Plato, Reader of Aristophanes (Elements for an intertextual and proleptic reading of The Apology of Socrates) shows the platonic debt to the cultural and literary heritage of his time, mostly to Ancient Comedy, highlighting Aristophanes contribution to the dramatic and philosophical configuration of Plato s initial work. It stresses the intertextual dimension inherent to the platonicum corpus. Another goal is a critical inquiry into the hermeneutic thesis by Kahn, founded on his concept of prolepsis, with the intention of broadening its appliccation to a larger number of platonic dialogues through incorporating literary and political elements to this notion. Finally, special attention is given to the interpretation of three crucial themes to an intertextual and proleptic comprehension of what is considered the first dialogue of the platonic career as writer and philosopher, the Apology of Socrates: the Delphi oracle episode, the socratic elenchus’ significance and application and the distinction between the so-called socratic irony and a possible platonic irony.