Plato's Theory of Beauty

Billy Cox

Plato's Theory of Beauty

While researching Plato's views on the subject of beauty and the classical Greek term kalon, it seemed to me that whether or not poetry was imitated or inspired was ultimately up to the poet. Initially it doesn't seem to be the case when Plato argues that poetry is deceptively attractive in that when the poetic lines are translated to common terms the poem becomes unremarkable. This seems to argue that poetry is not beautiful, but in Plato's work Ion, it is expressed that the Greek epic poet Homer either wrote out of imitation, or inspiration. If Homer wrote out of imitation he would be labeled ignorant, but if he wrote from inspiration his poetry would be beautiful. Ion, an actor I believe, has the option to either proclaim to be imitating, or inspired as well, with the same possible end result. Given the two options, Ion chooses to claim inspiration as well. How is it that Plato can argue the fraudulence of imitation and the nobility of inspiration, when given the option, a poet will always proclaim inspiration? It would seem to me that ultimately the two are identical and therefore either poetry is either imitative or inspired, counterfeit or genuine.