Plato and Myth

I'm probably stating the obvious when I observe that there is a rich history of myth in among many of  the greatest philosophical minds across the ages. Plato poses a particularly interesting example, one that stands out from many others, in that he specifically critiqued mythology and the poets who produced it in his philosophical works. In The Republic, for example, Plato delivers a scathing critique of the poets in their tendency to bend the truth, to create vague representations thrice removed from Reality, and to create myths which promoted immorality amongst the populace with less-than-flattering depictions of the gods. Th irony, and the intrigue, comes from the realization that Plato was himself a thinker of significant narrative intelligence, a master of myth. In the very same book, Plato offers a number of myths and poetical metaphors to drive home his philosophical points, such as his famous cave analogy, the "myth of metals," the "Ring of Gyges," the beasts of the soul, and the elaborate speculations on the afterlife at the conclusion in Book X which Plato dramatized in poetical semi-narrative form. A quick rundown:

--> "Plato's Cave" describes how our material world amounts to no more than shadows on a cave wall in comparison to Reality, and narrates how a philosopher must break free of the cave to see the "real world" "outside," and attempt to lead others to do the same.
-->  The "myth of the metals" essentially states that people are forged underground from various metals which translate to inherent traits, based on bronze, silver, or gold, as a system for setting up social classes in a metaphorical city.
--> The "Ring of Gyges" is an illustration used by Glaucon in the dialogue to illustrate how if people could get away with anything, then "virtuous" and "vicious" people would act the same.
--> The beasts of the should analogy describes the soul as in constant tension between desire for the material, desire for honor, and desire for wisdom, described as a many-headed chimera, a lion, and a man respectively, which comprises the soul.
--> His take on the afterlife is a bit lengthy to do any sort of justice. Suffice to say that it involves the soul flying into the heavens to learn unadulterated Truth before returning to a human body.

Moreover, to get meta with it, Plato utilizes almost exclusively dialogues to write his philosophy, which is a sort of narrative in and of itself, cleverly creating dialectical philosophy as a tool for pedagogy and persuasion.

All this to say that though Plato was an outspoken critic of the arts and poetry/myth in particular, he himself exemplified its use as a literary/philosophical/metaphorical tool, rendering his critique intriguing and ironic.