There is a well-known saying that the whole of Western Philosophy is footnotes of Plato. This is because his writings have set the schema that philosophy can be said to have followed ever since. Following under the teachings of Socrates, Plato's works are among the world's greatest literature. Though Plato himself was apparently ill and not present at the prison on the day of Socrates' death, Phaedo was, and the discussion was surely recounted to him, perhaps much in the same way as this dialog is recounted by Phaedo for Echecrates. Phaedo was from a noble family in Elis, but when that city was defeated in 401 BC he was captured and forced into a house of prostitution. However, Phaedo managed to slip out to listen to Socrates, who eventually persuaded either Cebes or Alcibiades or Crito and their friends to ransom him so that he could be free and study philosophy.