How did Plotinus describe the relationship between the human soul and the body?

For Plotinus, the relationship between the human soul and the body is complex, characterized by both a necessary connection and a significant tension.1

Plotinus viewed the descent of souls into bodies as both a fulfillment of universal law and a form of "fall". While he maintained a positive view of the material universe as a beautiful reflection of higher realities, he regarded the individual, earthly body negatively, often describing it as a hindrance that weighs the soul down and hampers its intellectual and spiritual ascent.1

In this context, Plotinus’s language is strongly dualistic, emphasizing that philosophical conversion requires turning away from bodily desires and the life of the senses. However, he insisted that this ascent is possible while remaining in an earthly body, without neglecting one's duties. Ultimately, humans can exist on various levels of experience; they may either isolate themselves within the concerns of their lower, bodily nature or rise through their intellect to reconnect with the universal Soul and the One.1