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Key evidence for the Athenian democracy in the fourth century BC derives from the body of legal speeches composed for delivery in the lawcourts by a number of orators. These speeches offer a special insight into Athenian social relations and social values. Through a study and discussion of selected specimens of Athenian courtroom oratory, this module enables students to examine the ways in which the lives of the inhabitants of late fifth- and fourth-century Athens – citizens, metics, and slaves – were regulated by the city’s laws and, crucially, how this normative framework could be manipulated and sometimes even subverted by members of the community. Exploring the legal and social background of the speeches in this manner also requires a selection of ancillary readings from a number of contemporary authors, such as Plato, Xenophon, and Aristophanes. Given that the primary purpose of a speech was to persuade the listeners, the module also presents an overview of classical Athenian rhetoric, focusing on the development of rhetorical strategies in a wide variety of contexts, and concluding with Aristotle’s standardisation of rhetorical practice in the fourth century.
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PERSUASIVE STRATEGIES: ATHENIAN LAW AND THE LAWCOURTS
