Analysis of the Concept of Mimesis in Ancient Greece and in Dialogues III and X of Plato's Republic

Abstract

In this article, the concept of mimesis will be analyzed, a term of great relevance in ancient Greece, especially in art, and which was the subject of reflection by prominent Greek philosophers, one of them was Plato, who offered a profound and provocative interpretation of mimesis in his philosophical work. This analysis will show that it is a term that adapts to

different contexts, which allows it to be applied in different ways. Such applications make it possible to see that art should not be interpreted in an exclusive way, for example, because it would unnecessarily reduce the meaning of the term. To show what has been stated, the article is divided into three sections: initially an análisis of mimesis in pre-Socratic thought will be made, then the term will be examined in books II and III of The Republic, and finally, will analyze and show the evolution of the term in The Republic of the Athenian philosopher and why Plato considers, in book X, that mimetic poetry has no value of knowledge.