The Cave and the Matrix Essay - 993 Words

The Cave and the Matrix Movie critics and philosophers alike agree that the movie â€Å"The Matrix† is indeed based upon certain Platonic themes from Book VII of The Republic. In this story entitled The Allegory of the Cave, he describes a dark underground cave where a group of people are sitting in one long row with their backs to the caves entrance. Chained to their chairs from an early age, all the humans can see is the distant cave wall in from of them. The shadows of statues held by unseen ‘puppet handlers’ reflect on the walls from the light of a fire that is also out of sight of those in the cave. The theme of the allegory is that their reality is a poor copy of the real world. According to Plato, our world is nothing but†¦show more content†¦In the movie, â€Å"The Matrix† this scene directly parallels with Neos scene in the matrix pod. Looking around in shock, Neo sees, for the first time, his true surroundings. He is actually living in a human factory. At first, Plato says that the Freed Prisoner would be confused at what he saw. As for Neo, when he is finally confronted with the truth surrounding the matrix, he is in a state of confusion and denial. In fact, he is so overwhelmed that he throws up and passes out. Plato wrote that the Freed Man might even feel that what he was seeing now was the illusion and the shadows on the wall were actually more real. There is a line in the movie where Cypher tells Trinity, I think the matrix can be more real than this world. Plato also goes on to suggest that the freed prisoner would not only be shock over the realization of his true existence, but that he would suffer physical pain. Like Neo, who says I cant go back, can I? the freed prisoners first reaction would be to return to false reality because it is less painful and more familiar to him. Plato wrote that the Philosopher must have started to question what he saw in front of him and wondered about the origin of the shadows and if there was anything else beyond the cave wall that he saw before him. The only way that a prisoner is able to escape is because he made a choice, wanting to learn the truth. This appears in theShow MoreRelatedThe Matrix And The Allegory Of The Cave1513 Words   |  7 PagesThe Matrix and the Allegory of the Cave focus on one central idea: What is real?. They engage the audience in a fictional world where people live in false realities without knowing it. They make us question our own knowledge. Their storylines connect in that the protagonist discovers that everything he knows is a big lie and now he must discover the truth. The protagonist is thrown all of the sudden into the real world and then, he continues to seek the absolute truth. Neo and the prisoner inquireRead MoreThe Matrix And The Allegory Of The Cave Analysis1102 Words   |  5 PagesWritten over two thousand years apart, The Matrix and The Allegory of the Cave still stir up the same type of intellectual discussions over full enlightenment despite taking place in an entirely different world. Written between 380 and 360 B.C, The Allegory of the Cave, depicts a hypothetical situation in which a group of prisoners have been chained since birth only able to see the shadows casted on to the wall in front of them. They know nothing more than the shadows they see on the wall, completelyRead MoreThe Matrix And Allegory Of The Cave Analysis769 Words   |  4 Pagesboth The Matrix and Allegory of the Cave. The Matrix, written by Lana Wachowski illustrates many questions throughout. The main character, Neo, tries finding Morpheus in need of an answer to his question. What is the Matrix? 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Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher wrote The Allegory of the Cave, to explainRead More Allegory of the Cave vs The Matrix Essay1473 Words   |  6 Pagesin Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† are blind from true reality as well as the people in the movie â€Å"The Matrix† written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. They are given false images and they accept what their senses are telling them, and they believe what they are experiencing is all that really exists. Plato the ancient Greek philosopher wrote â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave†, to explain the process of enlightenment and what true reality may be. In the movie â€Å"The Matrix†, Neo (the main character) was