The Allegory of the Cave

Below is a bit of my Essay so far, if you have any addition insight I would love to hear it.

The Matrix as a whole is truly a philosophically inspired film, with influences from many Pre-Socratic philosophers, world religions and scientific tendencies. Of these influences one can clearly take a look at the philosophy of Plato in accordance to Neo’s awakening; with its greatest allusion resting with Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. In The Republic, Plato presents the possibility of the real world as an illusion. Plato calls us to imagine a cave in which individuals had been constricted within since birth. Within the cave, these individuals have been bound by the neck and they can look only straight. Possessing only a frontal focal point, these individuals peer out at the wall in front of them as the fire behind them coupled with the statues cast images of grandiose stature.

Because they have witnessed nothing more than these images since birth, the individuals perceived the shadows are their reality. As Plato continues he explains the faith of an individual who has been released from bondage a witnesses the world which we perceive for the first time. Blinded by the light and fearful of the sun this individual is met by the harsh “reality” of this new world. As he begins to live within the outside he embraces this world as “reality” and seeks to descend once more into the cave in order to share his insight with his fellow captives. The experience of this prisoner is a metaphor is definitely portrayed within the open sequence of the first Matrix film.

Awakened from a computer generated dream world, Neo becomes fully aware of the distinction between The Matrix and reality. Neo is literally pulled from the cave in the first film. Like the prisoner Neo possesses no understanding of this strange new world he has introduced to. He expresses difficulty adjusting to the new world, comprehending its existence and it is not until Morpheus explains the plight of the human race that Neo gains some insight to the situation. While this awakening was emphasized specifically in the first film of the trilogy, this theme of enlightenment becomes a reoccurrence in both Reloaded and Revolutions. The frequent visits to the Matrix within the Reloaded and Revolution mark a basic tenet of Plato’s Allegory. As insisted by Plato, once an individual is introduced to reality they are now compelled to take enlighten others. This is seen within the film as Neo take the responsible of “The One”, and the ultimate savior of humanity. Along with this sense of duty we see another parallel to the allegory as Neo and his companions are constantly faced with hostility. With each time Neo returns to the Matrix he is faced with hostility; hostility from the Smiths, Merovingian, The Twin, among others in the second film. The same experience is shared by the prisoner who has escaped from the cave.