In Book I of the Republic, Socrates is going down, kateben, to Piraeus with Glaucon to pay his devotions to a goddess. As the two men are preparing to leave the city, Polemarchus entreats them to stay and watch the horse relays and talk. Upon agreeing, the men head back to Polemarchus' house, where the dialogue takes place. They set about to create a "city of words" which will define the "perfect" place. Just before Book VIII, they have finished describing the utopia: an aristocracy.

In Book VIII of Plato's Republic, Socrates and Adeimantus discuss the four different types of government inferior to aristocracy: timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. This dialogue outlines how each form of government devovles into the next, and describes the type of man whose soul corresponds with each government.

The Dialogue: Characters
Socrates:
*Anthenian philosopher born in 469 B.C.
*believed that the wisest man was the one who acknowledged how little he really knew
*was Plato's teacher
*excuted in Athens during 399 B.C. for corrupting the mind of the youth
Adeimantus:
*Glaucon's brother
*given honor at the battle of Megara
Essay on Characters in The Republic