In &quot;The Apology&quot;, Plato has provided posterity with one of the most memorable portraits of his teacher Socrates. In Plato&rsquo;s view, Socrates was a paragon of virtue. Perhaps the essence of his virtue can be summarized in a single word&mdash;integrity. Socrates&rsquo; dedication to the truth was so total and so unswerving that the very thought of compromising that truth was repugnant to him.<br /><br />In the spring of 399 b.c.e., when Plato would have been in his late twenties, Socrates was accused by Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon of two criminal offences: corrupting the youth of Athens and adopting an atheistic attitude toward the gods of the city.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />Plato&#39;s &quot;The Apology&quot; is an account of the speech Socrates makes at the trial in which he is accused with the aboved mentioned charges. Socrates&#39; speech, however, is by no means an &quot;<i>apology</i>&quot; in our modern understanding of the word. The name of the dialogue derives from the Greek -<i>apologia</i>,- which translates as a defence, or a speech made in defence. Thus, in &quot;The Apology&quot;, Socrates attempts to defend himself and his conduct, certainly not to apologise for it.