ATTIC ORATORY: Demosthenes

Greek 122 Section 1 (4 units)

PAPAZARKADAS, N

Fulfills the L&S breadth requirements in Arts & Literature and Historical Studies

In this course we will be reading Demosthenes' On the Crown using the 'green-and-yellow' Cambridge commentary by H. Yunis. Already in antiquity Demosthenes was considered the greatest of the 10 canonical Attic orators, and On the Crown his greatest achievement. The speech was delivered in the context of a fierce political battle between Demosthenes and his arch-rival Aeschines, and gave Demosthenes the opportunity to present a detailed account of his political career, which was characterized by a stubborn, albeit unsuccessful, anti-Macedonian policy. Close reading of the speech in the original along with a reading of Aeschines' companion-piece Against Ctesiphon (in translation) will allow students to delve into the intricacies of a most exciting historical period that saw the rise of Macedon under Philip II, the epoch-making battle of Chaeronea (338 BCE), the destruction of Thebes, and, eventually, the decline of Athens itself. The course will also allow students to improve their Greek while learning to appreciate the widely celebrated rhetorical virtues of On the Crown.

Texts

Location: 2032 VALLEY LS
Times: MWF 1100-1200P

section times and locations in the Schedule of Classes