Plato and
Aristotle on Art as Imitation (Mimesis)
Plato, Republic
Art is imitation, and that’s bad.
Problems with imitation:
· Epistemological: An imitation is at three
removes from the reality or truth of something (example of bed).
· Theological: Poets and other artists
represent the gods in inappropriate ways.
· Moral and
Psychological: A good imitation can undermine the stability of even the best humans
by making us feel sad, depressed, and sorrowful about life itself.
Aristotle, Poetics
Art is imitation, and that’s all right,
even good.
· Imitation is natural to
humans from childhood.
· Imitation is how children
learn, and
we all learn from imitations.
· Tragedy can be a form of
education that provides moral insight and fosters emotional growth.
· Tragedy is the imitation (mimesis) of certain kinds of people and actions.
· Good tragedies must have
certain sorts of people and plots. (Good people experience a reversal of
fortune due to some failing or hamartia.)
· A successful tragedy
produces a katharsis in the audience.
· Katharsis = purification through pity
and fear.