The Rhetoric of the Past in Demosthenes and Aeschines

The Rhetoric of the Past in Demosthenes and Aeschines PDF Author: Guy Westwood
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192599127
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
In democratic Athens, mass citizen audiences - whether in the lawcourts, or in the political Assembly and Council, or when gathered for formal civic occasions - frequently heard politicians and litigants discussing the city's past, and manipulating it for persuasive ends. The Rhetoric of the Past in Demosthenes and Aeschines explores how these dynamics worked in practice, taking two prominent mid-fourth-century politicians (and bitter adversaries) as focal points. While most recent scholarly treatments of how the Athenians recalled their past concentrate on collective processes, this work looks instead at the rhetorical strategies devised by individual orators, examining what it meant for Demosthenes or Aeschines to present particular 'historical' examples, arguments, and illustrations in particular contexts. It argues that discussing the Athenian past - and therefore discussing a core aspect of Athenian identity itself - offered Demosthenes and Aeschines, among others, an effective and versatile means both of building and highlighting their own credibility, authority, and commitment to the democracy and its values, and of competing with their rivals, whose own versions and handling of the past they could challenge and undermine as a symbolic attack on those rivals' wider competence. Recourse to versions of the past also offered orators a way of reflecting on a troubled contemporary geopolitical landscape in which Athens first confronted the enterprising Philip II of Macedon and then coped with Macedonian hegemony. The work covers the full range of Demosthenes' and Aeschines' surviving public speeches, and the extended opening chapter includes synoptic surveys of key individual topics which feed into the main discussion.

The Rhetoric of the Past in Demosthenes and Aeschines

The Rhetoric of the Past in Demosthenes and Aeschines PDF Author: Guy Westwood
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192599127
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 400

Get Book Here

Book Description
In democratic Athens, mass citizen audiences - whether in the lawcourts, or in the political Assembly and Council, or when gathered for formal civic occasions - frequently heard politicians and litigants discussing the city's past, and manipulating it for persuasive ends. The Rhetoric of the Past in Demosthenes and Aeschines explores how these dynamics worked in practice, taking two prominent mid-fourth-century politicians (and bitter adversaries) as focal points. While most recent scholarly treatments of how the Athenians recalled their past concentrate on collective processes, this work looks instead at the rhetorical strategies devised by individual orators, examining what it meant for Demosthenes or Aeschines to present particular 'historical' examples, arguments, and illustrations in particular contexts. It argues that discussing the Athenian past - and therefore discussing a core aspect of Athenian identity itself - offered Demosthenes and Aeschines, among others, an effective and versatile means both of building and highlighting their own credibility, authority, and commitment to the democracy and its values, and of competing with their rivals, whose own versions and handling of the past they could challenge and undermine as a symbolic attack on those rivals' wider competence. Recourse to versions of the past also offered orators a way of reflecting on a troubled contemporary geopolitical landscape in which Athens first confronted the enterprising Philip II of Macedon and then coped with Macedonian hegemony. The work covers the full range of Demosthenes' and Aeschines' surviving public speeches, and the extended opening chapter includes synoptic surveys of key individual topics which feed into the main discussion.

Demosthenes' "On the Crown"

Demosthenes' Author: James J. Murphy
Publisher: SIU Press
ISBN: 0809335115
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
Demosthenes’ speech On the Crown (330 B.C.E.), in which the master orator spectacularly defended his public career, has long been recognized as a masterpiece. The speech has been in continuous circulation from Demosthenes’ lifetime to the present day, and multiple generations have acclaimed it as the greatest speech ever written. In addition to a clear and accessible translation, Demosthenes’“On the Crown”:Rhetorical Perspectives includes eight essays that provide a thorough analysis—based on Aristotelian principles—of Demosthenes’ superb rhetoric. The volume includes biographical and historical background on Demosthenes and his political situation; a structural analysis of On the Crown; and an abstract of Aeschines’ speech Against Ctesiphon to which Demosthenes was responding. Four essays by contributors analyze Demosthenes’ speech using key elements of rhetoric defined by Aristotle: ēthos, the speaker’s character or authority; pathos, or emotional appeals; logos, or logical appeals; and lexis, a speaker’s style. An introduction and an epilogue by Murphy frame the speech and the rhetorical analysis of it. By bringing together contextual material about Demosthenes and his speech with a translation and astute rhetorical analyses, Demosthenes’“On the Crown”:Rhetorical Perspectives highlights the oratorical artistry of Demosthenes and provides scholars and students with fresh insights into a landmark speech.

The Oxford Handbook of Demosthenes

The Oxford Handbook of Demosthenes PDF Author: Gunther Martin
Publisher:
ISBN: 0198713851
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 529

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Book Description
As a speechwriter, orator, and politician, Demosthenes captured, embodied, and shaped his time. This Handbook explores the many facets of his life, work, and time, giving particular weight to his social and historical context and thereby illustrating the interplay and mutual influence between his rhetoric and the environment from which it emerged.

