Why did Plato banish the poet from his ideal state?
1
Poetry makes an artificial distinction between form and content.
2
Poetry deals with form, to the neglect of content.
3
In representing the sensual aspects of reality, the poet fails to discern the transcendent reality behind mere appearance.
4
The poet can never produce a completely accurate replica of the reality it seeks to represent, and (moreover) the purpose of art is not to describe reality but to change it.