Shakespeare Productions Online

This is a public service, with educational intention. Some would be available from libraries, even if it's interlibrary loan. No doubt streaming services can be useful -- and/but anything you want to keep, purchase. 

I've linked mostly to professional productions. A few are pretty awful (!), and some are (sometimes surprisingly) excellent.  Worth noting are the '65 LLL and the Chamberlain Hamlet; Stewart's Macbeth is close to flawless (aside from the sisters); the Jayston Macbeth has impressively intelligent performances (likewise, aside from the sisters). A few amateur efforts are included for the POV, when too few professional productions are available -- the disqualifications are bad sound and/or a distant static camera. Just for the history of it, I’ve included non-snippet silent films. There's more available, but I'll add as I please.

Links go dead, so there's that: Kozintsev's dubbed Hamlet, for example, and Maximilian Schell's from German TV -- although it's available after a manner of speaking. There are some sporadically hard-to-find works here. Sadly, the deep and vasty wood of the web is no safe place, and viruses lurk. If you find a dead link, or a toxic one, pls let me know (since 2016 exactly NOBODY has done this).  Be that as it may, in your idle or intentful hours, here's a place to invest your time.

COMEDY / ROMANCE
Two Gentlemen of Verona BBC RSC (VK).   One  Two sub  Film 2019 TxSF Hofstra LLCC (static camera) Yihjanmae  YT A Spray of Plum Blossoms 1931 Chinese	Audio Marlowe Soc. 1  2  3  4  5 OSF Ark (VK) Argo (VK)
______________________ Taming of the Shrew BBC   Burton  or VK Fairbanks ACT (VK) Dews SVS Stratford  2016 Studio One Globe One Two (VK)   RSC  Woke ONE. TWO UAA (vk) Animated or VK LATV Kiss Me, Kate (VK) Stage   Film	______________________ Audio Howard 1  2  3  4  5 OSF Ark (VK) Argo (VK) BBC ( 1988 VK) Columbia CBS (click #137) Barrymore GP LS O’Toole
______________________ Comedy of Errors BBC or VK FKB  One   Two SATP SP RSC 78 (VK) NT 2012   One  Two Globe 2012  One. Two LATV RSC Strat Fest 89 Angoor 84 Hindi	______________________ Audio Caedmon OSF Ark (VK) LS Neville Argo (VK)
______________________ Love's Labour's Lost BBC BBC 1965 BBC PotM Brett 1975 Branagh 2000 WSU  1  2  3 BYU Globe (VK)  ok RSC  One  Two Stratford Fest  2017 LATV Opera	______________________ Audio Arkangel or VK Marlowe Soc. 1-3  3-5 OSF GP Argo (VK) LS Finch
______________________ Midsummer Night's Dream BBC or VK Hall rsc 96 Rooney  or VK Kline (VK) Globe 2013 Globe 2016 BBC   or VK Animated or VK Taymor 14 2018 NTLive. 2019 ONE.  TWO Noble 1996 (VK) Papp 1982   ONE  TWO TxSF LATV Benny Hill 1964.  HERE    HERE Trnka 1959 subtitles Kemp 85 Opera  Silent 1909	______________________ Audio BBC on 3 or YT 3 or VK Ark (VK) Naxos (VK) Scofield  One &  Two McKellen 2013 Argo  (VK) OTR OTR CRD LS Holloway OSF
______________________ Merchant of Venice BBC or VK Pacino Olivier ABC 96 RSC 2015 (VK) Globe  One. Two Nunn 2001 (VK) OR YT Welles (fragment) Tchaikowsky opera Silent 1911	______________________ Audio Caedmon  One   Two Marlowe Soc. 1  2  3  4  5 Redgrave OSF Ark (VK) BBC (2000 VK) Welles LS Ashcroft
______________________ Merry Wives of Windsor BBC Globe  2012  (VK) Globe 2019 St. Louis One  Two (static camera) RSC. 2018 One  Two LATV TxSF 2012 FH Opera Opera	______________________ Audio