The Death of Socrates

This painting depicts the last moments of Socrates life. Socrates was given the options of going into exile and therefore ending his philosophical career, or to death by hemlock. Socrates decided to go with the death option and was condemned to death for corrupting the youth and expressing ideas that were contradictory to those of Athens at the time. In the 1780’s, when this painting was painted, Jacques-Luis David was only painting historical paintings. He was so fascinated with how strong and calm Socrates was with his teachings. So he painted him with those same characteristics.

In the Death of Socrates, I see Socrates portrayed as half naked with nine people surrounding him. Each of the nine followers of Socrates contains a different facial expression, all of which is showing sadness and restraint from balling out in tears. One of them on the left in the orange is touching Socrates and looks as if he is saying to him that he does not need to do this and that there is another way. Socrates himself is holding up one finger towards the heavens saying that he must go through with it and looks very determined to drink the hemlock and does not look at all scared of death. Socrates was a noble man and even though he could have run away, he said because he says that it is against the social contract you make with a state to leave once convicted in that state. That action shows us how loyal he was to the state, one accomplishment that his words cannot.