In his theory of Mimesis, Plato says that all art is mimetic by nature; art is an imitation of life.

He
believed that ‘idea’ is the ultimate reality. Art imitates idea and so it is imitation of reality. He gives an
example of a carpenter and a chair. The idea of ‘chair’ first came in the mind of carpenter. He gave
physical shape to his idea out of wood and created a chair. The painter imitated the chair of the
carpenter in his picture of chair. Thus, painter’s chair is twice removed from reality. Hence, he believed
that art is twice removed from reality. He gives first importance to philosophy as philosophy deals with
the ideas whereas poetry deals with illusion – things which are twice removed from reality. So to Plato,
philosophy is superior to poetry. Plato rejected poetry as it is mimetic in nature on the moral and
philosophical grounds. On the contrary, Aristotle advocated poetry as it is mimetic in nature. According
to him, poetry is an imitation of an action and his tool of enquiry is neither philosophical nor moral. He
examines poetry as a piece of art and not as a book of preaching or teaching.

Aristotle was the disciple of Plato and was influenced by him a great deal. But he differed from his guru
in certain respects. Plato condemned poetry, Aristotle appreciated it. Plato set out to reorganize human
life; Aristotle to re-organise human knowledge. Plato was a transcendentalist, who arrived at his
principles through observation and analysis. Plata was an idealist, too.

He believed that the phenomenal world is but an objectification of the ideal world. The ideal world is
real, the phenomenal world is but a shadow of this ideal reality. It is, therefore, fleeting and unreal.
Aristotle, on the other hand, believed in the reality of the world of the senses. It is on the basis of the
study and observation of particular realities that general principles can be induced. Thus, Aristotle
moves from the real, to the ideal, from the particular to the general. His methods are inductive. In this
respect, he stands at the opposite pole from Plato.

Plato's language is poetic and charming, Aristotle's is dogmatic and telegraphic. There was more
originality in Plato than in Aristotle, but Aristotle is more comprehensive and systematic than Plato.
Plato used first the word 'imitation' in connection with poetry. But Plato considered imitation merely as
mimicry or a servile copy of nature. Aristotle's interpretation of it has a far-deeper significance. For
Aristotle, imitation was a creative force.

Plato likened poetry to painting. Aristotle likened it to music. Plato believed that poetry imitates only the
external superficial appearances, and that it is, therefore, twice removed from reality. On the other
hand, Aristotle believed that poetry imitates not only the externals, but also internal emotions and
experiences. Plato regards that poetry imitates objects as usual, or better or worse than they are. Poetry
gives or traces possibility. It explores what ought to be.
Plato was critical of poetry on moral intellectual and emotional grounds. Aristotle has justified all the
claims of superiority of poetry on moral, intellectual and emotional grounds. Aristotle used the word
'katharsis' for the first time.

Plato regarded philosophy to be superior to poetry. Aristotle regarded poetry to be superior to

philosophy. Plato was of the view that poetry being a false imitation does not have power or scope to
deal with high philosophical matters. Aristotle, quite contrary to it, believed that poetry is the more
philosophical. It has immense power to deal with even philosophical matters.

Plato regarded emotions as useless for poetry. He advocated their repression. Aristotle, on the other
hand, regarded the emotion as of vital importance to poetic creation. For Aristotle, poetry was but a
mere emotional outlet.

In his theory of Mimesis, Plato says that all art is mimetic by nature; art is an imitation of life. He
believed that ‘idea’ is the ultimate reality. Art imitates idea and so it is imitation of reality. He gives an
example of a carpenter and a chair. The idea of ‘chair’ first came in the mind of carpenter. He gave
physical shape to his idea out of wood and created a chair. The painter imitated the chair of the
carpenter in his picture of chair. Thus, painter’s chair is twice removed from reality. Hence, he believed
that art is twice removed from reality. He gives first importance to philosophy as philosophy deals with
the ideas whereas poetry deals with illusion – things which are twice removed from reality. So to Plato,
philosophy is superior to poetry. Plato rejected poetry as it is mimetic in nature on the moral and
philosophical grounds. On the contrary, Aristotle advocated poetry as it is mimetic in nature. According
to him, poetry is an imitation of an action and his tool of enquiry is neither philosophical nor moral. He
examines poetry as a piece of art and not as a book of preaching or teaching.

Aristotle replied to the charges made by his Guru Plato against poetry in particular and art in general. He
replied to them one by one in his defence of poetry.

All art is representation (imitation) of life, but none can represent life in its totality. Therefore, an artist
has to be selective in representation. He must aim at representing or imitating an aspect of life or a
fragment of life.

Action comprises all human activities including deeds, thoughts and feelings. Therefore, we find
soliloquies, choruses etc. in tragedy.

The writer of ‘tragedy’ seeks to imitate the serious side of life just as a writer of ‘comedy’ seeks to
imitate only the shallow and superficial side. The tragic section presented on the stage in a drama
should be complete or self contained with a proper beginning, proper middle and proper end. A
beginning is that before which the audience or the reader does not need to be told anything to
understand the story. If something more is required to understand the story than the beginning gives, it
is unsatisfactory. From it follows the middle. In their turn the events from the middle lead to the end.
Thus the story becomes a compact & self sufficient one. It must not leave the impression that even after
the end the action is still to be continued, or that before the action starts certain things remain to be
known.