← All characters

Dialogues · Character

Crito

Socrates' oldest and most loyal friend, who comes to the prison before dawn with money, plans, and a desperate plea for Socrates to save his own life.

supporting

Also known as Dear Crito

First appearance: Crito

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Crito is a practical, well-connected Athenian who has stood by Socrates for decades and cannot understand why his friend will not let him arrange an escape. His love is genuine and his arguments are sensible, but they…

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Crito sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Crito in Crito

Character Web

11 connections

A slice of how Crito sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

ANAntiphonHOHomerECEchecratesASAthenian Stran…LYLysisCRCrito

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Socrates' Inner Circle
  • Parmenides Narrators
  • Philosophers and Interlocutors

+6 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point

In this excerpt, the dramatic climax occurs when Erasistratus’s boastful praise of the Syracusan envoy’s immen…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

In the story

Crito appears across 2 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Crito unlock in the free preview.

See Crito in Crito
Who is Crito in Dialogues?