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International Journal of Language , Literature , Culture and History Studies Vol.1, NO.2 , P: 96 - 103 Received : 08 Des 2018 Accepted : 06 Mar 2019 A Study on the Relation of Platonic Dramas with Diegetic Dramas, Focusing on the Plays by Bahman Forsi Mozhdeh Sameti PhD in Comparative and Analytical History modern period where some modernists such of Art, University of Art of Tehran as Bahman Forsi represent diegetic drama. Results showed that there is a correlative [email protected] relation between diegetic Platonic dramas and diegetic Iranian dramas. These results led us to a new structure for Iranian dramas. Abstract Keywords: Plato, Aristotle, diegesis, Plato’s works have always been studied as mimesis, diegetic drama, Iranian drama, philosophical dialogues. Few scholars have Bahman Forsi considered them as dramatic texts. Plato’s approach to mimesis has made him an anti- Introduction theatre figure. His emphasis on diegesis Talking about diegetic or narrative dramas instead of mimesis may be one of the reasons and its counterpart, mimetic or imitative his theories disappeared from dramatic dramas, goes back to classical era. Plato’s studies. But modern drama, based more on writings were among the first ones which diegesis, have connections with Platonic began this discussion. When we relate drama concepts. Modern diegetic dramas have been to Plato it means that we considered him as a recognized as a new genre in modern era. dramatist and his works as a drama. But can This research is going to study these diegetic this assumption be true? Based on Plato’s dramas which go back to Platonic dialogues. theory of forms, it is always claimed that First, mimesis and diegesis were explained Plato was against mimesis and mimetic arts. through classical views. Also Plato’s So how can such a thinker be interested in a dialogues were compared with tragedy and mimetic art such as theatre and drama? comedy as the main forms of drama. Having achieved Platonic dramaturgy, modern Mimesis, which means imitation, and drama is analyzed. Through comparing diegesis, which means narrativity, are two modern diegetic dramas with Platonic important concepts rooted in Plato’s and dramas we got to the components that Aristotle’s works. In Republic and Ion Plato construct diegetic dramas. By using these expresses his views about mimesis and components we studied structure of Iranian diegesis. He believed that diegesis is more dramas. Roots and conditions of Iranian widespread than mimesis. He explains that dramatic tradition proceeded us to the when Homer talks in the third-person point 96 of view, there is ‘pure diegesis’, and when sampling method is used for studying Homer talks in first-person, we see ‘diegesis Bahman Forsi’s plays. These samples are through mimesis’ [1]. On the opposite side, chosen from the plays written in the period Aristotle believed that all modes of poetry, between 1953 Coup d’état to 1979 Islamic such as lyrics, epic and drama, are different Revolution of Iran, when it was the kinds of mimesis, so mimesis is more general flourishing era of modernist dramatists in and valued than diegesis [2]. According to general, and of Forsi in particular. this defense of mimesis and mimetic art by Findings Aristotle, theatre and dramatic studies shaped on Aristotelian views since then, and so Platonic Dramas Platonic ones disappeared from these fields. The term Platonic drama raises the question But history of theatre and drama was not of relation between Plato and being always in accordance with Aristotelian dramatist. Despite the common views about approach. For example modern drama, which Plato that consider him as an anti-theatrical is based mostly on diegetic forms, does not figure, he was involved in drama writings. have anything to do with Aristotelian The very first facts for this claim can be decorum and instead it has many common found in Aristotle’s Poetics, where he gives a structures with the Platonic one. Among the division of dramatic genres. He presents a diegetic modern theater movements, one of basic taxonomy of ancient drama which the most diegetic dramatic literature belongs includes three established genres of to Iran’s modern drama which rooted in its ‘tragedy’, ‘comedy’ and ‘satyr’; he also adds own diegetic theatrical tradition. And among two minor genres: ‘mime’ and ‘Socratic these modernist Iranian dramatists, Bahman dialogue’, which was a new literary form Forsi (1933- ) is one the most significant one introduced by Socrates’s student, Plato. This whose works shaped an important movement Socratic dialogues, being referred as a minor in Iran’s dramatic literature. Since most genre of drama by Aristotle, gained dramatic literary criticisms on dramatic texts are often prestige, and that is why we now call them based on Aristotelian views, Iranian dramas Platonic dramas. Besides Aristotle’s Poetics, and especially Forsi’s dramas have not been there are some other facts that proves