eprintid: 1540939
rev_number: 23
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/01/54/09/39
datestamp: 2017-03-16 11:32:24
lastmod: 2020-03-02 14:18:51
status_changed: 2017-03-16 11:32:24
type: thesis
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Plastow, CC
title: Athenian Homicide Rhetoric in Context
ispublished: unpub
divisions: UCL
divisions: A01
divisions: B03
divisions: C01
divisions: F13
keywords: Athenian oratory, Athenian law
abstract: Homicide is a potent crime in any society, and classical Athens was no exception. The Athenians implemented legal methods for dealing with homicide that were set apart from the rest of their legal system, including separate courts, long-established laws, and rigorous procedures. We have, however, limited extant sources on these issues, including only five speeches from trials for homicide. This has fomented debate regarding aspects of law and procedure, and rhetoric as it relates specifically to homicide has not been examined in detail. Here, I intend to examine how the nature of homicide and its prosecution at Athens may have affected rhetoric when discussing homicide in forensic oratory. First, I will establish what I will call the ideology of homicide at Athens: the set of beliefs and perceptions that are most commonly attached to homicide and its prosecution. Then, I will examine homicide rhetoric from three angles: religious pollution, which was believed to adhere to those who committed homicide; relevance, as speakers in the homicide courts were subject to particular restrictions in this regard; and motive and intent, related issues that appear frequently in rhetoric and, in some cases, define the nature of a homicide charge. I will suggest that there is a gap between the ideology and the reality of homicide prosecution at Athens, and that the way that Athenians spoke about homicide and its prosecution in rhetoric did not always hold up in practice. I will also argue that the physical courtroom context of the trial and the beliefs and perceptions of those present greatly influenced the rhetoric of homicide. This is particularly noticeable when comparing rhetoric from the homicide courts and from the dikastic courts. As a whole, I hope to approach law and rhetoric as symbiotic forces in the case of homicide, and to show how the rhetoric of homicide can reflect more broadly on classical Athenian society.
date: 2017-02-28
date_type: published
oa_status: green
full_text_type: other
thesis_class: doctoral_open
language: eng
thesis_view: UCL_Thesis
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 1208344
lyricists_name: Plastow, Christine
lyricists_id: CCCPL37
actors_name: Plastow, Christine
actors_id: CCCPL37
actors_role: owner
full_text_status: public
pages: 220
event_title: UCL
institution: UCL (University College London)
department: Greek and Latin
thesis_type: Doctoral
citation:        Plastow, CC;      (2017)    Athenian Homicide Rhetoric in Context.                   Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).     Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1540939/1/THESIS%20FINAL.pdf