Aristotle, immitation concept

Aristotle’s Concept of Imitation Aristotle took the term ‘Imitation’ from Plato, yet Aristotle gave new dimensions and significance to the term. Aristotle’s imitation is not mere copying but a creative imitation or re-creation. It is the imitation of the ideals. Aristotle describes the medium, objects and manner of poetic imitation.

Plato’s Idea of Imitation Plato divides arts into useful arts like medicine and agriculture and imitative arts like poetry. To Plato ‘idea’ was the truth or reality and the world is mere representation of reality. The objects before us are the imitation of the reality. Poetry, according to Plato, is an imitator of the appearances, which are already the imitation of the reality. Thus, poetry is twice removed from reality or truth. It is the shadow of shadows. Plato called it the mother of lies. Aristotle’s Concept of Imitation Aristotle gave new dimension and significance to the term imitation, which removed the sense of inferiority attached to it by Plato. According to Aristotle, poetry is the one of the fine arts. Art imitates not merely the appearances or the externals of this world. Art deals with the very essence of things. There is a creative reproduction of the external world in accordance with the artist’s idea. Poetry is therefore not an imitation of shadow but it is the imitation of the ideal reality. Moreover, poetry deals with universal and the ideal. The significance of the truth is that it is universal, essential and permanent. Imitation is not mere slavish copying. It is not mere representation of the outward appearance. This imitation is of the deeper reality.

Imitation of Outward as well as Inner Activity Aristotle says that poetry imitates men in action. ‘Men in action’ includes their thoughts, feelings, will, motives and emotions. Poetry is an imitation of human life. Action involves both the inward life and the outward events. So poetic imitation involves outward as well s inward