There are some main similarities and many main differences between Euthyphro's journey and the prisoner's journey in the "Allegory of the Cave." Both Euthyphro's journey and the "Allegory of the Cave" talk about Forms. .
In Euthyphro's journey, he and Socrates are engaged in conversation outside the court of the king archon. Socrates speaks of his indictment, corrupting other people, brought upon him by Meletus. " He is compelled to fight in courts of law, or in other places, about the shadows of images of justice and is trying to answer the ideas of those who have never yet seen the Form of Justice." (Allegory) Euthyphro explains to Socrates that he is prosecuting his own father of murder. The slave whom he killed was also a man of murder. Socrates asks, "have you such precise knowledge of the holy and the unholy that you are not afraid you may be doing an unholy thing bringing a case against your father?" Euthyphro argues that "holiness is doing as I am doing; prosecuting anyone who is guilty of murder". Which piety is brought into the conversation. .
Socrates is comparable to the prisoner who ventured outside the cave and saw the .
underline form of reality, which is what he seeks. He asks Euthyphro of the unchanging Form of piety. But all Euthyphro knows is the same as the shadows in the Allegory, not the pure form itself. He first tells Socrates that the form of piety is, "to do what he is doing, to prosecute the wrongdoer." This is merely an example, not what Socrates is wanting. Also, "wrongdoer" is not concrete and is subject to the speculation of what really is a "wrongdoer." Euthyphro replies again with, "what is dear to the gods is pious, what is not is impious." This is again not true because Forms are meant to be unchanging and the gods may change their minds. Once more, according to Euthyphro they get whatever is dearest to them. But this brings the argument right back to the beginning.
