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Secondary sourceBookc. 400 BC

Crito

Plato · c. 400 BC

Plato's dialogue set in Socrates' prison cell, where he refuses his friend Crito's plan to help him escape execution.

Depicts Socrates in prison refusing to escape, showing his reasoning about justice and obedience to law.

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Cover of a 1925 Italian paperback, Platone, Dialoghi III, Critone, tan cardboard with red double border. Handwritten inscription at top, red handwritten marking near bottom. Publisher Vallecchi Editore Firenze.
Plato, Crito, c. 400 BC. Cover of a 1925 Italian edition, Vallecchi Editore, Florence.

About this source

What it is

Written by Plato, Crito depicts a conversation between Socrates and his friend Crito of Alopece, set in Socrates' prison cell shortly before his execution in 399 BC.

Why it matters

Crito offers to bribe guards and smuggle Socrates out of Athens, but Socrates argues that escaping would be unjust because it would break his lifelong agreement to obey the laws of the city. The dialogue is an early statement of ideas about citizens' duties to the state, and shows how Plato wanted later readers to understand Socrates' calm acceptance of death as a matter of principle.

Look closer

  • Why does Socrates refuse a chance to save his own life?
  • What does Crito's offer tell us about the loyalty of Socrates' friends?
  • How reliable can a dialogue be as a record of what someone actually said in private?

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