Part III (a) Dramatic Poetry Appeals to the Emotions, not to the Reason
Drama represents the acts and fortunes of human beings: what they do (voluntarily or against their will), how they 'make out' with the consequences (happy or otherwise), and with their feeling of joy and sorrow in all these experiences. The temperament filled with emotion, gives scope for a great diversity of dramatic representation than does the calm and wise character who is unvarying in constancy, and not easy to represent. Plato believe that even when represented, this character is not understood, especially by a gathering in a theatre (diverse audience with varying experiences of life?). The 'steadfast disposition' does not naturally attract the dramatic poet, and his skill is not designed to work well with it. If he is to have a popular success, he must address himself to the emotional type with its rich variety of material representation.
The appeal of dramatic poetry is not to the reason but to a lower part, and the emotions themselves (like the senses), are subject to illusions. Illusory exaggerations of feeling should be corrected by reflection. (Interestingly, I was listening to the movie Producer, Norman Jewison, being interviewed on CBC Radio on my way home from school on Monday (15th) after our class, and he said "of course, film is illusion".) But the dramatist is concerned about arousing sympathetic emotion rather than to control its excesses. Drama, therefore, is as far removed as visual art from true reality and from wisdom, because the element in our nature that responds to art is equally far from wisdom. This will be true not only of visual art, but of art addressed to the ear - poetry.
The word "mimesis" enters into any discussion of dramatic arts, and has a wider sense than dramatic impersonation: the nearest English word is 'representation', applicable to many forms of fine art. The usual definition 'imitation', is misleading if it is used as the sole definition. On the other hand, mimesis does also mean 'imitation', and this encourages the suggestion that tragic acting is on a level with mimicry and that fine art in general is no more than a copying of external appearances. The view that a work of art is an image of likeness (icon or eikon ) of some original, or holds a mirror up to nature, became prominent towards the end of the 5th-century. Plato's attack adopts this theory. The art which claims to be 'realistic' is, in Plato's view, as far as possible from reality.
Plato said that it was justified in not admitting the dramatic poet into a well-ordered commonwealth (Republic), because he stimulates and strengthens an element which threatens to undermine the reason. "The dramatic poet sets up a vicious form of government in the individual soul: he gratifies that senseless part which cannot distinguish great and small, and he is an image-maker whose images are phantoms far removed from reality. So, even though conflicts are constantly occurring in the mind between feelings and reason, it should be reason that decides on the best moves in the game of life." So says Plato.
The appeal of dramatic poetry is not to the reason but to a lower part, and the emotions themselves (like the senses), are subject to illusions. Illusory exaggerations of feeling should be corrected by reflection. (Interestingly, I was listening to the movie Producer, Norman Jewison, being interviewed on CBC Radio on my way home from school on Monday (15th) after our class, and he said "of course, film is illusion".) But the dramatist is concerned about arousing sympathetic emotion rather than to control its excesses. Drama, therefore, is as far removed as visual art from true reality and from wisdom, because the element in our nature that responds to art is equally far from wisdom. This will be true not only of visual art, but of art addressed to the ear - poetry.
The word "mimesis" enters into any discussion of dramatic arts, and has a wider sense than dramatic impersonation: the nearest English word is 'representation', applicable to many forms of fine art. The usual definition 'imitation', is misleading if it is used as the sole definition. On the other hand, mimesis does also mean 'imitation', and this encourages the suggestion that tragic acting is on a level with mimicry and that fine art in general is no more than a copying of external appearances. The view that a work of art is an image of likeness (icon or eikon ) of some original, or holds a mirror up to nature, became prominent towards the end of the 5th-century. Plato's attack adopts this theory. The art which claims to be 'realistic' is, in Plato's view, as far as possible from reality.
Plato said that it was justified in not admitting the dramatic poet into a well-ordered commonwealth (Republic), because he stimulates and strengthens an element which threatens to undermine the reason. "The dramatic poet sets up a vicious form of government in the individual soul: he gratifies that senseless part which cannot distinguish great and small, and he is an image-maker whose images are phantoms far removed from reality. So, even though conflicts are constantly occurring in the mind between feelings and reason, it should be reason that decides on the best moves in the game of life." So says Plato.
posted by maggiesong at 5:11 PM
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