OSF Ark (VK) GP
______________________ Much Ado about Nothing BBC or VK Tennant Branagh or VK Globe 2012  or VK  2012 (!) RSC UVU TSF One Two TxSF Rice PSC Park Strat Fest Opera	______________________ Audio Caedmon Gielgud Russell OSF Ark (VK) BBC 2001 Tennant (VK) Columbia GP LS
______________________ As You Like It BBC  Olivier Branagh Globe or VK 2015 Animated or VK LATV RSC 2019 NT 2016 Stewart 2019 gay Strat Fest CBC 83	______________________ Audio Redgrave  1-3   3-5 Marlowe Soc. 1  2  3  4  5 Caedmon ( 1963 VK) Olivier One  Two OSF Ark (VK BBC (2015 VK) NT 1968 One  Two Columbia LS Neville
______________________ Twelfth Night BBC   Branagh 1988 1986 Guiness 1969 Fraser (excerpts) Nunn-Kingsley  1996 (VK) RSC 2018. One. Two Globe  2012  One. Two.   Globe 2021 One Two NTlive 2017  One Two Strat 2011 2003 (VK) Linc Cent 1998 TxSF 2015 Animated or VK Soviet 1955 (VK – Eng sub) Silent 1910	______________________ Audio Welles 1973 Tennant Godfrey 1-2  3-5 BBC OSF Ark (VK) BBC 1998 (VK) BBC 1999 (VK) On 3 (VK) Scofield  1  2  3  4  5 Columbia Barrymore LS Smith
______________________ Troilus and Cressida BBC RSC 2019  ONE   TWO SAI One Two (static camera) Arden Globe 2009 The Face of Love 1954	______________________ Audio Arkangel  or Ark (VK) Marlowe Soc. One Two OSF BBC (VK) Brett (VK) LS BBC 2005 (VK)
______________________ Measure for Measure BBC 1979  "1990" CalArts ACT One Two BBC 1995 (VK) 2007 (VK) RSC. 2019 ONE. TWO Globe ONE Two LATV TxSF	______________________ Audio Richardson OSF Ark (VK) Argo (VK) BBC 2004 (VK) Marlowe Soc. 1  2  3  4 5 LS Portman
______________________ All's Well That Ends Well BBC   Globe ONE TWO  One Two (VK) LATV	______________________ Audio OSF Ark (VK) BBC(VK)  YT LS Redgrave
______________________ Pericles BBC Strat Fest 2015 L Sch One Two	______________________ Audio Scofield  Here   1-3  4-5 Ark (VK) LA TW (VK) OSF
______________________ Winter's Tale BBC KBTC 2015 OK  VK   One Two.  Bentley Animated or VK RSC Sher 1998   YT   or  VK RSC  2021.  ONE.  TWO Globe. 18  One Two LATV Silent 1910	______________________ Audio Caed 1961 Gielgud BBC 1998 or VK McKellen OSF Ark  (VK) LS Portman Argo  VK
______________________ Cymbeline BBC Harris.  OK WSC WSU RSC. ONE TWO LATV Silent 1913	______________________ Audio Karloff  1-2  3-5 OSF Ark (VK) BBC 3  (VK)
______________________ Tempest BBC Mirren Burton Evans 1960 Strat 1982 Plummer stratford 2010 One    Two Strat 2019 sub   VK RSC 2017 Globe  2014 LATV Prospero’s Books -                             1 2 3 or VK Jarman 1979 (!) or VK BLC Animated or VK Purcell Ballet Dryden Silent 1908	______________________ Audio BBC Guilgud Redgrave 1-2  3-5 Arkangel Marlowe Soc. 1  2  3  4  5 OSF GP BBC 1974 (VK) BBC 2001 (VK) On 3 (VK) Argo (VK) CBC  (VK) LS Wolfit
===================== HISTORY
King John BBC   Stratford RSC 2021 WSC (static camera) globe Silent 1899	Audio OSF Ark (VK) BBC 1984 (VK) Argo VC
