Tragedia y retórica en la Atenas clásicala rhesis trágica como discurso formal en Sófocles

Résumé

It's difficult to understand the origins of Greek rhetoric, given that the theoretical handbooks on the matter have been lost. As a result, we must approach this topic indirectly; such as, through the influence of new art on some other literary genres. In this dissertation we analyse the rhetorical configuration of the rheseis or speeches that we find in Sophocles' tragedies, which encompass a very important period in rhetorical development (the second half of the 5th Century BC). This analysis focuses particularly on early pieces, as these are, within the production of Sophoclean tragedies, the nearest to the birth of rhetoric. This work covers three main points: 1) Argumentation. Through its study we can learn how thought evolves and how persuasion is sought out early on in the development of rhetoric as a techne. Moreover, in comparing that line of reasoning to the one which develops in late Sophocles, we can observe the evolution that took place at that key time. 2) Rheseis composition. The level of rhetorical development of a speech is detected in its argumentation, but also in its formal style; therefore, the makeup of speech as well as the repetition of certain formulas in it for thought structure are factors to take into account. 3) Rhetorical thought. It is of the utmost of interest to see how the use of rhetoric brings about the growing reflection by the author regarding the characteristics of this techne and even about logos in general. This ultimately leads to a broader reflection upon communication and the limits of human knowledge. The study of these three fields in Sophoclean tragedy allows us to assess the level of development of the rhetoric at a key moment and, furthermore, to deepen our knowledge of these works, in which rhetoric is a key factor for approaching a problem and, therefore, for achieving a dramatic ending; which, as a last resort, due to the very nature of the genre, is to a great extent a reflection about the society in which the genre takes place.