Greek drama and the invention of rhetoric
By: David Sansone
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Chichester, West Sussex; Malden, MA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 258
ISBN-13: 9781118357088
Subjects: Rhetoric; History and criticism; Greek drama; History
Description: This book challenges the standard view that formal rhetoric arose in response to the political and social environment of ancient Athens. Instead, it is argued, it was the theatre of Ancient Greece, first appearing around 500 BC that prompted the development of formalized rhetoric, which evolved soon thereafter. Indeed, ancient Athenian drama was inextricably bound to the city-state's development as a political entity, as well as to the birth of rhetoric. Ancient Greek dramatists used mythical conflicts as an opportunity for staging debates over issues of contemporary relevance, civic responsibility, war, and the role of the gods. The author shows how the essential feature of dialogue in drama created a 'counterpoint'--an interplay between the actor making the speech and the character reacting to it on stage. This innovation spurred the development of other more sophisticated forms of argumentation, which ultimately formed the core of formalized rhetoric.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Pt. 1. What drama does and how it does it; title: Setting the stage; title: Seeing is believing; title: The muse takes a holiday; title: "It's counterpoint," he countered, and pointed; title: Illusion and collusion; title: Reaction time; title: Pt. 2. The second stage: the invention of rhetoric; title: Paradigm shift happens; title: Perhaps you will object; title: Putting the accuser on trial.