____________________________________________ “AN AGE OF KINGS” – 1960 BBC series .  Richard II  /  Henry IV1,2   /   Henry V  /      Henry VI1,2,3          / Richard III .          1 2    /     3 4 - 5 6     /        7 8      /   9 10 - 11- 12 13   /   14 15   (VK) Here  (OK)                                                                              The Hollow Crown 2012 Richard II  - Henry IV ONE - TWO A  B  -  Henry V   .
______________________ Richard II BBC or VK ESC   Tennant RSC or 1 2 3 (VK) 2013 Shaw HC     BSS NTL 2019 One. Two  Globe Bard 1982. One  Two	______________________ Audio OSF Ark (VK) HC (VK) BBC 1979 (VK) 2014 (VK) Gielgud Marlowe Soc. OTR LS Redgrave
______________________________________________ Falstaff” Chimes at Midnight    OK or VK – Welles At the Bear’s Head opera Opera
______________________ Henry IV, Part I BBC or VK ESC   or VK HC      or  VK Firth 1a 1b 2a 2b 3 4 5 Globe One  Two (VK) RSC  One  Two (VK) The King 2019 H4 2020	______________________ Audio McKern OSF BBC 1973 (VK) BBC 1980 (VK) BBC 1999 (VK) Ark (VK) HC  (VK) Marlowe Soc. 1  2  3  4  5 Columbia LS Connery Argo (VK)
______________________ Henry IV, Part II BBC or VK ESC HC     or  VK Globe One  Two (VK) RSC One Two (VK) The King 2019  H4 2020	______________________ Audio Caedmon  1-2  3-5 OSF Ark (VK) BBC 1973  YT  or VK BBC 1980 (VK) BBC 1999 (VK) LS Wolfit McKern Argo (VK)
______________________ Henry V BBC ESC Olivier or YT Branagh    or VK HC   or  VK Globe RSC  One  Two (VK) LATV The King 2019 Babakitis 2010	______________________ Audio 1977 McKellen OSF Ark (VK) BBC 1981 (VK) OTR LS Burton
_____________________________________________ Henry VI (1,2,3)  & Richard III WARS OF THE ROSES - 1965 BBC series HC: The Wars of the Roses 2016              Henry VI  ONE - TWO - Richard III
______________________ Henry VI, Part I BBC   (VK) ESC 2008 HC   or  VK  VK or YT RSC   reading	______________________ Audio OSF Ark (VK) BBC 1982 (VK)
______________________ Henry VI, Part II BBC ESC HC    or VK	______________________ Audio OSF Ark (VK) BBC 1982 (VK)
______________________ Henry VI, Part III BBC HC     or VK or YT	______________________ Audio OSF Ark (VK) BBC 1982 (VK)
______________________ Richard III BBC or VK ESC McKellen  or  YT Olivier or VK HC    or  VK 2014 BJU Hofstra. YT Almeida One Two (VK) Looking for Richard (adaptation) Animated or VK or YT Spacey, Globe Silent 1911	______________________ Audio Olivier Olivier HR OSF Ark (VK) BBC 1982 (VK) BBC 2013 (VK) Barrymore (click #284) Barrymore LS Finch RMT (paraphrase)
______________________ Henry VIII BBC Globe  One  Two (VK)	______________________ Audio OSF Ark (VK)
===================== TRAGEDY
Titus Andronicus BBC Hopkins  2006 Seoul RSC.   ONE    TWO Globe (VK) LATV	Audio Caedmon 1-4 OSF Ark (VK)
______________________ Romeo and Juliet BBC Zeffirelli or VK Howard 1936 DiCaprio   Bloom     or YT 1975 One  Two 1982 1988 (VK) SFVP 2001 Carlei 2013? 2014  or  VK KBTC  OK    One Two (VK) Globe 2010 One Two RSC 2018 One Two NT 2021 Strat 2017 Globe 2019 Harvey   OK sub 1954 TxSF Studio One Animated Hofstra Stratford 1993 Globe 2000 Port Ballet:  Prokofiev.   Bolshoi 89 Tchaikovsky 2013 Soviet 1955 ballet Opera Silent 1911 1920 comedy	______________________ Audio 2012 BBC Finney 1  2  3  4  5 Marlowe Soc.  1  2  3  4  5 Caedmon (1961 VK) OSF RSC Bran (VK) Ark (VK) BBC 3 (VK) On 3  (VK) BBC 2001 Bran (VK) BBC 2003 (VK) LA TW (VK) Naxos (VK) Aud (VK) Aud (VK) 1993 (VK) GP Bandel OTR ASA CRD LS Michell RMT (paraphrase)
______________________ Julius Caesar BBC. OK Brando Heston.  OK 1950 Robards (VK) 1970 Stephens 2009 RSC 2012 (VK) RSC 2017. ONE.  