Desire and Myths are the central themes of this essay, the aim is to compare and contrast what Plato, in The Republic, and Hobbes, in Leviathan, suggest their role is in maintaining and/or subverting political order. Plato views political order as being the hierarchy of reason in the soul and the city, and Hobbes views political order as being the rule of the Sovereign over all the people to maintain peace. In this essay I will argue that Plato and Hobbes desires subvert political order leading to ruin of man, and they create myths to instill obedience and fear to maintain and sustain political order, to avoid ruin of mans life. To prove this argument first desire and then myths in both Plato and Hobbes will be examined individually, after…show more content… We have two myths before us, the myth of the metals and the myth of the state of nature. Both myths engage in a conscious effort to persuade people to maintain order, for Plato by having an ordered hierarchy of the soul with reason ruling spirit and appetite, and for Hobbes by each person giving up their rights and passions to a Sovereign. Both myths promote political hierarchy and serve as the solution to a poor human condition without political order. There also exists difference in both the myths, the first being that Plato's myth instills obedience and Hobbes myth instills fear to attain political order. The metal myth gives men reason to political hierarchy, and why reason must rule over every aspect of the city and soul. The myth of the state of nature on the other hand instills fear by painting a desolate picture of what life for men would be without any form of political order, a fight for survival leading to ware and death. Thereby instilling a fear of life, which can only be overcome by handing your rights and passions to a Sovereign. So Plato's myth becomes more about the conquering of reason and Hobbes myth is concerned with staying alive, yet both ultimately aim at maintain political