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    The Role of Persuasion in Classical Justice

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    Grant Eagleson
    The document discusses the role of persuasion in classical justice systems through examples from two Greek texts - Aeschylus' The Eumenides and Plato's Apology. In The Eumenides, Orestes uses persuasion to argue his innocence in the murder of his mother before a jury in Athens. Plato's Apology depicts Socrates rationally examining whether he should flee Athens or accept his death sentence through logical reasoning rather than persuasion in court. The document argues that both texts illustrate how ancient Greek justice systems relied on individuals effectively presenting their arguments to determine right and wrong through fair and unbiased means.

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    The Role of Persuasion in Classical Justice

    Uploaded by

    Grant Eagleson
    28 views5 pages
    The document discusses the role of persuasion in classical justice systems through examples from two Greek texts - Aeschylus' The Eumenides and Plato's Apology. In The Eumenides, Orestes uses persuasion to argue his innocence in the murder of his mother before a jury in Athens. Plato's Apology depicts Socrates rationally examining whether he should flee Athens or accept his death sentence through logical reasoning rather than persuasion in court. The document argues that both texts illustrate how ancient Greek justice systems relied on individuals effectively presenting their arguments to determine right and wrong through fair and unbiased means.

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    The document discusses the role of persuasion in classical justice systems through examples from two Greek texts - Aeschylus' The Eumenides and Plato's Apology. In The Eumenides, Orestes uses persuasion to argue his innocence in the murder of his mother before a jury in Athens. Plato's Apology depicts Socrates rationally examining whether he should flee Athens or accept his death sentence through logical reasoning rather than persuasion in court. The document argues that both texts illustrate how ancient Greek justice systems relied on individuals effectively presenting their arguments to determine right and wrong through fair and unbiased means.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    28 views5 pages

    The Role of Persuasion in Classical Justice

    Uploaded by

    Grant Eagleson
    The document discusses the role of persuasion in classical justice systems through examples from two Greek texts - Aeschylus' The Eumenides and Plato's Apology. In The Eumenides, Orestes uses persuasion to argue his innocence in the murder of his mother before a jury in Athens. Plato's Apology depicts Socrates rationally examining whether he should flee Athens or accept his death sentence through logical reasoning rather than persuasion in court. The document argues that both texts illustrate how ancient Greek justice systems relied on individuals effectively presenting their arguments to determine right and wrong through fair and unbiased means.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 5

    The Role of Persuasion in Classical Justice

    Grant Eagleson

    English 1101 Tocheva

    The use of persuasion is a key attribute of language. Manipulating the thoughts,

    beliefs, and actions of others with words is extremely powerful. The Oxford English

    Dictionary defines persuasion as “The addressing of arguments or appeals to a person in

    order to induce cooperation, submission, or agreement” (OED Online). In a judicial context,

    one would see persuasion as essential. The court system is, by design, unbiased and

    therefore requires effective persuasion in order for verdicts to be made in a case. Examples

    of this method of justice are found in Classical texts such as Aeschylus’ The Eumenides and

    Plato’s Apology.

    In The Eumenides, when Orestes is put on trial in Athens for the murder of his

    mother, he is given the opportunity to present his case and persuade observers of his

    innocence. Athena states “Defend yourself against their charge…speak all this clearly, speak

    to me” (Aeschylus 450-456). The people of Athens and Athena are not being compassionate

    towards Orestes, they merely want a fair verdict as stated by law. Athena establishes the

    basic guidelines of a court system: “My contestants,

    summon your trusted witnesses and proofs,

    your defenders under oath to help your cause,

    And I will pick the finest men of Athens,


    return and decide the issue fairly, truly-

    bound to our oaths, our spirits bent on justice” (Aeschylus 560-565). This is a crucial aspect

    of justice; its goal is to establish fairness, equality and to determine what is right. It becomes

    the job of individuals to present what they believe to be the correct view of the situation,

    inevitably affecting the outcome. The “finest men of Athens” are the jury, those trusted to

    decide Orestes’ fate. In the end, it is skilled persuasion of Apollo and Athena that

    determines the outcome and saves his life, showing the effectiveness of the ancient courts at

    achieving true justice. Orestes confessed to his crime, yet goes free due to the strength and

    integrity of his argument.