TWO Globe One Two (VK) Studio One Cinema 5 Animated or VK NT 2018 Merlo 1965 Span Opera Silent cc Music  1914	______________________ Audio Welles Caedmon 1966 Richardson 1-2  3-5 Marlowe Soc. 1-2   3  4  5 MDS  1  2  3  4  5 Brando OSF Ark (VK) LA TW (VK) BBC 1980 (VK) Audio (VK) NT 1964 Argo 1972 Rylands Audio Columbia GP OTR OTR LS Finch RMT (paraphrase)
______________________ Hamlet BBC. 1980 OK Olivier 1948 sub  or YT or VK Kozintsev1964.  YT  One Two (sub)  1 2 (dub) Plummer 1964  OK Burton  1964. or here or here Williamson1969 (VK).    OK Chamberlain 1970 Crisp or  VK  (!) Gibson 1990   OK  Kline  1990 YT  or OK One Two Branagh  1996 Hawke  2000 Hallmark 2000 One  Two Brook    OK   2002 Tennant   RSC 2009 NTL Kinnear 2010.   One Two NTL Cumberbatch 2015 HERE  or VK Peake (!) RET 2015 One.  Two RSC Stratford 2016   OK Strat Fest HERE - ONE Two  Globe 2015 Globe 2018 woke Almeida 2018 Fodor RedSC 1  2  3  4 LATV Hofstra 2011 BJU BLC Mundell 2003  Bristol Old Vic 2022 GSC Ramsay 2011 Animated Evans  Hallmark 1953 Schell 1961  Rylance  Law   MST3K Gassman 1955 Italian Haider  2013 Hindi Chinese 1990 Rock Opera (VK) Opera Dean Glyndebourne   VK sub The Bad Sleep Well Kurosawa OK In the Bleak Midwinter (VK) Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (VK) Johnny Hamlet (VK) Prince of Jutland.   Here 1913 Silent Nielson 1921	______________________ Audio Welles One Two Olivier Burton Scoffield or 1-2 3-5 Gielgud Branagh Audio OSF Ark (VK) Argo (VK) Naxos (VK) Oregon (VK) BBC 1971 (VK) BBC 1999 (VK) BBC 2014 (VK) OTR LS Redgrave LATW RMT (paraphrase)  Bristol
______________________ Othello BBC Hopkins Welles  1951 Olivier 1965  Marshall 81. YT McKellen (VK)  Nunn 1990  OK Fishburne 1995 or  VK Bentley Nat Th   One Two (VK) RSC 2015 Strat ONE  TWO Strat  LATV Globe One Two (VK).  2007 OK Soviet 1955 (VK – Eng  sub) Animated or VK Richardson adaptation Eccleston 2001  All night long 1962 A Double Life 1947. OK Gassman 1956 Italian  Omkara Hindi 2006 1922 Opera Verdi Zeffirelli (subtitles HERE) 1973  Met 2012 Act IV Rossini	______________________ Audio Arkangel McGregor OSF BBC (2004 VK) Ark (VK) Donmar (VK) Hiddleston Robeson Widmark GP LS Gielgud RMT (paraphrase)
______________________ King Lear BBC OR VK Welles 1953 Kozintsev  (dubbed) Scofield  1971 Jones  1974  YT.  or  YT or  VK Hordern BBC PotM 1975 Olivier 1983   Holm 1998 (VK) RSC RSC Sher 2016 McKellen   2008 McKellen    OK   2018 Strat Fest sub 2015 Here Blessed  (VK) Feore Almeida Pryce 2012 Hopkins 2018 Magee (VK) Sh Lives 2016 RET Whare (VK)  Globe 2017. One  Two BJU Marshall Godard (‘adaptation’) or VK My Kingdom Ran subtitle Verdi opera Silent 1910 Silent 1916	______________________ Audio Gielgud Scofield 1-2  2-5 Scales OSF Ark  One Two (VK) BBC 1983 (VK) BBC 1988 (VK) BBC 4 2016 (VK) Argo  (VK) Welles LS Wolfit Columbia
______________________ Timon of Athens BBC Stratford   One   Two.    VK RSC 2019 St. Louis  One  Two (static camera)	______________________ Audio Jacobi OSF Ark (VK)
______________________ Macbeth BBC or  VK   Stewart. 2010  OK McKellen 1979 Welles. 1948 Evans  1954 Evans  1960 SConnery  1961 Polanski  1971 Fassbender  2015. or VK 1 2 3 JConnery 1997 Pertwee 1998 Sher RSC 2001   Bentley Folger/Teller 2009 One. Two Liverpool 2011 Branagh NT 2013 RSC Eccleston 2018. One  Two NT 2018 Kinnear   ONE   TWO Monkman 2017  Strat Fest 2017 Strat Globe 2014 One Two    One Two Globe 2020 Almeida 2021 Washington 2021. . VK BJU LATV Jayston.    