Obscure Question Re: Ancient Greek Philosophy

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Mar 19, 2001
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If I'm remembering correctly, Plato felt that it was immoral for a playwright to show a murder in his play, and Aristotle argued with him on this point.

I can't remember specifically where these passages are, and I'm having trouble finding them. Can anybody point me to these specific passages, exactly what was said by both, and where these passages are, in which dialogues?

Thank you very much for any help you can provide.
 
Wow, having to dredge the old brain here, but I think you might find that in Aristotle's "Poetics".
 
In the Republic (book ten) Plato tells Glaucon(more or less) that it's unseemly to let the emotions get stirred up by the performance of poetry. He refers to the poetry of Homer and says something to the effect of "when we suffer a personal tragedy like the ones the poets write/perform we don't display our emotions in public, we keep them under control, we don't get swept up in them like we do when we watch a performance."
This quote sums it up;" But you will know that the only poetry that should be allowed in a state is hymns to the gods and paeans in praise of good men;once you go beyond that and admit the sweet lyric or epic muse, pleasure and pain become your rulers instead of law and the principles commonly accepted as best."
The quote is from the Penguin Classics translation of H.D.P. Lee.
Hope this helps.:)
 
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