Plato’s comments on Drama.
Plato’s observations on poetry are equally applicable to drama. In addition, he makes a few more comments on the dramatic art.
a)Its appeal to baser Instincts
Unlike poetry, drama is to be staged. The audience consists of heterogeneous multitude. To please them all, the dramatist introduces quarrels and lamentations in tragedy and imitation of thunder and cries of beasts in comedy. Such a drama is capable of arousing man’s bad instincts. Plato did disapprove such plays in his REPUBLIC.
b) Effects of Impersonation
The actors in a play have to impersonate various characters. Such characters include thieves, murderers, cowards and knaves. Constant impersonation results in letting the evil qualities into the actor’s own nature. Plato argues that even acting the part of an innocent character is harmful. Constant impersonation represses individuality and leads to the weakening of one’s character. He admits that impersonation of noble heroes will stimulate virtuous actions such as courage, wisdom, virtue etc. in the actor.
c) Tragic and Comic pleasure
The question ‘what is it in a scene that causes pleasure?’, had occurred to Plato. He gave an explanation of his own. Human nature, he says, is a mixture of heterogeneous feelings such as anger,envy, fear, grief etc. A man weeps or get angry because it pleases him to lose his temper or to go on weeping. In comedy the pleasure takes the form of laughter at what we see on the stage. The entire Greek comedies were satirical in form. We laugh at a coward who pretends to be a brave man. Such pleasure, according to Plato, is of negative kind because it comes from the weakness of the character. We must pity him instead of laughing at him. Also Plato warns against too much pity and too much laughter. Plato here hits upon a profound truth that no character can be comic unless he is lovable.
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