PLATO'S THEORY OF MIMESIS SUMMARY - - -
Plato was a great ancient Greek philosopher. He was born around 428 BC in Athens, Greece and
died around 348 BC in Athens, Greece. He was a student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle.
Plato was born into a rich family and he was the Founder of an educational institution named
ACADEMY, which was the first institution of higher learning in Western world. Plato was the son
of Ariston (his father) and Perictione (his mother). Plato's father, Ariston died in his young age,
although the precise dating of his death is difficult. After that her mother Perictione married her
uncle.
Some of his Notable works are - REPUBLIC, SYMPOSIUM, APOLOGY, PHAEDO,
ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE, etc.....in which Republic is the most famous.
In his theory of mimesis, Plato says that all art is mimetic by nature and art is an
imitation of life. Plato believed that IDEA is the ultimate reality. Art imitates ideas so it is an
imitation of reality. Plato gives a beautiful example of a carpenter and a bed:- So according to
Plato when a carpenter gets an idea of making a bed, then only that idea is the ultimate reality.
And when that same carpenter transforms his idea into a physical bed, then the bed becomes the
first copy of his idea, and thus it is once removed from reality. And when an artist or painter
makes the painting of the same bed which is already made by the carpenter, then the painting
becomes the second copy of the carpenter's idea and thus it is twice removed from reality.
So, Plato called the artist an inferior person because he drives us away from
reality. And he doesn't have any knowledge regarding the original idea, and he just copies the
thing which is already in existence.
After that Plato compared poetry with philosophy and said that philosophy is
superior to poetry because philosophy deals with ideas whereas poetry deals with illusion and
does not teach us morality.
Plato says that the human soul is divided into three parts :-
1. Rational
2. Spirited
3. Emotional
The rational is the highest part and emotional part is the lowest and because the poets deals
with emotions, which is the inferior part of the human soul then the poet is also an inferior being.
Plato’s student, Aristotle, did not agree with the view that the poet is an inferior being.
He says that the world of ideals is not a constant one but that it keeps changing. Aristotle says
that when a poet writes a poem about a tree, he not only copies it in words but also adds his own
imagination to it to give it a better aesthetic representation. The poet takes a form from nature
and reshapes it in a different medium. In this way, poetry makes an
improvement upon nature.
Plato said that art is inferior because it does not teach us morality. On this Aristotle
said that the ultimate aim of art is to give us aesthetic pleasure and not to teach morality. And
when any artist succeeds in pleasing us then he is a good artist and if he fails in doing so, then
he is a bad artist. There is no other criteria to judge an artist.
Plato judges poetry from the educational point of view But Aristotle said that we
should see poetry from a unique standpoint. Aristotle says that everything should be judged in
terms of its own aims and objectives, its own criteria of merit and demerit.
We cannot say that music is bad because it does not paint, or that painting is bad because it
does not sing. Similarly, we cannot say that poetry is bad because it does not teach philosophy or
ethics. If poetry, philosophy and ethics had identical function, how could they be different
subjects? To denounce poetry because it is not philosophy or ideal is clearly absurd
Plato was a great ancient Greek philosopher. He was born around 428 BC in Athens, Greece and
died around 348 BC in Athens, Greece. He was a student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle.
Plato was born into a rich family and he was the Founder of an educational institution named
ACADEMY, which was the first institution of higher learning in Western world. Plato was the son
of Ariston (his father) and Perictione (his mother). Plato's father, Ariston died in his young age,
although the precise dating of his death is difficult. After that her mother Perictione married her
uncle.
Some of his Notable works are - REPUBLIC, SYMPOSIUM, APOLOGY, PHAEDO,
ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE, etc.....in which Republic is the most famous.
In his theory of mimesis, Plato says that all art is mimetic by nature and art is an
imitation of life. Plato believed that IDEA is the ultimate reality. Art imitates ideas so it is an
imitation of reality. Plato gives a beautiful example of a carpenter and a bed:- So according to
Plato when a carpenter gets an idea of making a bed, then only that idea is the ultimate reality.
And when that same carpenter transforms his idea into a physical bed, then the bed becomes the
first copy of his idea, and thus it is once removed from reality. And when an artist or painter
makes the painting of the same bed which is already made by the carpenter, then the painting
becomes the second copy of the carpenter's idea and thus it is twice removed from reality.
So, Plato called the artist an inferior person because he drives us away from
reality. And he doesn't have any knowledge regarding the original idea, and he just copies the
thing which is already in existence.
After that Plato compared poetry with philosophy and said that philosophy is
superior to poetry because philosophy deals with ideas whereas poetry deals with illusion and
does not teach us morality.
Plato says that the human soul is divided into three parts :-
1. Rational
2. Spirited
3. Emotional
The rational is the highest part and emotional part is the lowest and because the poets deals
with emotions, which is the inferior part of the human soul then the poet is also an inferior being.
Plato’s student, Aristotle, did not agree with the view that the poet is an inferior being.
He says that the world of ideals is not a constant one but that it keeps changing. Aristotle says
that when a poet writes a poem about a tree, he not only copies it in words but also adds his own
imagination to it to give it a better aesthetic representation. The poet takes a form from nature
and reshapes it in a different medium. In this way, poetry makes an
improvement upon nature.
Plato said that art is inferior because it does not teach us morality. On this Aristotle
said that the ultimate aim of art is to give us aesthetic pleasure and not to teach morality. And
when any artist succeeds in pleasing us then he is a good artist and if he fails in doing so, then
he is a bad artist. There is no other criteria to judge an artist.
Plato judges poetry from the educational point of view But Aristotle said that we
should see poetry from a unique standpoint. Aristotle says that everything should be judged in
terms of its own aims and objectives, its own criteria of merit and demerit.
We cannot say that music is bad because it does not paint, or that painting is bad because it
does not sing. Similarly, we cannot say that poetry is bad because it does not teach philosophy or
ethics. If poetry, philosophy and ethics had identical function, how could they be different
subjects? To denounce poetry because it is not philosophy or ideal is clearly absurd
