§ Rhetoric - Dikmans on Performance

# Rhetoric ![[Rhetoricae-gratos-sermoni.jpg]] Rhetorica – Cornelis Cort (1533?-1578) [^1] Rhetoricae gratos sermoni astuta cólores quo dulcius fluat is ad aureis, adycit Rhetoric adds cunning colors to the speech, making it flow more sweetly to the ears [^1]: Source of *Rhetorica* by Cornelis Cort: [Folger Shakespeare Library](https://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/detail/FOLGERCM1~6~6~53562~103991:Rhetoricae-gratos-sermoni-astuta-c%25C3%25B3%3Fsort%3Dcall_number%252Cmpsortorder1%252Ccd_title%252Cimprint?qvq=q:cort;sort:call_number%2Cmpsortorder1%2Ccd_title%2Cimprint;lc:FOLGERCM1~6~6&mi=3&trs=9) A woman wearing classical robes and holding a caduceus is seated on a throne-like chair, beneath her is the label "Rhetorica." To her left is a man seated on the ground writing on a tablet. An old man with a long beard leans over his shoulder. At the woman's feet is a pile of books, each labeled with a name: Cicero, Hortensius, Aeschines, Isocrates, Demosthenes, Quintilianus. Two birds are perched on top of the pile. A courtyard is visible through an open window, where a platform has been set up against a building wall. A few figures are standing on the platform and a crowd of people is grouped below it. A caduceus is an ancient Greek or Roman herald's wand, typically one with two serpents twined round it, carried by the messenger god Hermes or Mercury. --- > [!quote] *Some people are aware of the importance of rhetoric, but have never bothered to find out how it works, and are content to let someone else do it for them*. > > – Brian Vickers: *In Defence of Rhetoric* (1988) ## Rhetoric: The Art of Communication ### Artist, Audience and Message > Classical rhetoric is one of the earliest and best-attested versions of what is today sometimes referred to as **media studies**.[^2] > > Although the ancient rhetoricians were chiefly concerned with the production and analysis of public oratory, whether in the courtroom, in the legislature or on ceremonial occasions, the techniques they developed were considered **applicable to virtually all communicative systems**, including > > - the visual and plastic arts, > - **music**, > - writing and > - scientific discourse. > > According to the two most influential definitions from antiquity, rhetoric was either > > - the art of finding in any given context the most effective means of persuasion or > - the art of speaking well, > > with ‘well’ implying **the moral, logical, pragmatic and aesthetic aspects of communication**.[^3] > > Rhetoric considered – and fostered – the interplay between **artist**, **audience** and **message** in specific contexts. Thomas Habinek: *Ancient Rhetoric: From Aristotle to Philostratus* (Penguin Classics, 2018). [^2]: Media studies can be both theoretical and practical, often combining elements of social sciences, humanities and fine arts. It places a significant emphasis on the art of communication, as media are essentially channels through which information, ideas, and culture are conveyed. [^3]: See my discussion of [[The Nature of Rhetoric#Primary or Functional Rhetoric|Primary or Functional Rhetoric]] and [[The Nature of Rhetoric#Secondary or Decorative Rhetoric|Secondary or Decorative Rhetoric]]. --- ## The Performer as Orator **Primary Rhetoric** — the _art of persuasion_ — is at the core of a communication. It is the main concern of the **Performer as Orator**. - Introduction - Performance Practice - The Performer as Interpreter - The Performer as Composer - The Qualities of the Ideal Performer - A multidisciplinary approach to the study of performance practice - Rhetoric and Music: Music as Eloquence - Bibliography [[The Performer as Orator]] --- ## Rhetoric: An Overview - Classical Rhetoric - Restoration in the 20th Century - Functional (Primary) and Decorative (Secondary) Rhetoric - Modern Rhetoric - The Figures (of Style) - The Primary Motivation of Rhetoric is Communication - Bibliography [[Rhetoric - An Overview]] --- ## The Nature of Rhetoric The differences between **Primary** and **Secondary Rhetoric**, and an explanation of the **Precepts of Rhetoric**. - Rhetoric: Generic Definitions - ‘Traditional’ or ‘Natural’ Rhetoric - The Conceptualisation of Rhetoric - Classical Rhetoric - Primary or Functional Rhetoric - Secondary or Decorative Rhetoric - *Letteraturizzazione*: the move from Primary to Secondary Rhetoric - The Three Strands of Classical Rhetoric - The Precepts of Classical Rhetoric - 1. Invention: What to Say - Non-artistic means of persuasion - Artistic means of persuasion - 2. Arrangement: How to Organise What You Say - (1) Introduction - (2) Narration - (3) Proof - (4) Conclusion / Peroration - 3. Style: how to say it (good expression or expressivity) - The four ‘virtues’ of style - The three styles and the three duties of the orator - 4. Memory - 5. Delivery - Bibliography [[The Nature of Rhetoric]] --- ## Sources of Classical Rhetoric Some notes on the sources I looked at in my research into Classical Rhetoric. - Main Greek Sources - SOPHISTS (Corax & Teisias) & TECHINICAL HANDBOOKS (5th century BCE) - GORGIAS of Leontini (c483-c385 BCE) - SOCRATES (469-399 BCE) - ISOCRATES (436-338 BCE) - PLATO (427-347 BCE) - ARISTOTLE (384-322 BCE) - Other Greek Sources - DEMETRIUS (3) (? 1st cent. BCE) - DIONYSUS of HALICARNASSUS(1st cent. BCE) - \[psuedo-] LONGINUS (prob. 1st cent. BCE) - Main Roman Sources - ANON - CICERO (106-43 BCE) - QUINTILIAN (c.AD 35–AD 95) - Other Roman Sources - TACITUS (AD 56/57–after AD 117) [[Sources of Classical Rhetoric]] --- This section of the website presents some of the PhD research I undertook at The University of Melbourne many years ago. I never submitted a final thesis (I was far more interested in playing), but the research has sustained and inspired me through most of my career as a performer. © Greg Dikmans