Who is the real Socrates: the humble man or the heroic figure - Essay Example

This humble attitude, though, seems to be merely an attempt at appeasing his accusers as a close examination of his words hints that Socrates saw himself more as the heroic figure than the humble man. Even in the earliest portions of his speech, Socrates gives hints that he considers himself above those he’s speaking to. This is indicated in his slightly sarcastic address regarding his manner of speech. He asks the jurors to forgive his coarse manner of speech, “using the same words in my defense which I have been in the habit of using, and which most of you may have heard in the agora, and at the tables of the money-changers, or anywhere else”, acting as if this were a foreign language rather than the language of a native Athenian, “I am quite a stranger to the ways of the place; and therefore I would have you regard me as if I were really a stranger, whom you would excuse if he spoke in his native tongue, and after the fashion of his country” (Plato, 1893).

Although everyone in attendance is an Athenian, Socrates indicates that he alone is capable of speaking in the “fashion of his country”, rather than those who have spoken against him. In addition, this plea for forgiveness regarding his manner of address holds another barb for those who have spoken already in that he implies his manner of speech is capable of relating the truth while the orators of the court are educated in the ways of duplicitous meanings, confusing the truth with the perspectives they wish to convey.

To use the modern idiom, the orators make free use of ‘spin’ while Socrates merely seeks to speak the truth. This idea of Socrates as a heroic figure is also heavily outlines as Socrates presents his defense, trying to paint himself as humble, yet still allowing instances to slip in which it can be seen that he feels he is somehow better than the common man. He walks the jury through his history,