The word is a great ruler who has a completely invisible body, but is capable of doing wonderful things. Using the right word can save a person from fear or catch sadness. In addition, this means of expression helps to convey important information to most people. This was used by various minds of the ancient world, which were called speakers. In our article we will talk about the most famous ancient Greek speakers and their works that have come down to our times.
Who is a speaker?
Before you begin to familiarize yourself with the main material, let's first look at who the speaker is and what he does. If we turn to the dictionary of the modern Russian language, we can find several definitions of this term, each of which carries a certain amount of truth. For example, speakers today are people who professionally study the art of eloquence.
Also, many modern writers use this term in their works, introducing to the reader characters who have a certain gift of speech. In short, a speaker is a person making a specific speech. In the following sections you will find the names of the ancient Greek speakers and their works, which are used by the modern generation.
Socrates and Plato
Perhaps the two most famous speakers of Ancient Greece, whose writings and statements can be found today. According to Plato, who considered himself more a scientist than an orator, the art of eloquence is based on knowledge of the truth, and not on the correct construction of sentences and the use of phraseological units. Only if a person develops comprehensively, can he learn the nature of human souls and begin to convey the word to them.
As for Socrates, the most famous work of the scientist is considered a dialogue called "Fedr", in which the famous philosopher talked about the meaning of life with a young man named Fedor. The author adhered to the theory that before starting to convey his opinion to the interlocutor, it is necessary to study it in detail, like some kind of subject. After that, it will be possible to find the right levers, by clicking on which, you will inspire the interlocutor with trust and respect.
Aristotle's rhetoric
One of the most famous ancient Greek speakers is Aristotle. His great achievements were erected in the encyclopedia of Antiquity, dated 384 BC. A similar work consists of three books:
- The first also speaks of rhetoric, as one of the most popular sciences. It also highlights three types of speeches: judicial, epidemic and deliberative and their purpose.
- The second book tells about human mores and passions, which can be used as evidence for the interlocutor. That is, the speaker must influence human emotions by expressing feelings with speech.
- The third book is devoted to various problems of stylistics in the construction of speech. It talks about how to express your thoughts and the correct construction of sentences.
It is also worth noting that the rhetoric of Aristotle affects not only oratory. It can also find ways to influence and manipulate a person with the help of speech, evidence and conclusions.
Gorgiy
The list of ancient Greek speakers also includes Gorgiy from Leontina, who made an invaluable contribution to the development of oratory and gained recognition among many people in 485 BC. An interesting fact is that Gorgias is considered one of the first speakers who taught young people from wealthy families to think logically and speak beautifully. The Wisdom Specialist focused on the issue of style.
It was he who introduced the concept of oxymoron into speech - a combination of concepts that are opposite in meaning. Gorgian contemporaries call themselves sophists and continue to develop the art of eloquence, based on the teachings of the speaker, to this day. Unfortunately, no documents or records of Gorgias have survived to this day, so it remains only to adhere to various theories and hypotheses about exactly what sciences the ancient speaker studied.
Demosthenes
An ancient Greek speaker, and part-time teacher of eloquence, who studied for several years with Socrates and Plato. Demosthenes' speeches are also called “character mirrors,” because the speaker was able to almost unmistakably recognize what was hidden in the interlocutor’s soul and select the right words that he would like to hear. Demosthenes himself did not consider himself a rhetorician and did not like to adorn his words with invented expressions that an ordinary person could not perceive.
People loved the speaker for reasonably simple arguments and examples, which were saturated with wisdom and nobility. Also quite an interesting fact is that Demosthenes had a rather weak voice and short breathing, so there was always complete silence in his lectures so that students could hear the teacher. By the way, perhaps in the scanwords you found the question: "An ancient Greek speaker who stuttered - 8 letters?" If so, then Demosthenes was the answer.
Pericles
The performance of the ancient Greek orator is a real performance, which shows the wisdom and enlightenment of one person. However, such a spectacle becomes much more interesting if the speaker is also a political figure in combination. That person was Pericles. Constant communication with different people could not but affect the character and knowledge of the master of eloquence.
