Plato’s Republic is a classic text in literature that discusses various issues of social, political and literary importance. The work’s relevance supersedes spatial and temporal boundaries and it continues to foster discussions on an array of issues. However, like many other important men of words, Plato has often been misread and thus, his ideas have been variously misrepresented. Or in the least, Plato’s ideas have frequently been only partially presented, with a limited scope. Plato’s banishment of the poets from the ideal state, for example, has been one bone of contention among scholars. Various representations, misrepresentations have been made in this connection. Likewise, the final section of the Republic, has often found itself amidst interpretive controversies. The concluding section of the Book X of Republic introduces the myth of Er. Now, the myth of Er is a story about the afterlife experience which does not easily assimilate with the main argument of the other nine books of the Republic. As such, there has been a longstanding debate as to why Plato abruptly introduced the section, since the myth basically sounds out of place. This paper seeks to discuss the relevance of the myth of Er vis-à-vis the main arguments of the Republic.

Keywords: Reality, Imitation, Afterlife, Myth, Ideal State.

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