Crito

Literapedia Book Notes for
=//Crito// by Plato=

Characters

 * **Socrates**—a man in search of truth
 * **Crito**--a friend to Socrates

Background to “Crito”

 * 1) The scene is the prison of Socrates, about a month after his trial.
 * 2) Crito is a good friend of Socrates, and he was present at the trial.
 * 3) Even those who condemned Socrates hoped that he would escape and leave the city.

Crito’s Appeal to Socrates (1-35)

 * 1) Socrates should escape because his friends want him to live.
 * 2) If Socrates doesn’t escape, Crito and his other friends will be blamed.

The Premises of the Consideration of Escape (36-69)

 * 1) “The good [opinions] are to be regarded and not the bad” (40).
 * 2) “the opinions of the wise are good, and the opinions of the unwise are evil” (42).
 * 3) “not life, but a good life, is to be chiefly valued” (66)
 * 4) “a good life is equivalent to a just and honorable one” (68).

Is Escape the Right Thing to Do? (70-107)

 * 1) Step 1: Doing evil to ward off evil is never right.
 * 2) Step 2: Socrates owes allegiance to the State.
 * 3) Step 3: It would be wrong to disobey the State, and it would not be in the best interest of Socrates, either.

Book Note Creator
Hal Waller, instructor