    Plato, however, substitutes the courts with the logical mind of Socrates. In The

    Apology, Socrates debates the issue of whether or not to flee his beloved city to avoid

    execution. In an extremely calculated manner, he examines his options and states “A man

    who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only

    to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong” (Plato Apology). This is a

    noble statement, and sets the tone for entire dialogue. He manages to be completely

    unbiased while pondering this case, an amazing feat of abstract thought and detachment from

    personal considerations. This is justice in its purest form. It is difficult not to admire his

    restraint and selflessness. Socrates’ powers of reasoning and persuasion are so great that he

    manages to convince his closest friends that it is only right that he should die, rather than

    compromise the values of their society.

    Sources
    "persuasion, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2014. Web. 4 October

    2014.

    Aeschylus, and Philip Vellacott. The Orestian Trilogy. England: Penguin, 1985. Print.

    Plato. "Plato, Phaedo." Plato, Phaedo, Section 58b. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

    Revenge: Defining the Inescapable Human Emotion

    As long as humans continue acts of hostility towards each other, the afflicted parties will

    yearn for revenge. It would be naive to suggest that most people are not tempted to deliver

    comeuppance to their rivals. In literary works, revenge often functions as a plot device, used

    to balance the action and finalize the story. This often occurs at the end of a story, giving

    audiences the “happy ending” they crave. It is an all-inclusive passion, the lust for revenge

    consuming both aristocrats and peasants, gods and mere mortals. As a result, it spans the

    ages and all societal boundaries.

    In Aeschylus’ work The Libation Bearers, Orestes and his sister Electra plot and then

    exact revenge upon their mother; punishment for the murder of their father and poetic justice.

    Their matricide is done without concerns of legal repercussions, they are only motivated by a

    desire to subject her to the same fate her victim received. Orestes cries “Oh she’ll pay,

    she’ll pay, by the gods and these bare hands-


    just let me take her life and die!” (Aeschylus 425-427). This is revenge of the most brutal

    variety, intent on causing pain and suffering without regard for personal safety. In

    accordance with its brutality, such revenge is the kind often found within the legal system.

    Decisions, made by Orestes and countless others in fits of passion and rage, result in criminal

    charges. Yet strangely enough, it is exactly this type of revenge that most people sympathize

    with, and possible even rationalize. It has a recurring place within our court system, showing

    that there is no escape from extreme emotion when handling matters of law.

    Themes of revenge extended beyond the classical period, into the Middle Ages.

    Chaucer describes this in The Miller’s Tale, a small section of his large work The Canterbury

    Tales. This story is much more lighthearted and therefore more inconsequential than that of

    Orestes, but retains importance nonetheless. Absalon, the man who has been wronged,

    swears vengeance: “I wouldn’t let this go for all the town.

    I’d take my soul and sell it to the Devil

    To be revenged upon him! I’ll get level.

    O God, why did I let myself get fooled?” (Chaucer 103). The girl he loves and her lover

    have wronged him and caused embarrassment, so Absalon will go to great length in order to

    avenge these crimes. It does not matter that he is socially superior, such societal structures

    are disregarded in the midst of an emotional extreme.

    After examining all textual examples, I define revenge as this- An aggressive act of

    retribution, with the purpose of equalizing the words and actions of opposing parties to

    achieve a perceived feeling of justice.

    Sources
    Aeschylus, and Philip Vellacott. The Orestian Trilogy. England: Penguin, 1985. Print.

    Chaucer, Geoffrey, and Nevill Coghill. The Canterbury Tales. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.

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