In this paper I offer a close analysis of the first
scene in Plato’s Crito (43a1-b9). Understanding
a Platonic dialogue as a philosophical drama
turns apparent scene-setting into an integral
and essential part of the philosophical discussion.
The two apparently innocent questions
Socrates asks at the beginning of the Crito
anticipate Crito’s two problems, namely how he
regards his friendship with Socrates as opposed
to his complicated relations with the polis and its
sovereignty. These two questions are an integral
part of the philosophical discussion presented
throughout the dialogue.
