works. Interestingly, I have been wrong and a bit right at the same time. My belief was entirely based on his perfections without realizing that he is also a human being with his weaknesses and strengths. Luckily, I managed to read Plato's work, Socrates in Socrates and the Clouds. From that point, everything changed for the better. My understanding was expanded, and I could make vivid arguments concerning the two sides of Socrates.
The fact that he loses his temper and becomes irritated to nagging and people who fear reasoning and understanding stands out! The epic signs of human weakness and response to situations. He becomes a perfect example of how the response to emotional stimuli does not choose the person to put on the map. Even though people were funny all through the session, and he accepted to fathom their behavior, the depiction of patience at first was epical and mastery. As a teenager, that was who I thought he was all my life. When the situation takes a turn, I am glad that the laws of satire in Socrates and Socrates and the Clouds have presented Socrates with the most extravagant and most absurd character in presenting new education to offer a podium of better understanding of his traits as an individual. Finally, the greatness that comes with a better understanding of both sides of the coin is immeasurable, especially when all the thoughts are done under the influence of innocence and inadequate knowledge. Thus, this depiction never matched my ideas before going through the reading.
