Many scholars and readers of Plato believe Socrates disapproved of democracy (this is largely based on the opinions he expresses in Plato’s
The Republic). However, it’s worth considering this moment, in which Socrates refuses to manipulate the jury by crying and pleading for their forgiveness. On the one hand, this refusal indicates that he thinks democracy is a system that is subject to emotional manipulation and, as such, is inherently flawed. On the other hand, his assertion that people who manipulate the jury “bring shame upon the city” suggests that he believes acting this way disrespects the values for which Athens stands. This, it seems, indicates a certain reverence for what Athenian democracy
could be, though it’s obvious Socrates doesn’t think his contemporaries are properly enforcing or living up to this standard. Regardless, it’s clear that Socrates is critical of democracy—whether or not this means he completely disapproves of it as an effective mode of governance remains unclear (at least in this text).