| Plato explores the idea that sight is the most complex sense. In addition he points out the fact that we can only see things when there is light. Therefore, we can only see truth when it is illuminated by good. Similarly, in the case of my performance one can only see the meaning of the visual metaphor when they step out of their comfort zone and into the “light” or the middle of the circle where everything is explained. |
Of the three performances for this project, “Audience” is certainly the one most directly connected to Plato’s allegory. The physical structure and visual metaphors at work in this performance mimicked the structure of Plato’s cave and were juxtaposed with communication theory.
The Four Faculties:
On one level the physical set up replicated Plato’s “four faculties of the soul” (Plato 253). These faculties from lowest level to highest are: the perception of shadows, understanding, faith or conviction and reason. In this diagram you can see how I paralleled the structure of the performance to the hierarchical structure of the faculties:
The Four Faculties:
On one level the physical set up replicated Plato’s “four faculties of the soul” (Plato 253). These faculties from lowest level to highest are: the perception of shadows, understanding, faith or conviction and reason. In this diagram you can see how I paralleled the structure of the performance to the hierarchical structure of the faculties:
In Republic these faculties are then expanded and represented as different levels in the allegory of the cave. The cave-dwellers, like audience members in the outermost area, lack the ability to understand what is being presented to them. It is not until these people approach the circle that they are able to see what is truly happening.