YT Brett (!) Falkenstein 2006  2011 MJC Hofstra BJU PBS graphic zoom 2021 Estate (VK) Throne of Blood (adaptation)  subtitle Animated or VK Berlin Maqbool 2003 Hindi Sangrador 2001 Tarr (subtitles) Verdi:  Sub  Ferro  Opera  Met  Milan 2021	______________________ Audio Welles Arkangel  or  VK Scofield Guiness One  Two Caedmon 1960 Marlow Soc. 1  2  3  4  5 OSF BBC Williamson (VK) BBC 2000 (VK) OTR OTR BP GP Barrymore LS Redgrave Audio 1 2 3 4  5 RMT (paraphrase)
______________________ Antony and Cleopatra BBC Spread of the Eagle 1963 1  2  3 Heston    Nunn/Scoffield   or   VK Dalton (!) NTL Stratford      OK RSC 2017 . One Two  Globe  One Two  One Two(VK) Barber (opera)  One  Two	______________________ Audio BBC OSF Ark (VK) BBC 3 (Bran VK) Scales 1  2  3  4   5 LS Finch Pendant 1  2  3a  3b  4  5 1978  One  Two RMT (paraphrase)
______________________ Coriolanus BBC Fiennes 2011 Hiddleston NTl 2014 Donmar VK    NTL 2020 Stratford 2019 RSC 17 Globe WSU 1  2  3 Burkoff One  Two Studio One 1951 St. Louis One Two (static camera)	______________________ Audio Burton  1-2  3-5 Marlowe Soc. 1  2  3  4  5 OSF Ark (VK) Argo (VK) BBC (VK) LS Stride
========== Two Noble Kinsmen Globe St. Louis One  Two (static camera) VUW	========== Audio Ark (VK) LibraVox
______________________ Edward III St. Louis (static camera)	______________________ Audio LibraVox 1  2  3  4  5
______________________ Sir Thomas More Stage, amateur	______________________ Audio BBC LibraVox
______________________ Cardenio  “Double Falsehood” – article PBSF 1995 MPP  One Two Three WP  1  2  3  4	______________________ Audio LibraVox
________________________________________________ Edmund Ironside - Article One  Two reading  Text ________________________________________________ Arden of Faversham WPS (single  camera) French ________________________________________________ The  Life and Death of Jack Straw Text ________________________________________________ Soliman and Perseda Text ________________________________________________ The Famous Victories of Henry V Text ________________________________________________ The True Chronicle History of King Leir Text ________________________________________________ The Troublesome Reign of King John Text ________________________________________________ The Taming of  a  Shrew One   Two Text ________________________________________________ The True Tragedy of Richard III Text ________________________________________________ Thomas of Woodstock Text ________________________________________________ The Lamentable Tragedy of Locrine Text ________________________________________________ Fair Em, the Miller's Daughter of Manchester Text _________________________________________________________ Tarleton’s News Out of Purgatory Text ======================= POETRY Venus and Adonis McGill BBC _______________________________________ The Rape of Lucrece Burton Logan One  Two Argo (VK) ___________________________________________ The Phoenix and the Turtle OAC Logan _______________________________________ A Lover’s Complaint Squire Argo _______________________________________ Sonnets Gielgud Dove (VK) Naxos (VK) Butler (VK) OTR Marlow Soc CL 1-5  6 ============================ 2 gent.  globe.  nt  shrew. nt com err nt lll nt drea, rsc merch nt mw nt much as nt as u    nt. rsc TROI. NT MRASUR NT AllS WEll  NT RSC PERI.  GLOBE  NT. RSC   WINTER. NT CYMB. NT. GLB\ TEMP. NT K J NT GLB R 2 NT H4 NT H5 NT H6 G N R R3 G N R  H8 N R  TITUS. NT TIMON.  NT. GLB COR NT

