Plato, pages 85-93

Why should plays, and acting in them, be regulated? What is potentially beneficial or harmful from acting in a play?

Plays should be regulated because then people can put on a good show and the acting will be better directed. It might be good to regulate plays because then you can control the violence and there isn't as much detail in the battles and the fighting. Plato criticizes how some of the dialogue is written and if a play is regulated, then you can control the dialogue. Plato thinks plays should be edited or banned.

One thing that could be beneficial from acting in a play is that an actor can gain popularity. Something that can be harmful is that people can get jealous about actors and some people may not like the acting and some people may criticize you or hurt your feelings because they have different feelings about the play. Other beneficial things are that plays can be entertaining and make people happy.