Comparison Between Plato and Aristotle Views On

National University of Modern
Languages
Literary Criticism
Assignment-I
Submitted to
Ms. Shamsa Malik

Submitted by
Group-I
Lhr2124 Azka Aamir
LF2241 Faiza Nazir Ahmad
LF2249 Muhammad Ali Raza
LF2254 Usman Mustafa
BS-English 5th Semester

NUML Lahore
1
Comparison between Plato and Aristotle views on “Imitation”
Aristotle was a disciple of Plato. Plato and Aristotle both agreed that poetry like other arts
is imitative. However, they differ in their concept of nature of imitation. Aristotle is not the
originator of the term “imitation” or “mimesis” in connection with arts. The term had already
been used by Plato in his Republic. But Aristotle added new dimensions to the term and gave it a
greater precision of meaning and a greater scope. He gave it significance which removed the
sense of inferiority attached to it by Plato.
Both differed greatly in their approaches and objectives. Plato made conclusions
derogatory to poetry while Aristotle defended it. Some of these divergent views of Plato and
Aristotle on “imitation” is specified below;
Plato used the word “imitation” in the sense of mere copying of the appearances of the reality
while according to Aristotle, imitation is a creative process, the poet while imitating reality
transforms it into something new and much higher. According to Plato, the Poets has no
knowledge of truth, since they imitate only appearances instead of reality as it is an imitative art.
But according to Aristotle, it is not mere representation of outward appearances. This imitation is
of the deeper reality or the very basic elements of human nature.
Aristotle does not agree with Plato that poetry’s imitation is thrice removed from the
reality and hence illusion of truth, to prove his point he compares poetry with history. The poet
and historian differ not by their medium, but the true difference is that the historians relate “what
has happened”, while the poet to “what may/ought to have happened”. Poetry therefore is more
philosophical and a higher thing than history because history expresses the particular while
poetry tends to express the universal.
Plato suggests that the emotional appeal is a threat to reason, that mimetic art is remote
from reality, that the poet is not serious and knows nothing about poetry and cannot give
satisfactory information about his art. Although Aristotle agrees with Plato that poetry has the
power to stimulate emotions, he does not pay much attention to the ethical and epistemological
aspects of ‘mimesis’. Yet he dwells on the pleasure that men take in learning and argues that
tragedy discharges the feelings and spectators leave the play in a state of calm, free of passions.
Mimesis, as Aristotle takes it, is an active aesthetic process.
2
Where Plato argues that such imitative arts are “not creative” and do not contribute in
learning of ideal state men, Aristotle argues the concept of imitation as aesthetic matter. Mimesis
is not only ‘origin of art but also a distinguishing quality of man, since imitation is natural to
mankind from childhood on’; in addition, ‘all men find pleasure in imitation’. He claims that
there are ‘things that distress us when we see them in reality, but the most accurate
representation of these same things we view with pleasure.
Plato is of the view that imitative art such as poetry only have semblance of knowledge
and not the real knowledge and emphasized that anything that cannot convey true knowledge and
contribute to the society must be discarded as it is inferior but Aristotle view on such imitation is
that the poet not merely imitate but recreates and reorganizes already known facts and presents
them in a fresh and attractive way; for example, though audiences know the story of Sophocles’
Oedipus, they go and watch it. The reality as presented to us through ‘mimesis’ is superior and
universal not only because we are pleased to learn through imitation but also because such reality
is better.
Aristotle develops a consistent theory of art upon the concept of imitation. He begins
saying that all human actions are imitation, then, he focuses on poetry and other areas of studies
like history and philosophy. Lastly, he dwells on the poet and the concept of imitation as taken
and practiced by playwrights. All his arguments upon ‘mimesis’ are, both in general and in
specific sense, have aesthetics quality, since he does not take imitation as social, moral or
political phenomena but as an activity of the artist.

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National University of Modern

Ms. Shamsa Malik

BS-English 5th Semester

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