"Jesus as Human Being"

That only took six months!  Twenty-eight chapters.  Approx sixty thousand words. [Now over 80k.]

As I  wrote it I went back and added and moved things around, etc.  I ended up following through with various thoughts, doing research as it pleased me.  So almost every chapter is significantly revised.  The Introduction, as it is now called, indicates this.

"Jesus as Human Being".  [Now "Jesus Human".]

You may read it.  But the price is that you leave a brief comment if you spot a typo etc or have any brief factual material to briefly add.  I don't want to gossip.

J

PJ: XXVIII

See HERE

Amazon

Customer Review 
 9 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
*****Strauss is my Hero of Christion Scholarship, December 5, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Strauss Life of Jesus: From George Eliot VOLUME 1 (Paperback)

My Hero of Christian Theolgy
I have read many books about Bible and Jesus ranging from missionary works to the works of scholars such as Prof. B. Metzger. Never have I come across a Book such as Strauss' Life of Jesus. About 1000 pages (in English)of rigorous and detailed analysis of the Life of Jesus in the four Gospels without bias (as far as I can tell).It is a big loss to the humanity that Strauss not only was denied teaching positions (for which he was overqualified: knowing Hebrew, Greek, Latin as well as German and having a genius' intelligence) also his marvelous work(s) were suppressed and kept away from the humanity. I hope and pray that many more Christians will have the opportunity to read this enlightening book of Strauss and learn some of the facts about their scriptures and Faith which are kept away from the believers by the Church for millennia. (My use of millennia about one month before 2000 may sound inaccurate, how ever if we take Matthew's word that Jesus was born in the Days of Herod (not paying attention to the fact that Luke assigns birth of Jesus to the time when Quarinius was Governor of Syria which didn't take place until a decade after the death of Herod the Great(Strauss' Life of Jesus & Westminster Dictionary of the Bible))and knowing that Herod died around 4 BC. (Westminster Dictionary of the Bible) also considering the two year(from the killing of children under two year of age) stay of Jesus and His Mother and Joseph in Egypt (Only in Matthew, no other Evangelist noticed this incident including Josephus who recorded detailed life of Herod (Staruss' Life of Jesus)) before Herod died, Jesus must have been born around 6 BC so that for those faithful to Matthew (rather than Luke) true second millennium was 1994. Therefore we are already in the second millennium. TOO BAD WEE MISSED THE 2ND MILLENIAL CELEBRATIONS.)
In concluding, Strauss is a forgatton hero among Christian Scholarsip
My God Have Mercy on Strauss.

Comments
 Jack H says:

 One appreciates your faith, even fervor, for your, um, daring skepticism. One cannot argue with it -- faith is the evidence of things unseen. But, if details actually matter to you, consider that Luke is using Greek, not Latin; 'hegmoneuontos' is generally translated as 'governor', but it's not specific to the Latin title of 'Legate', the actual position of Quirinius in Syria. 'Hegmoneuontos' can be rendered as Legate or Propraetor or Procurator or Quaestor  or Praefectus, or perhaps even Censor, cf Cato the Elder. Further, Tacitus records Pontius Pilate's title in Judea as 'Procurator' (a sort of military CFO), while the Pilate Stone has it as "Prefect" -- see?

