Every culture strives to explain the unexplainable,
especially through theology. The Greeks are no exception. They rationalized
mystical phenomena through their gods. The rising of the sun was attributed to
Apollo, who dragged it across the skies on his chariot. Hades was the god of the
underworld, and all were sent to his dominion upon death. Even unfortunate
events were rationalized through the gods’ reckless and careless behavior.
It can be difficult, however, to communicate theology
convincingly. The Greeks used drama as a medium to explain how theology could rationalize
and even justify the irrationalities of life.
In the play Electra, for example, Orestes receives
instruction from Apollo to kill his mother and avenge his father. Killing in
any context is difficult to rationalize, especially killing your own mother.
However, the Greeks found that attributing the motive to the gods relieved
their guilt and removed their personal attachment to things as heinous as murder. We see further forms of theological rationalization in Euripides' follow up tragedy, Orestes.
Electra is a dynamic and enticicing (at times) medium that can
better use theology to understand the irrationality of life. It’s not a true
dialogue, so persuasion and rhetoric can be intertwined (as Plato does in
Gorgias). Counterpoints can be masked or simply ignored.
In our own culture, dramatization is used as well. The
dramatization of the First Vision, for example, is much more effective than
other representations (like written) or other forms describing the origin of
our beliefs (explanation of prophets, Book of Mormon, etc). The First Vision
story answers many common questions (existence of God, love of God, how to
return to God, etc) that we have, just as Greek drama attempted to answer their
philosophical and physical questions and doubts.
3. Homer and Rhetoric
Homer is considered to be the first and greatest of the
ancient Greeks’ epic poets. His works, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, were well known by all and greatly incorporated
into day-to-day life. Homer’s widespread fame and recognition laid a foundation
for rhetoricians to connect with their audience and evolve their techniques.
We find references to Homer’s stories in several pieces of
rhetoric. Gorgias, for example, defends the the character Helen from Homer’s Iliad. Gorgias needed a general basis to
demonstrate his rhetorical skills. He knew that everyone was familiar with the Iliad, and he knew that successfully
defending Helen (a very hard task) would bring him recognition.
The Socratics relied heavily on Homer’s works as well. Plato’s
Republic for example, quotes Homer
several times. While today we rely on footnotes and other sources to clarify
such references, we can expect that the Greeks recognized and connected with
these references, building Plato’s credibility.
Even today we rely on literary frameworks to persuade and
communicate our ideas. General Authorities use scriptural stories because
members (and non-members) are familiar with them. We can relate, and even feel
a sense of security from the authority that scriptures give General Authorities
and their messages.
Homer’s works not only became a widespread and well-known
source for entertainment, but established and unified the Greek culture. The
kairos and audience are always important factors when writing or speaking. The
uniform foundation established by Homer made it that much easier to interpret
the kairos, address the audience, and allow rhetoricians to better develop their
ideas.
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