About the author . Sure enough, Platos' dialogues are set in a historical context, and use historical characters throughout. Because that's what is still living even after Socrates' death, and that's what can help us readers, even today. One good advice, when studying one of Plato's dialogues, is to look for indications everywhere, and especially in the setting, in the apparently useless details that may seem only to be there to add a touch of color, or of life, in the work.
Nothing is useless in Plato's works, and nothing is left to chance.
Scenery is part of the means of teaching us, and has its word to say to those who look for it. But, by the time the speeches start, they have stopped walking, and their souls start moving. But, IMHO, if you read carrefully what Socrates says at 229e-230a , you will see that all these attemps leave Socrate frustrated. Logos is the subject of the third part. Most of this information may be found at Christopher's page on Plato on the web.