The Concept of Mimesis in Platos Allegory of the Cave

The idea of mimesis is that a certain medium is a representation of reality. The concept of mimesis extends to art, media, and other texts. Mimesis also creates a sense of false reality, as often the art appears and is can be taken as real as the real world. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the concept of mimesis is explained and through analysis of the novel and several other pieces of work can the implications and effects of mimesis be grasped. In The Allegory of the Cave, Plato’s concept that art is a representation of reality can be seen. Even further, Plato’s concept that reality is intermittently a copy of a greater perfect reality (that is found in heaven or a similar place). The concept of mimesis is refereed through analogy, by the shadows on the wall the prisoners see. The shadows on the wall show, â€Å"men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Plato 450). The shadows of the wall are believed to be cast by the real world, and an outside source of light. The prisoners interpret the shadows as accurate representations of what occurs outside, they perceive it as reality, even though it is merely shadows on the wall. It is similar to the portrait of a pipe drawn by Renà © Magritte that was shown in class; the text on the painting states that it is not a pipe because even though the portrait is a painting of a pipe, it is often still referred to as a pipe. In The Allegory of the