Plato as considered as standard dramatic texts as they a dramatist. For example Diogenes Laertius do not follow classical decorum. This (180-240 AD), Plato’s biographer, depicts research aims to change this view by him as a person who was involved with presenting another classical decorum as theatre during all his lifetime. He says that Platonic principles which is mainly based on Plato had connections with Euripides and diegesis instead of mimesis. Epicharmus, the two significant dramatist of Methodology classical era, and sometimes he himself wrote trilogy tragedies which he burnt some time This research is based on data analysis in later [3]. quantitative method which gained its material by searching archives. Besides Despite all the anti-theatrical interpretations primary and secondary sources that provided of Plato’s works, in later eras some scholars analytical material for this research, began to focus on this dramatic aspect of 97 Platonic works. For example Friedrich it was mostly read aloud by one person in Schleiermacher (1768-1834) applied front of small audiences; it was based on a interdisciplinary discussions to Platonic new subject matter, philosophy; and it lacked studies and focused on dramatic aspects of the spectacular effects of choral dancing” [7]. those texts. Or James A. Arieti (1948- ) who, He then compares Plato’s dialogues with in his important book Interpreting Plato: The western modern diegetic dramas, or more Dialogues as Drama (1991), believed that specifically, with closet dramas. Through Plato’s dialogues were more similar to these studies he has obtained some specific tragedy and comedy, especially to diegetic components applied to diegetic Aristophanes’ comedy, than to scientific and dramas which can be used for further studies literary texts before Socrates. So he thinks of other dramas in other dramatic literature that we should not ignore dramatic aspects of such as Iran’s and Forsi’s dramas. these dialogues in favor of philosophical But before going to analytic study of Forsi’s ones, and we should study them as studying dramas, we should have an exact outline of Sophocles’ or Shakespeare’s works [4]. He what the Platonic drama and diegetic emphasizes that Plato did not want us to read components are. his works as only philosophical treatises but he used prosaic comedy form to lead the Platonic Dramaturgy reader to comprehend this difference [5]. For In expressing structural elements of Platonic example he sees Symposium as an dramaturgy, first we take a look at intellectual comedy than a serious discussion similarities and differences of these dramas about love [6]. with tragedy and comedy. Another important contemporary literary Classical tragedy has significant differences scholar who has studied Platonic dramas with Plato’s dialogues. First, Plato’s concentrating on diegesis and mimesis dialogues are about contemporary characters, concepts, is Martin Puchner (1969- ). He has not mythological figures. Second, they are two important books in this filed, Stage written in prose, not in verse. And Plato’s Fright (2002) and The Drama of Ideas: dialogues did not attend Dionysus festival. Platonic Provocations in Theater and Despite all these differences, there are some Philosophy (2010), which are somehow similarities between them too. For example structural framework of this research too. In character of Socrates in Plato’s works has these two books Puchner analyses the tragic fate. Many of Plato’s works such as diegetic structure of Platonic dialogues as Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo depicts a dramatic texts. He says: “it is true that Plato tragic story of Socrates’ death. Although in was extremely critical of the entire theatre Phaedo Plato attacks tragedy more than any system… his critique must be understood not other book, it is the very text where he as that of an outsider but as that of a rival; he follows some tragic principles in describing was not an enemy of theatre but a radical Socrates’ death, such as tragic fate, tragic reformer. Attacking many features of suspense, unity of time, and most of all the Athenian theatre, he sought to create an catharsis. Socrates describes himself as a alternative form of drama, the Socratic dialogue, which avoided all of these features: 98 tragic character: “as tragedians say, this was and applied this by adding narrator to the my fate” [8]. mimetic world of the drama. In other words Plato’s dialogues were not only in connection Plato was inventor of a new genre of drama with tragedy, but also with comedy. For that flourished in modern era. example Plato was interested in portraying Modern Drama issues of the society, not historical stories, and that is what is found more in comedy. The relation of modernism with theatre is Also, his characters were from his complicated. Renaissance art was in praise of contemporary surroundings with usual mimesis. All arts and literature tried to features.

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