
SOCRATE ET SA FEMME
TROISIÈME ÉDITION, PARIS CALMANN LÉVY, ÉDITEUR ANCIENNE MAISON MICHEL LEVY FRÈRES, 3, RUE AUBER, 3
Set in a modest Athenian courtyard, this one‑act comedy imagines a day in the life of the famed philosopher and his tempestuous wife. Socrates, ever absorbed in lofty reflections, drifts through his own thoughts while the world around him bustles with domestic chatter. The opening scene captures his detached musings and Xanthippe’s boisterous summons, instantly establishing a playful clash of ideals and everyday concerns.
The ensemble of servants and friends—each with a distinct temperament—adds layers of witty repartee, turning philosophical banter into lively farce. Through clever verses and brisk dialogue, the play highlights the gap between Socrates’ serene reasoning and his wife’s fiery determination, offering a fresh, humanizing glimpse of the legendary thinker. Listeners will enjoy the blend of classical setting and timeless humor, all delivered in a brisk, single‑act format that keeps the pace lively without venturing beyond the charming first act.
Language
fr
Duration
~40 minutes (38K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Mireille Harmelin, and the Online Distributed Proofreaders Europe at http://dp.rastko.net. This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica)
Release date
2006-01-12
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1823–1891
A French poet, playwright, and critic, he helped shape 19th-century poetry with a love of musical language, formal precision, and theatrical wit. His work became an important bridge between Romanticism, the Parnassian movement, and the later Symbolists.
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