Further, the correct title for the Governor of Syria could not be legatus Augusti pro praetore, which was used only for the  senatorial provinces, and always filled by a Senator.  "Legate" as a term means a general who is a senator.  Sentius Saturninus 'governed' Syria 9-7 BC, and Josephus tells us that Quinctilius Varus succeeded him in the time of Herod.  This does not exclude Quirinius from coeval titled responsibilities in that region.  Surely you see how loosely titles can be used.

Further, one of the grand old men of archaeology, W. Ramsay, discovered several inscriptions that showed Q to be "governor" of Syria twice, at least.

Further, for at least three centuries the empire required a census about every 14 years. The date of proclamation and the date of completion are, as you might see, necessarily not the same -- it would take years. The Q census of 5-6 AD is the official announcement. The movement of peoples to their home towns would be even later. See? The first census, announced prior to Herod's death, would have been announced c. 8 BC, and completed locally as circumstances allowed. Too vague? Only to those unfamiliar with the raw data of history.

Further, Greek, like everything, can be ambiguous. Luke, here, can be fairly translated as: "This census was before that made when Quirinius was governor of Syria."

Re your dismay or glee that Dionysius the Inadequate was off by a few years, well, he was off by a few years, therefore Luke, the Bible, and Christianity are wrong and false. QED.  Hurrah.

 Bothersome, what?

 Dogma, sir or madam, bites.


 J

*On 'Crito' and How I Am Smarter than Socrates

YT

Socrates had a demon. Of course, a daemon, but a demon. I’m reading Plato again, after 40 years, and I just thought I’d share the fact, that Socrates was a demoniac.

 Well, maybe not, but maybe. I’ve got the complete works, 1800 pages, and I’ll go through it over the next few months. I spent probably 20 minutes whiting-out the loopy girl-writing with which some deb had defaced a number of pages – you know, with hearts for i-dots and so on. It was intolerable. I don’t mind the pink highlighting, but the girl-writing all over the margins was too much. She read only the Apology and books 1,2,3 and 5 of the Republic, so it’s not too bad. I didn’t like the Republic the first time I read it, but that was the ‘70s and this is the ‘Teens, so maybe it got better.

 In the Apology, his defense at his trial, Socrates speaks of how he’s always had an inner voice that told him not to do any wrong thing. So he always knew he was doing right, because he obeyed the voice of his familiar. You might not call that a demon, but he does. He was accused of atheism, denying the gods of Athens while introducing other gods, and of corrupting the youth of the city. I won’t go into that. He affirms his belief in the city’s gods, and denies the corruption. Frankly, he proves his case, but he’d made many enemies, what with constantly proving how not-wise everyone else was, and the majority of his jury consisted of such people. It was a close vote – out of the 500 jurymen, if memory serves, a shift of thirty votes would have acquitted him – 221 to 279, then.

 The vote was corrupt. This was not justice. He did prove his case. He was innocent, according to the evidence Plato gives. In the next dialogue along, Crito, Crito comes as a friend and wants Socrates to escape. Socrates uses his method and demonstrates how he has no choice but to obey the verdict, and die. And here’s why I’m writing this. It’s not that Socrates has a demon. It’s that his logic is wrong. Yes, I, your humble author, am smarter than Socrates and Plato. And Aristotle. After nearly two and a half thousand years, I, even I shall bring light.

 First he gets Crito to agree that it’s always wrong to harm someone, even if they harm you. And this is true. Then again, it’s not. What is harm? It involves motive, and justice (eg, the surgeon and the cutthroat). Socrates is not against justice, and not against punishment – he argues for it. Punishment that corrects a wrong-doer is actually a good, a painful good; punishment that does not correct, hurts only, and is a harm to the recipient; it may be good for the city, good for justice, good to the gods, but it is harm to its victim. True? Yet the greater good is that justice be done, regardless of its effect on the person punished. So it is not wrong to harm someone, if they harm you; as here described, it’s justice.

