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The Blame Game

The Blame Game. The Use of Invective in Demosthenes’ 18 Presentation by Xanthe Burton. Introduction. I nvective effective yet morally questionable rhetorical device Demosthenes accuses Aeschines of imploring unlawful invective yet Demosthenes does it himself

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The Blame Game

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  1. The Blame Game The Use of Invective in Demosthenes’ 18 Presentation by Xanthe Burton

  2. Introduction • Invective effective yet morally questionable rhetorical device • Demosthenes accuses Aeschines of imploring unlawful invective yet Demosthenes does it himself • How does Demosthenes justify this? • How did he win his case with such intense use of personal invective?

  3. How does he justify invective? • 1) Uses Aeschines’ speech as a model for constructing his own invective • 2) Demosthenes uses invective to show Aeschines as an unpatriotic Athenian • Connects un-patriotism to private life in order to justify personal invective • 3) Implores comedic tradition in invective in order to scrutinize private life and family backgrounds in a socially acceptable fashion

  4. Literature Review • Previous research on invective used in Demosthenes 18 is scant • Many scholars look at the use of rhetorical devices in the courtroom but few look at solely invective • Nancy Worman’sInsult and Oral Excess in the Disputes between Aeschines and Demosthenes (2004) • I use past research as a building block but my study looks at how Demosthenes justifies invective in his speech

  5. The Custom of Invective • Slander and exaggerated speech were common in the courtroom (Worman) • But personal hatred and gossip were not socially accepted in forensic trials (Kurihara) • It was also seen as a social reality • Also seen as entertaining • Effective yet problematic tool

  6. 1) Uses Aeschines’ speech as a model for constructing his own invective • “εἰμὲνοὖνπερὶὧνἐδίωκεμόνονκατηγόρησενΑἰσχίνης, κἀγὼπερὶαὐτοῦτοῦπροβουλεύματοςεὐθὺςἂνἀπελογούμην” Dem 18.9 • By accusing Aeschines of the very thing he is about to do, Demosthenes willingly contradicts himself in order to reek the benefits of invective.

  7. 2a) Demosthenes proves himself to be a patriotic Athenian • Starts: …ὅσηνεὔνοιανἔχωνἐγὼδιατελῶτῇτεπόλεικαὶπᾶσινὑμῖν, τοσαύτηνὑπάρξαιμοιπαρ᾽ ὑμῶνεἰςτουτονὶτὸνἀγῶνα…” Dem 18.1 • 2b) D connects un-patriotism to private life in order to justify personal invective • Ends: “τούτουγὰρ ἡ φύσιςκυρία” Dem 18.321

  8. 3) Implores comedic tradition in invective • Arguments become extreme and fabricated • Calls father slave and mother whore (Dem 18.129) • Yunisacknowledges that these accusations were not true but instead so outrageous that it hurt Aeschines social status • Galen Rowe says that this was part of the tradition of comedy in oratorical invective

  9. Conclusion • Demosthenes justifies his use of invective by mimicking Aeschines' use of personal attack, connecting private life to public life and imploring exaggerated personal attacks that were used commonly in comedic plays. • Where is the line? • Invective in the modern courtroom

  10. Thank You!!

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