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Overview
Even though it was written in 360 BCE, decades after Socrates’s death in 399 BCE, in Phaedo, Plato gives us a moving account of his final hours
. It is told from the perspective of Phaedo of Elis, who unlike Plato, was present. This philosophically dense dialouge contains an extended discussion of the Theory of Forms, four arguments for the immortality of the soul, and strong arguments in favor of the philosophical life. It also contains Plato's compelling myth about the fate of the soul after death.Phaedo—along with The Apology, Euthyphro, and Crito—comprise the quartet of Plato’s works that are sometimes collectively called The Trial and Death of Socrates.
Read the free full text of the work, the overall summary, and the overall analysis for Phaedo. Or, learn more by studying SparkNotes guides to other works by Plato.
