Voltaire

Socrates (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Socrates is a 1759 French play in three acts written by Voltaire. It is set in Ancient Greece during the events just before the trial and death of Greek philosopher Socrates. It is heavy with satire specifically at government authority and organized religion. The main characters besides the titular role is that of the priest Anitus, his entourage, Socrates' wife Xantippe, several judges, and some children Socrates has adopted as his own. Like more historical accounts by Herodotus, Plato, and Xenophon, the playwright shows Socrates as a moral individual charged with baseless accusations by a conspiracy of corrupt Athenians or Athenian officials although Voltaire implies that the wrongdoers are a select few. Unlike the historical account, Socrates deals with several judges, whereas his real life counterpart receives his punishment of death by hemlock by a jury of 500 Athenians. The presence or mention of Socrates' best-known students such as Plato, Antisthenes, Zeno of Citium, and others are replaced by unnamed disciples, delivering only a few token lines at the end of the play. Socrates is also portrayed as a monotheist and a victim of religious persecution, an interpretation that is not generally shared by modern scholars and historians. Generally, this is not the most well-known of his works in comparison with Letters on the English which Voltaire published in 1778 or the Dictionnaire philosophique published earlier in 1764. However, hints of his contempt for government and religion are apparent here which later influenced the leaders of the American Revolution and the French Revolution.

---

Dieser Download kann aus rechtlichen Gründen nur mit Rechnungsadresse in A, B, BG, CY, CZ, D, DK, EW, E, FIN, F, GR, H, IRL, I, LT, L, LR, M, NL, PL, P, R, S, SLO, SK ausgeliefert werden.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Sheba Blake Publishing
• Seitenzahl: 26
• Altersempfehlung: ab 13 Jahre
• Erscheinungstermin: 28. April 2017
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9783961895632
• Artikelnr.: 48077961

Autorenporträt

Voltaire, born François-Marie Arouet in 1694, was a French writer and philosopher celebrated for his wit and advocacy of civil liberties. His sharp criticism of the Catholic Church and French institutions often led to clashes with authorities, resulting in his imprisonment and exile. Despite this, he continued to publish works that challenged the status quo, cementing his role as a leading figure in the Enlightenment.In his lifetime, Voltaire wrote across genres, producing plays, essays, novels, and historical works that expressed his views on freedom, religion, and government. His time in England deeply influenced his philosophy, introducing him to constitutional monarchy, which contrasted sharply with French absolutism. Through works like Candide, he employed satire to question optimism and criticized political and religious oppression.Voltaire's influence extended beyond his life, shaping modern thought on justice, reason, and individual rights. He lived his final years at his estate in Ferney, which became a hub for intellectuals across Europe. Today, he is remembered as a champion of freedom and reason, whose legacy endures in the realms of literature and philosophy.