Plato's 4 Great Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology of Socrates, Crito, and Aristophanes - Annotated

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” What makes someone die for their beliefs? Four Texts on Socrates explores one of history’s most influential thinkers through three of Plato’s dialogues—Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito—and Aristophanes’ satirical play The Clouds.

Each work reveals a different side of Socrates. In Euthyphro, he questions the nature of piety and morality. Apology presents his bold defense at trial, where he declares his pursuit of truth worth any cost. In Crito, he refuses to escape prison, choosing to die rather than betray justice. Finally, The Clouds offers a comic, critical portrayal of Socrates as an eccentric sophist, reflecting Athenian tensions toward his radical ideas.

Together these texts paint a portrait of a man who challenged authority, questioned tradition, and inspired generations to examine their own lives. Socrates’ humility—“I know that I know nothing”—and his courage in facing death remain deeply relevant.

This collection invites readers into timeless philosophical questions: What is justice? How should we live? What is truth worth? Engaging and provocative, these works challenge us, as Socrates did, to think for ourselves.