Plato Art, Poetry And The Theory Of Forms - 912 Words

Plato: Art, Poetry and the Theory of Forms In The Republic, Plato argues that poetry and certain art forms including painting and drama, are mimetic and merely representations of various truths, which exist only in an abstract state he describes as â€Å"Forms† . In order to understand his repudiation of art and poetry, it s important to grasp the fundamental idea of Forms, and how they relate to truth in his view. According to Plato ( through Socratic dialogue), Forms are abstract ideas that represent perfection, and do not exist in the material world. In the â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† he posits that our view of these forms are secondhand, or â€Å"shadows† of what what they really are, by defining us (humanity) as prisoners in a cave watching images on a wall. These images are cast on the wall by backlit shapes that represent Forms (Forms themselves are abstruse). Plato explains that what we perceive of them is therefore removed from truth, â€Å"...the sha dows of artefacts would constitute the only reality people in this situation would recognize† (61). These shadows – which are what we actually perceive - are further demonstrated via Socrates analogy of beds and tables in his dialogue with Glaucon. Socrates reasons that a craftsman can only imitate a bed or a table based on its Form, â€Å"...the manufacture of either of these items of furniture involves the craftsman looking to the type and then making the beds or tables (or whatever) which we use † (65). 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