57a - 62c Summary and Analysis

The Phaedo is the Socratic Dialogue which proceeds Socrates's death. The dialogue is admittedly fictional, and in the dialogue Socrates expresses the ideas of his student, Plato. Phaedo states explicitly that Plato was "ill" the day Socrates died. The dialogue concerns the nature of death, the immortality of the soul and the notion of Platonic forms.

The Phaedo opens with a discussion between Phaedo and Echecrates. Echecrates asks Phaedo if he was with Socrates when he drank the hemlock and Phaedo claims that he was. They note that stories of the pre-trial and the trial are already known. Socrates had been held in jail some time before his execution due to a religious ceremony.

A good many of Socrates's friends were present when he died. Phaedo will attempt to recount the entire story. He says the experience...