A Seven-Minute Tragedy

Although Plato and Aristotle had very different views on literature, it is possible that both would have approved of Immortal Technique's excellent tragic poem in his rap, "Dance With the Devil."



To begin, the application of the literary theories of Plato and Aristotle to a piece of contemporary poetry is challenging because the two philosophers maintain completely different philosophies on the subject of literature. First, Plato’s perception of poets is overall negative. In Ion, although he refers to poets as divine, he also rejects them for being possessed by the gods and thus irrational when, in his opinion, reason should govern any just man (“Ion” 14). In the Republic, a book in which Plato attempts to describe the ideal community, the kallipolis, Plato decides that poetry should be banished from a city governed by reason because poetry describes events that are not true and because it deals with the emotions, a part of the soul that is inferior to reason (“Republic 10” 52). Aristotle, on the other hand, never condemns poetry. Instead, he recognizes the art of imitation and analyzes its various parts (“Poetics” 57). Nevertheless, excerpts from their various writings can give us an idea of what the authors might have thought about this work.

Plato might have approved of “Dance With the Devil” because it teaches a moral lesson. Plato’s main concern in Republic is justice, and he states that poets should be forbidden from writing that “there are many unjust men who are happy, and just men who are miserable, that wrongdoings pays if you can get away with it, and that justice is another person’s good, but your own loss.” (“Republic 3” 32) Immortal Technique’s poem actually illustrates the opposite, which Plato certainly would have approved of. The main character in the story is “a corrupted young mind” whose corruption “successfully changed his fate.” The unjust character not only suffers the guilt of raping and killing his mother, but also ends up “[jumping] off the roof and [dying] with no soul.” If anything, this is an example of what not to do, and might actually improve the morals of its listeners.

Aristotle might also approve of this poem because of its character and its ability to evoke the emotions of fear and pity. The question of whether Aristotle would approve of the tragedy in Immortal Technique’s poem lies in our perception of William. In our Platonian analysis, we deduced that he was an unjust character. However, if we agree that William is an ordinary man who only succumbed to his malicious behavior after being consumed by the capitalistic society in which he lives, then he characterizes Aristotle’s tragic character: he is “not conspicuous for virtue and justice, and [his] fall into misery is not due to vice and depravity, but rather to some error” (Aristotle 72). Indeed, from his single mother’s drug addiction to his dropping out of school, he never has a chance: he is simply “the product of a ghetto breeding capitalistic mental.” Because William is described as helpless, listeners are able to sympathize with him as he accidentally spirals into depravity and unknowingly kills his mother in a manner similar to Oedipus in the play of the same title that Aristotle so often references as an example of great tragedy. He even describes William’s behavior as acceptable tragic events: “But when the sufferings involve those who are near and dear to one another, when for example brother kills brother… or son mother… then we have a situation of the kind to be aimed at” (75).

Despite the fact that Plato and Aristotle almost never agreed, I argue that they may both have approved of Immortal Technique’s tragic poem, “Dancing With the Devil,” although they would have done so for different reasons. Plato would have approved because the poem teaches a moral lesson, while Aristotle would have approved because he describes tragedy as evoking fear and pity for character who suffers due to an error. Yet, it is interesting to consider that neither philosopher ever witnessed such poetry or rhythm in their lives. Indeed, their philosophies may have been entirely different if they had.

Sources:

Aristotle. "Poetics." Classical Litearary Criticism. Trans. Penelope Murray and T.S. Dorsch. London: Penguin, 2000.

Plato. "Republic 2." Classical Literary Criticism. Trans. Penelope Murray and T.S. Dorsch. London: Penguin, 2000.

-----. "Republic 3." Classical Literary Criticism. Trans. Penelope Murray and T.S. Dorsch. London: Penguin, 2000.

Immortal Technique. "Dance With the Devil." Youtube.