Plato's Attack On Poetry

Plato’s Attack on Poetry
In order to understand Plato's attack on poetry as well as his theory of poetry, it must be
remembered that the aim of his literary criticism was to educate the youth and form them into good
citizens of his ideal state. His was an age of political decline and dissolution. Education was in a poor
state. The epics of Homer were an essential part of the school curriculum. They were respected by the
Greeks like the Bible, and the influence of the poets was too deep on society. Yet poetry was in a
decadent state. This degeneration resulted in much heart-searching and reflection on the part of
philosophers and orators who regarded themselves as superior to the poets. Plato also was a
philosopher; to prove his superiority over poets, he attacked poetry on four grounds—moral,
emotional, intellectual and utilitarian.
(A) Moral Grounds

On moral grounds, Plato attacks poetry as follows :—
(1) Poetry is not conducive to social morality, as poets pander to the popular taste and narrate
tales of man's pleasant vices. This has a demoralising effect. This is more so the case with drama
which depends entirely on popular patronage.
(2) Poets tell lies about gods. Gods and their representative heroes are represented as corrupt,
immoral, dishonest in the epics of the poets (notably of Homer). This depraves public taste and
morality. Children tend to imitate the doings of gods and other heroes as told to them by their
mothers, they fashion their own conduct on what they read. Philosophy alone is the proper subject of
study.
(3) Drama is even more harmful. Judgment in dramatic matters is left to the many, and the
result is lawlessness and licence both in theme and expression. Poets and dramatists appeal to the
baser instincts of men, their love of the sensational and the melodramatic. The vulgar and the morbid
is thus fostered, and a, "sort of evil theatrocracy has taken the place of old aristocracy, with disastrous
consequences to national well-being.
(B) Emotional Grounds
The emotional grounds on which Plato objects to poetry are the following:—
(1) The poets are 'divinely inspired'. It means that they do not compose poetry as craft, but by
virtue of some impulse of a mysterious, non-rational kind, coming from some supernatural source,
outside their own personality. They utter unconsciously what the Muse impels them to say : like
fountains they allow to flow out freely what comes to it. Hence' heir pronouncements are unreliable
and uncertain. The inspiration may -ease at any moment. There might be some truth in them for they
are divinely inspired, but such partial and imperfect truths must be carefully examined. Such truths
can be no substitute for knowledge based on reason.
(2) The poets cannot often themselves explain what they write, for their frenzy is 'non-
rational;'. Allegorical interpretations may be clever, but they are useless, as they are beyond the reach
of the young and the immature. Even allegorical interpretations cannot justify stories of a baneful
nature.
(3) Barring lyric poetry, which is purely narrative, all other poetry— epic, tragedy and
comedy—is imitative, wholly or partially, and all imitative poetry Plato regarded as pernicious. In
Imitative poetry, the poet, and the reader as well, identifies himself completely with the fictitious
characters of poetry, and such absorption in other personalities is weakening and unhealthy. It
enfeebles character and personality, and impairs the single mindedness and integrity of the
individual. Imitation soon becomes a second nature and the actor who imitates tends to behave like
the object of the imitation. Thus one who imitates a female part tends to grow effiminate. Imitation
will make him cowardly, knavish or clownish, if such roles are imitated.
(4) Since the imitation of lower or baser part of the soul is easier and gives greater momentary
pleasure, poets have a tendency to imitate the passionate element and thus abound in the vulgar, the
sensational and the corrupt. Reason is thus kept in abeyance and full sway is given to the emotions.
Hence poetry leads to loss of balance. In Republic X, Plato condemns poets saying : "they feed and
water the passions instead of
drying them up.......... "
(5) Emotions such as pity and grief should be restrained, but in tragic poetry (tragedy) we give
an uncontrolled expression to these emotions and thus play a woman's part.
(C) Intellectual Grounds
Plato attacks poetry on intellectual grounds as well : poets have no knowledge of truth, for they
imitate appearances and not the truth of things, illusions instead of reality. Poets, like painters,
imitate the surface of things. Beyond the world of the senses there is another world, the world of ideal
reality, where concepts, like truth, virtue, beauty, etc., exist in an ideal form. The phenomenal world is
a mere illusion, a reflection or shadow of the ideal world. The poets have no knowledge of reality; they
simply imitate the shadowy or the illusionary. Poetry is thrice removed from reality; it cannot be a
source of knowledge and truth. It can tell us nothing about the essential reality.
(D) Utilitarian Grounds
Poetry is the product of futile ignorance. The poet who imitates without really knowing what he is
imitating is demonstrating both his lack of useful purpose and his lack of knowledge. Plato is not
content with putting the 'imitator', of something below its maker; he also puts the maker below the
user. He writes, "there are three arts which are concerned with all things : one which uses, another
which makes, a third which imitates them." The poet stands the lowest, for neither does he use, nor
does he make, he merely imitates. Poetry can serve no useful, practical purpose; it must not be a part
of school curriculum.
At last Plato says that "no poetry should be admitted save hymns to the gods and panegyrics on
famous men." The poets may be honoured, but they must be banished from his ideal state.
Conclusion
Plato's attack has caused more misunderstanding than light. During and after the Renaissance,
Puritans cited him as an example in their attack on poetry, and lovers of poetry accused him of "a
denial of the value of art." For example, Sir Philip Sidney tried to justify Plato by saying that Plato's
attack was directed not against poetry but against the abuse of poetry. Nevertheless, Plato's views
were conditioned by his age and by certain specific circumstances of his time. And, therefore, his
condemnation is not of universal application.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Plato attacks poetry on personal, moral, emotional, intellectual and utilitarian grounds.
1. Personal grounds : Poetry in his age, though in a decadent age, was more popular than philosophy
and had a captivating influence. Plato being a philosopher wished to prove the superiority of
philosophy over poetry.
2. Moral grounds : Poetry has a demoralizing effect by pandering to the popular taste. Poets tell lies
about gods. Dramatic poets encourage lawlessness and licence.
3. Emotional grounds : Poets write as inspired beings hence non- rationalistic, mad; hence their
pronouncements unreliable and uncertain; meaningless, ambiguous statements; imitative poetry
pernicious as imitation becomes the second nature of the actor. Reason is kept in abeyance and full
play is given to emotion. By rousing pity and fear tragedy enfeebles human personality.
4. Intellectual grounds : Poets without knowledge of truths, illusive or delusive; poetry thrice
removed from reality.
5. Utilitarian Grounds : Poetry, the product of futile ignorance; Poet is not the real creator but
imitator. Poetry can serve no useful, practical purpose.

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Plato’s Attack on Poetry

(A) Moral Grounds

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