The magic of ancient literature
between the magic of the spoken word and the writer of the spoken word. Plato describes the amazement caused by speechwriters , ‘οἱ λογοποιοί’ , as:
ἔστι γὰρ τῆς τῶν ἐπῳδῶν τέχνης.
For it is an aspect of the skill of spells.
The speechwriters weave spells by their use of language in carefully crafting speeches, and the magic of the language is felt when their literature is read aloud.
There was considerable fear of speechwriters and orators, at least partly because of the political power their use of literature and language could gain for them. Athens relied on public debates to make political decisions, which gave orators daily opportunities to address huge public assemblies, such as at the meetings of the assembly in the Pnyx. Thus language, or written speeches, had the power to make an orator the leading political decision maker if they could convince the majority of the assembly. On account of this, it is understandable that Ancient Greek writers feared that language could undermine democracy by giving individuals a disproportionate share of power.
For example, in Euthydemus (290 a), Plato describes speechwriters as:
κήλησίς τε καὶ παραμυθία
Both enchanters and encouragers
δικαστῶν τε καὶ ἐκκλησιαστῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὄχλων.
of the judges and the assembly and other crowds.
Lysias too, in Speeches 12.86 (against Eratosthenes), with reference to the friends arguing for the tyrants’ defence, writes:
ὡς δεινοὶ λέγειν ἀπολογήσονται.
They will make defence speeches, just like those frighteningly skilful at speaking.
The use of clever language or written speeches in the law courts was especially feared because it could deceive the jury into finding the guilty innocent.
The fear logos generates is a further indicator of the magical powers it was considered to possess. This is further shown by Gorgias’ Encomium of Helen , in which he argues that one of the reasons Helen is not guilty of starting the Trojan War is because she was deceived by logos. So great is the power of logos that a skilled speaker can manipulate anyone, without their knowledge. Rather than being guilty, even of being naïve or merely susceptible, Helen is an innocent victim of the language ‘magician’ (Paris). Similar to this is the introduction of the ‘ γραφὴ παρανόμον’ in Athens, a legal charge against those who brought un-constitutional proposals to the assembly. Once again, it is the introducer of the unjust argument who is to blame, not the voting people who are deceived. Perhaps the people argued that they would not knowingly support an unjust proposal and that they must have been deceived (by language) to agree with it. A skilled speaker has the power to control another person’s thoughts and feelings, and through the use of logos , the victim loses their freedom.
There are several further examples of the particular fear of language in the form of rhetoric and persuasion. In Sophist 235 (a), Plato describes sophists, who claimed to be able to teach rhetoric, as:
107
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker