Critical Analysis: Plato Banishes Poets from His Ideal State

An Athenian philosopher and the founder of the Platonist school of thought, Plato was a man of letters in the classical period in Greece. He is remembered as the first man of the world who criticizes art and put forth the theory of imitation as well.

Plato gave all his efforts to uplift the moral condition of downtrodden people of society. His purposes were to educate the youth and form them good citizens of his ideal state. The period was political unrest, educationally dwindled and people were in excruciating condition. Plato being a philosopher, trying to prove the superiority of the philosophy. The influence of the poets on the society was deep and the epic of Homer rooted very much in every sphere of society. Plato's target was just not poetry but he criticized every form of art and believed in ideas which are the ultimate reality. The ideas of everything are the original pattern and the things are copies. So he viewed all forms of art as mere copies of copy, twice moved from reality. Things itself being imperfect and copies of the ideas, their reproduction in art must be more imperfect. He believed that the works of art takes man away from reality rather than leading to it. It neither helped to mold the character nor to promote the well-being of the state. Through these things, Plato critics on art in general. He severely criticizes all forms of art due to their unrealistic and incapacity to be worth to the society and individual.

He attacked poetry on four grounds, moral, emotional, utilitarian and intellectual.

He banished poets from his ideal state because they inspired by some sources and such poetry is not based on rationality and reason. It cannot be followed because it cannot make an individual better citizen and a state a better organization. Of course, there might be some truth, but such imperfect truth cannot be treated as knowledge based on reason. He rejected poetry by adapting the argument that it is a blind reliance and imitation of the passionate element of the soul.

The soul can be divided into three parts, spirited, 
appetitive and rational. Furthermore, he believes that poets and artists imitate the non-rational part of the soul, and it leads them away from reality. He condemns poetry in his book 10 in these words, “they feed and water the passions instead of drying them up, and let them rule instead of ruling them as they ought to be ruled, with a view to the happiness and virtue of mankind." Based on these arguments he objected to poetry which cannot take place of philosophy. Poetry inspired and emotional people. The emotional appeal of poetry he openly rejects because it is void of reason and logic. Plato's other criticism against poetry is its lack of morality. It is not conducive to social morality. Poets tell us lies about gods. Gods and their representative heroes are represented as corrupt, immoral and dishonest in the works of poets. Plato attacks poetry on the intellectual ground as well. Poets have no knowledge of the truth, for they imitate the appearance and not the truth of things, illusion instead of reality. Beyond the world of the sense, there is another world, the world of ideal reality, where concepts, like truth virtue and beauty, exist in an ideal form. Without knowing truth a poet wastes his time as well as purpose.
 By summing up this discussion, it would be better to put the last bombardment of Plato on poetry, “No poetry should be admitted to saving hymns to the gods and panegyric on famous men." "The poet may be honored, but they must be banished from his ideal state."