"Phaedo" belongs to the category of what are called "narrative" dialogues by Plato. In this dialogue, one of Socrates' friends recounts the discussions that took place before the great teacher's death sentence while in prison. This friend is Phaedo, after whom the dialogue is titled.

The narration is addressed to Simmias, whose selection is not incidental. According to Pausanias (II. 13), this place was the homeland of Pythagoras' ancestor Hippasus, and for this reason, it was established as a gathering place for the Pythagoreans, who were the first to examine matters related to the immortality of the soul, which is also the subject of this dialogue.

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