During the Ancient Greece period, famous thinkers, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero, earned a title as rhetorician as they offered their analysis on the word. Plato, for example, defined rhetoric as "the art of winning the soul by discourse." He, however, was at first suspicious of the word. He believed that there was both a false and true type of rhetoric. During Plato’s time, members from the Assembly court, called Sophists, traveled around as they were paid for giving speeches and instructions on argumentation and style. However, because Plato believed that true rhetoric was "rhetoric that can persuade the listener’s soul to know transcendent truth," he titled the Sophists’ speeches as false rhetoric. He didn’t think that the Sophists gave speeches that persuaded the audiences truthfully. Plato’s student, Aristotle, had a wider perspective on Plato’s belief. Aristotle’s definition on rhetoric is "the faculty of discovering in any particular case of all the available means of persuasion." Aristotle also believed that it was the speaker’s responsibility to utilize the means applying the three artistic proofs – logos, ethos, and pathos. In addition to the use of the proofs, Marcus Cicero had an organization structure, which was called Cicero’s Classical Canons. Cicero believed that "rhetoric is one great art comprised of five lesser arts: invention, disposition, elocution, memoria, and pronunciation." Because most writers during Cicero’s time wrote and gave speeches with the idea of persuading, many came across his idea as a foreign idea. They found it hard and rough to see write a speech beforehand and memorize it prior to the presentation. Although Cicero created his five canons with the intention to make discourse easier, a few rhetors found it harder to use the structure because it limited the style and freedom of expression. However, Cicero’s work was finally published during the Roman Empire period, which allowed for Romans to "bring more weight to the style and arrangement of their work." A rhetorician with similar ideas to Cicero, Quintilian stated that "rhetoric is the art of speaking well." Unlike Cicero, his belief was stronger in speaking well than writing well. Although some ideas slightly clash with each other, all of the ideas of the Ancient Greece rhetoricians influenced the definitions given by the rhetoricians of the later eras.
The concept of rhetoric continued to evolve even during the time period of thirteenth and seventeenth centuries, also known as the Enlightenment Era. The works of the majority of the Enlightenment Era’s rhetoricians were based upon the beliefs of the two big rhetoricians – Quintilian and Cicero. One of many famous rhetoricians during this period, Giambattista Vico strongly hoped for the society to return back to the "times when rhetoric was considered part of the foundation for society – not just an art for aimless dreamers." Although he believed in the same belief as Cicero in the creation of a perfect orator, he went against Cicero’s beliefs by believing that rhetoric helped to make connections between things easily described and things that go beyond the sensory ability. On the other hand, George Campbell connected rhetoric to eloquence, creating a belief parallel to that of Quintilian. Somewhat similar to Cicero’s ideas, Campbell’s ideas were less focused on style and more about making a connection with the audience. He claimed that rhetoric is an art in which "discourse is adapted to its end." He listed the four ends of discourse as: enlightening the understanding, pleasing the imagination, moving the passion, and influencing the will. Going against all ideas of building upon rhetoric is the belief of John Locke. John Locke stated in his "Essay Concerning Human Understanding that rhetoric is a "powerful instrument of error and deceit." Ironically, Locke’s view on rhetoric was itself a persuasive art to his audience.
Although philosophers and rhetoricians contributed their ideas to the development of rhetoric, many artists used the devices in their literature. Shakespeare, for example, was a well-known writer during the Elizabethan era. Shakespeare includes many rhetorical devices, such as alliteration, anthimeria, and antithesis in his writings to bring style and personality to his characters and their dialogues. Rhetorical devices made a huge impact not only in the works of Shakespeare but on other Elizabethan writings as well. Elizabethans wrote formal letters with intention of persuading the Queen and Parliament to request and urge actions. Many speeches were given in order to influence the public with a certain mind set. Because plays were very popular during the Elizabethan era, they also had a moral influencing the thinking process of the audiences. The Elizabethan writers greatly followed the creations of Ancient Greece rhetoricians such as Cicero and Seneca. Even the common people favored a certain rhetorician.
Rhetoric was first defined in the Ancient Greek times as an art of persuading. However, as centuries passed, philosophers and rhetoricians developed the idea of rhetoric and added on their own ideas and concepts. Till today, rhetoric includes the three artistic proofs – logos, pathos, and ethos – and a structure similar to that of Cicero’s Classical Canons - invention, disposition, elocution, memoria, and pronunciation. Students, writers, and speakers everywhere today use rhetorical devices without even knowing the exact meaning of the word or its concept.
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Citation:
"Rhetorical Study in Ancient Greece." Rhetorical Study in Ancient Greece. Web. 31 Jul 2012. <http://textcommons.org/node/102>.
Wheeler. "Rhetoric." Rhetoric. Web. 31 Jul 2012. <http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/resource_rhet.html>.
"Cicero’s Classical Canons of Rhetoric." Their Relevance and Importance to the Corporate
Workplace. 2008. Web. 31 Jul 2012. http://maryvican.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/cicero’s-classical-canons-of-rhetoric-their-relevance-and-importance-to-the-corporate-workplace/.
Gudgel, Andrew. "Writing the Elizabethan Way." Writing the Elizabethan Way. 2010. Web. 31 Jul 2012. <http://www.andrewgudgel.com/Elizabethan.htm>.
