Point of View

All of Plato's writings contained in this collection are written in dialog format, but there is significant difference in the exact form. In some dialogs, the form is very direct and straightforward. For example, in "Meno" the story is just an "objective" account of a conversation had by Meno and Socrates. In other dialogs, there is a degree of separation between the story being told and the actual events. This can be seen in "Phaedo," where, instead of relating the events of Socrates' death directly, Plato chooses to have Phaedo, a witness to the events, give an account of them at a later date. One possible reason for this is that it allows Plato to frame the events in a context sympathetic to Socrates, since Phaedo prefaces the account by saying how happy he is to recall Socrates.

"The Republic" is told in this indirect fashion...