Plato's Allegory of the cave Winnie Wong Wei Ni 1101745

The Allegory of the cave by Plato represents an extended metaphor that is to contrast the way in which we perceived and believe in what is reality.

The multi-faceted meaning we can seen in the beginning with the presence of our prisoners whom are chained within the darkness of the aforementioned cave. The prisoners are bound to the floor and unable to turn their heads to see what goes on behind them. The prisoners perceived the reality from the shadows shown on the wall. There are also echoes off the wall from the noise produced from the walkway. The prisoner would praise as clever whoever could best guess which shadows would come next, as someone who understood the shadows on the nature of the world, and the whole of their society would depends on the shadows on the wall.

The socrates only believes the shadows on the walls rather than what he sees. After the prisoner is release from the cave, they are forced to look upon the fire and objects that once dictated his perception of reality and he thus realizes these new images in front of him are now the accepted forms of reality. After sometime on the surface, the prisoner can see more and more, until he could look upon the sun, he would understand the sun is the source of the seasons and the years.

After the prisoner return to the cave, the prisoner would metaphorically be entering a world of darkness yet again, and would be faced other unreleased prisoners. Other unreleased prisoner might laugh at the released prisoner for taking the useless ascent out of the cave in the first place. It is depends on the prisoner to represent leadership, for it is him alone who is conscious of goodness.

The allegory is a remark of what a solid leader should be. The prisoner is expected to return to the cave and live amongst his former prisoner as someone whom can see better than all the rest, someone whom is now able to govern from truth and the goodness. He is expected to care for his citizens. 


The "Allegory of the Cave" represents a complex model as to which we are to travel through our lives and understanding. The four stages of thought combined with the progress of human development represent our own path to complete awareness in which the most virtuous and distinguished will reach, and upon doing so shall lead the public. The story as told by Socrates and Glaucon presents a unique look at the way in which reality plays such an important part in our own existence, and how one understands it can be used as a qualification for leadership and government.