On the first page of the book, Echecrates asks Phaedo whether he was there Socrates’ murder, particularly when he was instructed to take poison and Phaedo replies that he was there and his friend requests him to explain what Socrates said before his death. The conversation goes on the second page where Phaedo gives an account of what happened, including the last words that Socrates uttered before the prison attendant entered the room.
In the third page, Phaedo explains the main reason as to why the government had to wait for long before executing Socrates. In the fourth page, Echecrates wonders which vessel was Phaedo talking about and he explains that it was the one to be used in ferrying government officials to Delos to take part in the celebrations.
The fifth page is a continuation of the conversation and starts with Phaedo clarifying that he was not busy, and he would do everything possible to explain everything that took place during Socrates’ execution. In the sixth page, new characters are introduced in the dialogue.
The seventh page is simply a continuation of the sixth page where Phaedo gives the names of strangers present during the execution. In the eighth page, as well as the ninth, Phaedo reports all the activities that went on in the room, including the views of friends and strangers on the decision of Socrates to pursue justice through sacrificing his life.
Page ten starts with an argument between Socrates and his two close friends, Cebes and Simmias, who were with him until the end. In the eleventh page, some philosophical discussions take place, and Socrates buys in the ideas of Cebes on pertinacity. In the thirteenth page, Socrates is anxious to hear what Crito wanted to tell him.
In the subsequent page, fourteen, Crito suggests that all philosophers are often unknown to the world, and many people misunderstand their actions. On page fourteen, Simmias concurs with the views of Crito and notes that philosophers should never be concerned with earthly things that aim at only satisfying selfish interests.
In the sixteenth page, a new philosophical issue is introduced, which is concerned with the acquisition of wisdom, and it is noted that the body impedes the acquisition of wisdom. In the seventeenth page, Simmias is requested to give his view on whether absolute justice exists, but he fails to answer as the issue is controversial. On pages eighteen and nineteen, the issue of justice is discussed in detail, but the philosophers do not conclude.
On page twenty, the dialogue starts with some philosophical discussions where Socrates observes that real thinkers should always be ready to die for what they hold as true, but they should never try to commit suicide in their lifetime.
In the same page, the idea surprises Cebes because he believes that Socrates is contradictory in his statement, but Socrates offers an answer by claiming that human beings are properties of gods and they should never tamper with their lives by committing suicide.
On page twenty one, Cebes wonders why then would a philosopher welcome death, and he suggests further that people should protect their lives, as this would be showing respect to gods who provided it. Socrates notes on page twenty-two that he will find better people after he dies, as human beings are unfriendly and full of injustices.
To Socrates, those who do evil will face punishment after death, but for people like him, comfort will follow them as soon as they die and he advised on page twenty-three that death is simply the separation of the body from the soul and any philosopher should do everything possible to avoid earthly pleasures, such as fancy clothes and sex, and they have to be concerned with things that would make their souls comfortable. Simmias concurred with this view on page twenty-four and added further those other things, such as justice and beauty, exist, and people have to respect them.
On page twenty-five, the dialogue goes on where Cebes concurs with Socrates’ views as regards to the soul, even though he expresses doubts on whether the soul would still be active after death. He likens the soul to smoke on page twenty-six by observing that it would never exist as a single coherent unit.
However, Socrates defends his assertion on page twenty-seven by claiming that the soul exists in a different form after death, and it might come back to animate a different body in the world. In this regard, he notes on page twenty-eight that the soul would be coherent after death for it to be able to animate another body.
On page twenty-nine, Socrates talks extensively about the idea of the opposite as he proposes that an object exists in two opposing forms. He gives an example in thirty that something bigger was initially small, and it might have grown in size. Consequently, he asks Cebes on page thirty-one to confirm whether there is an opposite of living, and he agrees that death is the reverse of living.
On page thirty-three, Socrates goes on to discuss the theory of recollection, where Cebes observes that learning is a recollection of events. Unfortunately, Simmias seems to have forgotten the validity of this theory on page thirty-three and demands for an explanation from his fellow thinkers. Socrates answers him on page thirty-five by suggesting that an individual can be reminded of an event by being made conscious of another event.
On page thirty-six, Socrates re-introduces the theory of forms that makes Simmias understand the entire concept. Page thirty-seven is a continuation of the previous pages, and the main theme is life after death. The philosophers try to address the issue of whether the soul coheres once an individual dies on page thirty-eight.
Socrates moves in to answer the questions of his interlocutors on page thirty nine as regards to what dissipate and which things would remain when a person dies, and in his view, he observes that composite things are likely to varnish since they are made up of flesh and blood and are therefore likely to break up as compared to in-composite things, which cannot be destroyed.
Based on this answer, Socrates puts forward on page forty that human beings are made up of partial flesh and to some extent soul, something that makes Cebes come up with his categorization of the body, including noticeable, changeable, and complex classes while the spirit is imperceptible, inflexible, and non-composite.
Page forty one introduces the process of Socrates’ execution after he is through with the dialogue. Cebes and Simmias are allowed to discuss in low torn on page forty-two and Socrates begs the two friends to speak up their minds, and Simmias informs him that they both have trouble in understanding his concept, but they would not wish to upset him at this inopportune time.
Simmias brings in the comparison of the correlation between the body and the soul, as well as the association between the attunement of the strings of the melodic device and the gadget itself on page forty-three. After explaining the two analogies, Socrates admits that he is pleased with his reasoning, but pushes him further to explain the concept on page forty-four.
Page forty-five is a different conversation that takes place among Socrates’ spectators, with Phaedo being one of them. Supporters of Socrates’ theories are much concerned with the criticisms of Simmias and Cebes, as they would put the concepts into doubt on page forty-six. Echecrates seems to adopt the views of Simmias claiming that the soul is some sort of attunement on page forty-seven.
However, Socrates welcomes criticism and urges his fellow thinkers to continue questioning his views, as well as those of others in society on page forty-eight. Page forty-nine begins with Socrates dismissing the ideas of Simmias and questioning the credibility of Cebes’ views.
However, he establishes that the ideas of Cebes are convincing and he has to go into detail to clarify the concept of generational change and annihilation on page fifty, and he gives an example of his own life when he was a young person.
On page fifty, Socrates concludes that his theory of forms is the most accurate and it does not attract much criticism from other philosophers. He is optimistic that the theory is in a position to explain causation whereby the reasons for the occurrence of any event could be established on page fifty-two. On page fifty-three, Socrates claims that the form of tallness cannot appreciate the form of shortness, meaning that no theory can appreciate the existence of the other.
On page fifty-four, he observes that consequences in life would always live forever if only the soul were immortal. Based on this, he notes on page fifty-five that the main responsibility of each person is to care for the soul by advocating for a just life that is free of oppression and subjugation. On page fifty-six to, he suggests that people should live to know that judgment is waiting for them once they die.
On page six to sixty-four, he notes that it is his time for dying, but he would wish to take a bath to die a pure man, both in soul and body.
He goes on to observe on page sixty, one that each person will face judgment, and he or she should be prepared. On page sixty-two, he advises his friends to do justice and avoid evil to prevent a harsh judgment. On page sixty-three, he notes that doing justice is costless, and there is no reason as to why people should embrace it.
On page sixty-four, he summarizes the main issues surrounding justice and instructs each one in the room to maintain silence once the prison warder comes in to lead him into his death. On page sixty-five, his friends ask him whether they should look after his family.
He claims on page sixty-six that it is upon them to decide whether to do evil or justice, as judgment is awaiting them. In the last page, he suggests that there is no need for mourning his death, as it was a personal decision to die for others to be saved.