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Plato had a complex relationship with the arts, including plays. While he appreciated some aspects of the arts and was a skilled literary stylist himself, he found them threatening due to their potential influence on society. Plato proposed censoring poets and playwrights in his ideal Republic, believing that the arts could shape character and manipulate people[4]. Despite his reservations about plays and other art forms, Plato’s dialogues, often considered literary masterpieces, reveal his engagement with dramatic elements and theatrical imagery to express philosophical concepts[5]. Therefore, Plato’s views on plays were nuanced, reflecting both appreciation for literary expression and concern about their impact on society.
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Plato had a complex relationship with the arts, including plays. While he appreciated some aspects of the arts and was a skilled literary stylist himself, he found them threatening due to their potential influence on society. Plato proposed censoring poets and playwrights in his ideal Republic, believing that the arts could shape character and manipulate people[4]. Despite his reservations about plays and other art forms, Plato’s dialogues, often considered literary masterpieces, reveal his engagement with dramatic elements and theatrical imagery to express philosophical concepts[5]. Therefore, Plato’s views on plays were nuanced, reflecting both appreciation for literary expression and concern about their impact on society.
Citations: [1] Why was Plato against literature and art? Specifically why did he attack … https://www.reddit.com/r/AskLiteraryStudies/comments/11zommn/why_was_plato_against_literature_and_art/ [2] Thread: Plato’s argumentation against theatre and representation http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php [3] The Role of Play in the Philosophy of Plato - jstor https://www.jstor.org/stable/3749078 [4] Plato’s Aesthetics - Rowan University https://users.rowan.edu/~clowney/Aesthetics/philos_artists_onart/plato.htm [5] Theatre and Philosophy: The lies in Plato’s closet | Double Dialogues https://doubledialogues.com/article/theatre-and-philosophy-the-lies-in-platos-closet/
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