The Crito - Plato
Characters:
1. Socrates
The protagonist of the Crito
One of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy
He arguably never brought forward any doctrines of his own, but his method consisted of
questioning others who claimed to have knowledge or wisdom, and through the elenchus (or
cross-examination), showed them that they were ignorant
The Crito finds him to be an old man of 70 sitting in prison awaiting execution, after being
found guilty of: studying things in the sky and below the earth, corrupting the youth, impiety
(not believing in the Gods of the city)
2. Crito
Old friend of Socrates
Deeply distraught at the idea of Socrates' impending execution
Crito, and some of Socrates' other friends have pooled their resources together to arrange an
escape for their friend
He is willing to make almost any sacrifice to save Socrates' life
3. The Laws of Athens
Not a character in the normal sense of the word, but Socrates personifies the Laws of Athens
in his argument
The Laws were originally set by Solon, although they had been modified since, especially
during the political turmoil in Athens at the end of the 5th century
The Laws are given a voice in the Crito as, for the Greeks, just or unjust action is something
one does to someone else
He wants to say that escaping prison would be unjust, but he must also say who he is
wronging
Best answer = he is wronging the Laws of Athens, but to do so, we must consider and treat
these laws as a human being with a human voice
The Crito
Socrates is lying in prison awaiting execution, he has the option to escape but he instead
chooses to go to his death because he law requires him to be executed and to escape would be
breaking the law
A complicating factor though, is that he is innocent and the application of the law to his death
is unjust
"Can it be true that a man must abide by his own death sentence, given the sentence was
rendered according to the law and he is not guilty?"
The Crito has often been used as not a philosophical argument, but a biography of Socrates
Socrates chose to go to death on the basis of logos, an argument
He chose to die because his reasoning convinced him that it was wrong to escape, this
reasoning is personified as the law of Athens
Presents two types of rhetoric:
1. The speech of the Laws
2. Crito's plea to escape
If Socrates does not escape,
His plea focuses on 'how things will look' - connected concepts of shame and success
Shame = external standard of judgement
Success = external as well, the good man succeeds and helps his friends
Plato discusses about how to get convicted of a crime is to be disgraced, and to go to
execution when one can escape builds on this shame
However, shame and success don't show a solid basis of judgement as he who can satisfy the
success is a tyrant, who is able to rule mercilessly
Callicles (who says what others are afraid to) says that it is a law of nature (nomos of phusis)
that the strong should rule with a high hand and oppress the weak
Callicles' words mirror that of the Athenian emissaries in the Melian Dialogue
Characters:
1. Socrates
The protagonist of the Crito
One of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy
He arguably never brought forward any doctrines of his own, but his method consisted of
questioning others who claimed to have knowledge or wisdom, and through the elenchus (or
cross-examination), showed them that they were ignorant
The Crito finds him to be an old man of 70 sitting in prison awaiting execution, after being
found guilty of: studying things in the sky and below the earth, corrupting the youth, impiety
(not believing in the Gods of the city)
2. Crito
Old friend of Socrates
Deeply distraught at the idea of Socrates' impending execution
Crito, and some of Socrates' other friends have pooled their resources together to arrange an
escape for their friend
He is willing to make almost any sacrifice to save Socrates' life
3. The Laws of Athens
Not a character in the normal sense of the word, but Socrates personifies the Laws of Athens
in his argument
The Laws were originally set by Solon, although they had been modified since, especially
during the political turmoil in Athens at the end of the 5th century
The Laws are given a voice in the Crito as, for the Greeks, just or unjust action is something
one does to someone else
He wants to say that escaping prison would be unjust, but he must also say who he is
wronging
Best answer = he is wronging the Laws of Athens, but to do so, we must consider and treat
these laws as a human being with a human voice
The Crito
Socrates is lying in prison awaiting execution, he has the option to escape but he instead
chooses to go to his death because he law requires him to be executed and to escape would be
breaking the law
A complicating factor though, is that he is innocent and the application of the law to his death
is unjust
"Can it be true that a man must abide by his own death sentence, given the sentence was
rendered according to the law and he is not guilty?"
The Crito has often been used as not a philosophical argument, but a biography of Socrates
Socrates chose to go to death on the basis of logos, an argument
He chose to die because his reasoning convinced him that it was wrong to escape, this
reasoning is personified as the law of Athens
Presents two types of rhetoric:
1. The speech of the Laws
2. Crito's plea to escape
If Socrates does not escape,
His plea focuses on 'how things will look' - connected concepts of shame and success
Shame = external standard of judgement
Success = external as well, the good man succeeds and helps his friends
Plato discusses about how to get convicted of a crime is to be disgraced, and to go to
execution when one can escape builds on this shame
However, shame and success don't show a solid basis of judgement as he who can satisfy the
success is a tyrant, who is able to rule mercilessly
Callicles (who says what others are afraid to) says that it is a law of nature (nomos of phusis)
that the strong should rule with a high hand and oppress the weak
Callicles' words mirror that of the Athenian emissaries in the Melian Dialogue
