Assignment: The Power of the Word in Ancient Greek Drama

Greek drama manifested that culture's view of language as a powerful force: as mimesis (imitation), representing suffering or the human condition dramatically; and as rhetoric, the art of persuasion.

After experiencing a production from the playwright Euripides, how can we better understand this twofold understanding of logos? In a post of about 300 words, explain how the Greeks both understood and used the power of language in these two ways.

One possible approach to this would be to discuss how drama and public speaking compare and contrast in how they manage or mediate the irrational. One might also contrast how each form of logos commands attention, employs story, conveys messages, engages the emotions, or potentially alters the behavior of their audiences.