Meletus - The chief accuser of Socrates, responsible for bringing him to trial. Little is known about Meletus and by all accounts, he seems to have been a rather insignificant figure. Plato 's portrayal of him, both in The Apology and in The Euthyphro (see 2b) is far from sympathetic. Socrates ' cross-examination of him in The Apology puts Meletus to shame.
Summary-Plato 's The Apology is an account of the speech Socrates makes at the trial in which he is charged with not recognizing the gods recognized by the state, inventing new deities, and corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates ' speech, however, is by no means an "apology" in our modern understanding of the word. The name of the dialogue derives from the Greek "apologia," which translates as a defense,