With the name of Pericles, the heyday of Athenian democracy is associated, therefore, without a twinge of conscience, it can be argued that it was this person who made an invaluable contribution to the development of the world that we know today. Thanks to Pericles and his students, Ancient Greece at one time achieved an unprecedented economic breakthrough and cultural development. It was this speaker who ordered the construction of famous buildings to begin: the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and so on.
Themistocles
Many believe that Themistocles does not belong to the ancient Greek speakers, since he was a commander and statesman, but such arguments are of little weight. In early childhood, a budding speaker, according to peers, had a tendency to participate in social activities. Even during leisure hours, he was pleased to engage in various training sessions and improved in everything.
Therefore, his teachers constantly said that nothing mediocre would ever come out of a boy, but something great. However, the young man never counted on his natural talents and improved his skills. Over time, Themistocles became a great and distinguished speaker who, in addition to eloquence, also explored various fields of science, such as philosophy. Most of his works were lost, since Themistocles held leadership positions in 493 BC.
Isey
Among the ten most famous ancient Greek speakers is Isey from Chalkida, who has been working on improving the art of eloquence almost all his life. Also, this person is the author of several crucial speeches, which were written specifically for the order for litigation. Today, films based on these very speeches are shot, and actors build their fame on them.
Isey was the mentor of Demosthenes, and he studied under the famous orator Isocrates. To date, you can find 11 court speeches, which are very popular, since they set out in a very accessible language. Isaiah is considered much wiser than his mentor, however, is it really so - it is not for us to judge. Be that as it may, his speeches have become a source of inspiration for many people who are now gaining popularity.
Isocrates
The famous Athenian speaker, who was very popular in ancient Greece due to his famous judicial and political speeches. Isocrates came from a wealthy family, therefore, parents never had problems with teaching young talent. In early childhood, the boy was interested in logic, philosophy, law and eloquence. All these sciences were very useful to him in life, since already at a young age Isocrates worked out his knowledge in public.
The speaker was always sure that the presentation should be as convincing as possible. To do this, he used a variety of arguments and weighty arguments in favor of his own opinion. As a master of eloquence, Isocrates is still considered one of the most authoritative personalities in the history of this world. The popularity of this person is indicated by a huge number of excerpts from his speeches, which can be easily found on the Internet.
Socrates
The great ancient Greek philosopher, who also became the founder of dialectics. In the second section of our article, we already mentioned him, but such an authoritative personality deserves special attention, and not comparison with other well-known speakers. Socrates presented his teachings mainly among his students, who were Plato and Xenophon. Most of all he loved philosophy, but oratory was given to him with amazing ease. By the age of twenty, he had gained such wisdom that many elders could envy. For all subsequent eras, this persona became the embodiment of the ideal of man.
He compared his teaching methods to the "art of the old grandmother." That is, he asked the students a series of questions, which were supposed to be critical of the teacher. After the answers, he asked a few additional questions, and so on, until the student entered a hopeless situation. Thus, Plato learned to answer the most difficult questions, and Socrates gained his fame. It is also worth noting that this speaker did not write down his thoughts, but preferred to keep everything in mind, so today you can find relatively little information about the activities of this sage.
Video and conclusion
We hope our article helped you understand what oratory is, and also what ancient scholars can be ranked as masters of eloquence. If you still have any questions about this, or you just want to find out more interesting information about oratory, we strongly recommend watching a short video, which is a clipping from a TV show. In it you will find a lot of new and interesting things, and also learn to convince other people a little better.
As you can see, in ancient Greece there were quite a few interesting personalities who were real masters of oratory. The works of many of them have survived to the present day, but still this is only a small part of the knowledge that philosophers and scientists could pass on to us. Although if you found this article on the Internet and read it to the end, then you should already be praised, because not many people are interested in the wisdom of the ancient world, although it is quite often that it contains the truth and answers to many questions.