Plato's Charges against Poetry

           Plato was a great critic and a philosopher. He believed in ‘Art for life’s shake’. Plato has given remarkable contribution to the field of literary criticism. According to Plato the ideas are true and real. His views on Poets and Poetry were expressed in ‘The republic’. Plato was basically a philosopher and a moralist. He was worried about the good of individual and the state.  According to Plato – “a poet is an ideal singer of an empty day.” Plato believed that the poet’s activities were harmful to the individual as well as to the society. Plato exposes his views on the poets and poetry because they create only illusions.

Plato puts some charges against poets and poetry. They are as under.

1. Poetry is an imitation of an imitation.

       Plato’s fundamental objection against poetry is that it is an imitation of an imitation. Poetry is twice removed from the reality. To explain it he gives very famous example of carpenter’s chair. In ‘The Republic’ Plato says that “ideas are the ultimate reality”. Carpenter first gets an idea to make a chair, then he shapes a chair (it is imitation of idea), then a painter draws that chair (it is imitation of imitation). So poetry is merely an imitation. And when a poet imitates something then he is not aware from real thing. So poetry becomes trivial and worthless thing. It is only the illusion of the idea.  It does not the real truth. Thus poetry is not good for the individual.

2. Poetry deals with the inferior part of the human nature.

      The charge against poetry is that it deals with the basic aspects of human nature. According to the Plato- 'epics and poetry with cunning and lusty heroes and violent Gods should not be taught.' poetry is more about the inferior part of human nature. The poet is imitative and his poetry is not true or real. It does not create good effect on the soul because it is about some baser passions of human nature.

3. There is no poetic justice on Poetry.

Plato was having high moral values. So obviously he demands righteousness in literature and art According to the Plato – ‘a poet deals with the virtue and vice similarly, because of such dealing there is no poetic justice.’  Plato observed in the Greek literature that many evil persons being happy and good persons unhappy. And he say that -“In literature many evil livers are happy and many righteous men are unhappy ; and wrong doing is often profitable while hones dealing is beneficial to one’s neighbor, but damaging to one’s self.”

              As a firm moralist Plato can’t digest such injustice in literature. According to him poetry feeds, waters and nourishes the lower and unhealthy emotions and passions. To maintain morality in mind one should be stable and rational. And it is true that sentimentality and rationality never walks together.   Thus Plato found injustice in poetry and literature. So he raised a charge against poetry is being without Poetic Justice.

4. Poetry is not safe guide for the human being

The fourth charge against poetry is very serious. According to Plato Poetry is not safe guide for the human being. He believes that poetry appeals emotions rather than a reason. Poetry makes the reason prisoner. Poetry feeds and waters the passions instead of drying them up. Thus poetry is not welcomed in an ideal state. 

    Plato was dreaming for strong and ideal state. For it all citizens should have developed mind and intellect. But poetry makes people emotional and it is harmful for good administration.

5. Poet does not write poetry  in conscious  mind

According to the Plato the poet is between a prophet and a mad man. The poet is not an ordinary human being because he is inspired by the muse. This shows that the poet is like a prophet. A poet writes only when he is inspired. This position is between the prophet and a mad man. Such a person is more harmful and its Activities also.

6. Poetry creats very harmful effect on children’s mind.

Plato wrote in ‘The Republic’ that poetry don’t give any contribution in planting morality in children. Instead of it, it puts evil in children. Poetry does very harmful effect on children’s mind.

  When children read poetry, it is misinterpreted by them the hero or the villain can make any effect upon them. So Plato says that Homer’s epic were part of studies. Hero’s of epic were lusty, cunning and cruel. Even gods were portrayed very badly. Gods were shown fighting among themselves. When we teach a children god’s such stories. They find bad effect in their mind.

            Plato says that we should not tell even a word about war to children. They are having strong impression of their teachers. So in the education if teachers say them about war and violence then they get wrong impression in their mind.

       In Short we can say that Plato was an ideal Person and having high moral values. He wanted to create an Ideal state and thus he favored only ideal Activities only. He was not always against poet and poetry, bet he was against imaginative poet and poetry.