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How did Plato connect metaphysical knowledge with eternal Forms and the soul?

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Marble bust of Aristotle with a beard and draped robe, showing detailed facial features and wavy hair, set against a dark background. — metaphysics Detail of a Roman copy (2nd century bce) of a Greek alabaster portrait bust of Aristotle (c. 325 bce); in the collection of the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.

Plato connected metaphysical knowledge to eternal Forms and the soul by positioning the rational soul as the bridge between the sensory world and a higher, unchanging reality.1

For Plato, true knowledge is not derived from the unstable, impermanent world revealed by perception, but from the apprehension of abstract essences known as Ideas or Forms. These Forms are eternal, unchanging, and exist independently of the senses. Because sensible particulars—such as beautiful objects or equal things—are merely imperfect, shifting copies of these perfect archetypes, they cannot be the objects of authentic knowledge.123

The proper business of the rational soul is thought, which allows it to transcend the "chaotic jumble" of sensation. By engaging in rigorous reasoning, the soul can ascend from the perception of earthly shapes to the contemplation of the Forms. This intellectual ascent is driven by eros, a passionate aspiration for what is eternal and universal, ultimately aiming for a vision of the Good, the fundamental source of all being and knowledge.13