 Next Socrates demonstrates that the citizen must obey the laws. To break the law is to destroy the city – we would say, it violates the social contract. And he is correct. Then again, he’s not. To break a law is not to destroy the law – it is an insult, a disrespect, but not an annihilation; to disobey a parent is not to kill a parent. If he planned to run away, the state personified would come to him and say, “Do you not by this action you are attempting intend to destroy us, the Laws, and indeed the whole City…? Or do you think it possible for a city not to be destroyed if the verdicts of the courts have no force but are nullified and set to naught by private individuals?” If his reply were, ‘The courts have wronged me’? The reply would be, ‘Was that the agreement? – or was it to respect the judgments’. Contracts must be obeyed.

And he’s right. Then again, he’s not. Here we need to get, uh, philosophical. What if the city is taken over and ruled by a tyrant? And the tyrant, whose word is the law, arbitrarily condemns? The contract is to obey the law, and thus here to cozen tyranny? What if it’s not a tyrant, but a corrupt jury? Is the citizen’s contract with the law, or is it with justice. Is it right to be complicit in the city’s corruption of justice and of the meaning of law? What is law for? What does it protect? Stability and power only? Or does it protect what is good, what is right, and just, and beautiful. Well, it’s only law, the product of politicians, but there is an ideal behind this sad fact that is the inspiration of what a society is – the communal striving for the greater good. Innocent people may be sacrificed for a great cause. A corrupt jury acting out of spite and committing judicial murder is not that.

 Says Socrates, “one must obey the laws of one’s city and country, or persuade it as to the nature of justice.” To persuade, one needs opportunity, which may require time. Socrates complains in his Apology that by law he had not enough time to properly defend himself. There is an illogic here: he is required to persuade, but not given what is needed to do so. The law requires what it forbids. Why doesn’t this most clear-sighted of men see this?

 If the City went to war and Socrates believed the war was unjust, if he yet agreed to fight he must do so. Or he could refuse and protest, and attempt to dissuade the city from the war, and if not convincing, he must accept the consequences, most likely of death. He must be true either to his agreement, or to his conscience. Neither is shameful. To refuse to fight and refuse to accept the consequences would be reprehensible.

 Likewise, Socrates agreed to obey the law, and to accept the consequences if he didn’t. Yet he had an obligation not only to obey the law, but to protect the city. He must do what he could to keep his city just, to keep it from committing injustice, to keep it from spilling innocent blood, in this case his own. That after all was why there was a curse and a plague upon Thebes – the gods were displeased by the unknown crimes of Oedipus. Socrates’ obligation was to not allow an innocent man’s blood to pollute the earth and curse his city. That it was his own blood was irrelevant.

 The truest argument Socrates makes is that it’s not the laws but men who wrong him, so he should obey the laws. But by obeying the law he is harming the men, by making them guilty of wronging him. And it is wrong to cause harm to those who harm you. Socrates is not being Socratic with himself. He does it so well, usually. Wonder what’s up.

 He wanted to die, and no argument could have changed this. At his trial he was given a voice to choose his own punishment, and he chose free meals for life – the appropriate response for his actions. His accuser urged death. In Crito, Socrates admits he could have suggested exile. You know, life. He talks about how ridiculous his life would be as an exile, but what does that have to do with justice? What has ridicule to do with the conduct of a righteous man? Why is public opinion a factor now, when it never mattered to him before? Irrelevant, inconsistent and illogical. Odd. Given the two posited choices, his multiple enemies chose the one that was, you know, a punishment. He arranged his death, conspired in it – a good defense, and if he didn’t get justice he wanted the greatest injustice. Doesn’t seem moderate.

 It’s not that his demon, in its silence, proved the rightness of his course. It’s that his demon, as is the wont of subtle evil beings, was truthful until the greatest harm could be done. For 2,414 years, a catastrophic argument has been supported by the authority of a man who was correct in almost everything.  Scores of millions of people have been murdered by totalitarian states because of the error.

The citizen is not the property of the state.


J