The argument that Plato puts forth in the Republic regarding drama and narrative art is one of pure ignorance. The sheer fact that he believes that no matter what kind of art is being shown—whether it be poetry, paintings, etc..—the art is vile and “morally dangerous” to the society and to the people living in the society. Plato wholeheartedly believes in this blasphemous claim due to the fact that imitation is a removal of truth and should not have place in a safe society. “Similarly we’ll say that an imitative poet puts a bad constitution in the soul of each individual by making images that are far removed from the truth and by gratifying the irrational part, which cannot distinguish the large and the small but believes that the same things are large at one time and small at another.”(Plato, 1210) Narrative art and drama are two very broad aspects of daily life that allow expression of one’s personality and one’s true inner being, with the removal of art comes the removal of sanity and freedom of expression.
In the world as we know it today, art is a lifestyle. Not just putting paint on a canvas, writing words to make a poem, or even acting; everything is art. A picture we take on our cellphones is art, the way we speak can be artistic at times, art is a lifestyle. As an argument to Plato’s horrific claims about narrative art and drama, I would ask Plato, “what gives you the right to strip all people of freedom of expression?” No, not all people are artists and not all people need drama or art to express themselves, I certainly do not. Plato sees narrative art and drama as a danger to the stability of the minds of the youth, the adults and the elderly because it allows for false imitations of the true world that we live in. This one idea of art being a danger in a stable society is disturbing. “It thinks that there is no shame involved for it in praising and pitying another man who, in spite of his claim to goodness, grieves excessively.”(Plato 1210). In this quote, we see Plato’s main argument. He argues that when an audience watches a man read a poem aloud, what they are really doing is enjoying the suffering of another person due to the fact that this man is most likely grieving no matter how much good he is trying to portray. A rebuttal to this argument by Plato would be, if this man who grieves excessively has no other technique of release and no other path to get away from the grief, then this man should lose his sanity and hold it in instead of corrupting the youth of a good city. As human beings roaming this earth, it is paramount that freedom of expression stands strong. The free people of this world should be allowed to convey their thoughts and opinions and feelings however need be.
In comparison to Plato’s argument from the Republic, my imaginary response is stronger and more humane. There is no world where narrative art and drama should be fully removed, there is no world where freedom of expression should be earned. Freedom of expression is a value that this world should be built on, it is the foundation that allows people to live happily and freely. It is not allowed everywhere, but America is an exceptional model. According to Plato, mimetic poetry and art forms are among the most immoral acts that a human can commit. To be clear, some of the smartest people to ever walk this planet were artists, Leonardo Da Vinci, Ernest Hemingway, William Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson are a few. These artists are individuals that have created a legacy for themselves through their works—works that evoke emotion, allow expression and honest feelings. The argument of right and wrong when it comes to art and drama should not have a place in this world. Art is real, genuine and authentic.
The notion that Plato expressed in the Republic is one, in my opinion, of a mad man. Truly, it is unfathomable to imagine a world where the youth, adults and elderly are unable to view or listen to art. Not all people are artists, not all people enjoy art, but for those who are artists and for those who do enjoy art, the removal of art would be unfair and unjust. Imitative poetry and mimetic art forms, regardless of the truth, are methods of voicing feelings and emotions that otherwise may be difficult to voice.
Works Cited
“Culture, Art and Poetry in The Republic.” Columbia College,
www.college.columbia.edu/core/lectures/fall1999. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.
From: Cooper, John, Ed. (1997) Plato: Complete Works. Hackett.