Athenian Political Oratory

Athenian Political Oratory PDF Author: David Phillips
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135888590
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
The celebrated orators and speeches of ancient Athens have been read and enjoyed for thousands of years. Focusing on the works of three of the greatest orators in history-Demosthenes, Lysias, and Hypereides-this collection of speeches is an indispensable source for anyone interested in classical civilization and literature, political science and rhetoric. Each of the three sections-The Thirty Tyrants, Philip and Athens, and Athens Under Alexander-includes an introduction providing an historical overview of the period and each speech is preceded by its own brief introduction. Rendered in lively, readable prose, the translations capture the energy, vigor and power of the originals.

Attic Oratory and Performance

Attic Oratory and Performance PDF Author: Andreas Serafim
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317573765
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
In a society where public speech was integral to the decision-making process, and where all affairs pertaining to the community were the subject of democratic debate, the communication between the speaker and his audience in the public forum, whether the law-court or the Assembly, cannot be separated from the notion of performance. Attic Oratory and Performance seeks to make modern Performance Studies productive for, and so make a significant contribution to, the understanding of Greek oratory. Although quite a lot of ink has been spilt over the performance dimension of oratory, the focus of nearly all of the scholarship in this area has been relatively narrow, understanding performance as only encompassing 'delivery' – the use of gestures and vocal ploys – and the convergences and divergences between oratory and theatre. Serafim seeks to move beyond this relatively narrow focus to offer a holistic perspective on performance and oratory. Using examples from selected forensic speeches, in particular four interconnected speeches by Aeschines (2, 3) and Demosthenes (18, 19), he argues that oratorical performance encompassed subtle communication between the speaker and the audience beyond mere delivery, and that the surviving texts offer numerous glimpses of the performative dimension of these speeches, and their links to contemporary theatre.

Demosthenes

Demosthenes PDF Author: Ian Worthington
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134628927
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Demosthenes is often adjudged the statesman par excellence, and his oratory as some of the finest to survive from classical times. Contemporary politicians still quote him in their speeches and for some he is the supreme example of a patriot. This landmark study of this remarkable man and his long career, the first to focus on him for more than 80 years, looks at the background behind this reputation and asks whether it is truly deserved.

Aeschines and Athenian Politics

Aeschines and Athenian Politics PDF Author: Edward M. Harris
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019535950X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Filling a major gap in scholarship, this is the first full-length study of the Athenian politician Aeschines. Along with Isocrates, Aeschines was one of the most prominent Athenian politicians who advocated friendly ties with the Macedonian king Philip II. Though overshadowed by his famous rival Demosthenes, Aeschines played a key role in the decisive events that marked the rise of Macedonian power in Greece and formed the transition from the Classical to the Hellenistic period. Three long speeches by Aeschines, all delivered in court battles with his opponent Demosthenes, have been preserved and provide us with valuable information about Athenian politics during a major turning point in Greek history. This study of Aeschines' political career examines the reliability of court speeches as historical evidence and shows how they help reveal how democratic institutions actually functioned in Athens when faced with the rise of Macedonian power.

Greek Oratory

Greek Oratory PDF Author: Stephen Usher
Publisher: Clarendon Press
ISBN: 0191584770
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
Speakers address audiences in the earliest Greek literature, but oratory became a distinct genre in the late fifth century and reached its maturity in the fourth. This book traces the development of its techniques by examining the contribution made by each orator. Dr Usher makes the speeches come alive for the reader through an in-depth analysis of the problems of composition and the likely responses of contemporary audiences. His study differs from previous books in its recognition of the richness of the early tradition which made innovation difficult, however, the orators are revealed as men of remarkable talent, versatility, and resource. Antiphon's pioneering role, Lysias' achievement of balance between the parts of the speech, the establishment of oratory as a medium of political thought by Demosthenes and Isocrates, and the individual characteristics of other orators - Andocides, Isaeus, Lycurgus, Hyperides, Dinarchus and Apollodorus - together make a fascinating study in evolution; while the illustrative texts of the orators (which are translated into English) include some of the liveliest and most moving passages in Greek literature.

The Greek Orators

The Greek Orators PDF Author: John Frederic Dobson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description


The Ancient Art of Persuasion across Genres and Topics

The Ancient Art of Persuasion across Genres and Topics PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004412557
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
Persuasion has long been one of the major fields of interest for researchers across a wide range of disciplines. The present volume aims to establish a framework to enhance the understanding of the features, manifestations and purposes of persuasion across all Greek and Roman genres and in various institutional contexts. The volume considers the impact of persuasion techniques upon the audience, and how precisely they help speakers/authors achieve their goals. It also explores the convergences and divergences in deploying persuasion strategies in different genres, such as historiography and oratory, and in a variety of topics. This discussion contributes towards a more complete understanding of persuasion that will help to advance knowledge of decision-making processes in varied institutional contexts in antiquity.