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Syd Barrington 27 November 2018 Demosthenes Barrington 1 Syd Barrington 27 November 2018 Demosthenes: Orator and Politician Demosthenes was born in 384 BC to Demosthenes, a wealthy Greek factory owner, and Cleobule, a supposed Scythian. He would eventually be called a “Greek speaking barbarian” (Jaeger, 23) by Aeschines, because he was not of full Greek blood. After Demosthenes father died when he was 7, he left Demosthenes to three legal guardians, so that he, and his inheritance, were well taken care of. However, when Demosthenes came of age he was only given a small percentage of his father's money. His three guardians, Aphobus, Demophon, nephews of Demosthenes father, and Therippides, a close friend of his father, had taken property of the estate for themselves and mishandle the rest, and the value of his inheritance decreased. He decided then to learn rhetoric so he could bring his guardians to court, and because he could not do as most healthy, young Greeks boys did; he also was weak and his mother would not let him go out to the gymnasia for fear of him getting harmed. When Callistratus the orator went to trial against Oropus, Demosthenes convinced his rhetoric teacher to let him go with him and it was here that Demosthenes witnessed Callistratus win his case and he decided that he too wanted a well-known reputation as a great orator. He then became a pupil of Isaeus, a logographer. He did not study under Isocrates because their view points in politics were different and he would have much rather studied directly under someone and learn ever bit possible than a generic education of rhetoric school declamations. At Barrington 2 the age of 18, he filed his court cases against each of his guardians; however, he shortly thereafter had to serve his military term, as “Attic law forbade his carrying on any lawsuits during these years” (Jaeger, 26). Finally, Demosthenes took each of his guardians to court in order to prove his father's estate was worth much more than his guardians had given him. His first speeches were for each separate court trials in which he attacked his guardians and successfully won, yet he did not receive what was due to him. He took a liking to public speaking and continued to do so. Yet when he was first starting, “he was interrupted by their clamours and laughed at for his inexperience, since his discourse seemed to them confused by long periods and too harshly and immoderately tortured by formal arguments” (Plutarch, 849). Demosthenes also had a weak voice and shortness of breath, which embarrassed him greatly, so greatly that he received advice from Satyrus, and actor, who gave him certain phrases to repeat. This lead Demosthenes on the journey of bettering not only his voice, but also his public speaking, as he would conceal himself in an underground study to practice his diction and delivery of sentences. He cured himself from his lisp by speaking with rocks in his mouth, he would speak phrases in one breath, and he would speak in front of a mirror to see the delivery of his own words. He would “[shave] one side of his head in order that shame might keep him from going abroad even though he greatly wished to do so” (Plutarch, 849). Demosthenes became very thoughtful throughout this process as well. He would rarely answer someone when called upon, unless he had had time to think and process all aspects. Nevertheless, Plutarch recalls in his biography of Demosthenes, that “those orations which were spoken off-hand by him had more courage and boldness than those which he wrote out” (Plutarch, 850), which shows his utter passion in what he is doing. Barrington 3 Demosthenes went from being an orator to the world of politics around the age of 32. He had began court career after handling his cases successfully, and he then studied speech-writing until he felt he could go into politics. Demosthenes taught a private group rhetoric, as he was extremely well versed in it from all of his studying. As Jaeger states, “He knew how to find in everything something from which he could learn” (Jaeger, 31). Demosthenes would not appear in court for private cases because he didn not want to influence judges; writers of speeches were never named, so he could write for many people, but he would never show up to the trial. The turn to politics was a conscious turning point in Demosthenes life. He became a speaker and proposed new things to the Assembly, for the Assembly asked him, and his other associates, to come up with a new political program. Demosthenes believed in the opposition to how things were running in Athens, and he made that opinion heard; he pointed out the financial issues, struggles with the Assembly's rejections of fixes that could potentially better the system, and the foreign policies. He wanted to recover from the Greek’s failed financial system, rebuild confidence in politics and business, and conserve the resources of the state. Demosthenes four greatest speeches in politics were of/relating to foreign policy,and it was at this time that he went head to head with Aeschines. Aeschines brought Demosthenes to trial multiple times because of disputes he and Demosthenes had created amongst themselves. (In 330 Aeschines was exiled after trying to veto a crown that was being given to Demosthenes on behalf of his devotion to Athens). Demosthenes speeches were passionate and thought out, and it was clear to see that Demosthenes was very invested in politics at this point despite his nontraditional start. Plutarch did however call Demosthenes, “unstable in his character and unable to remain true for any Barrington 4 length of time to the same policies or the same men”. Demosthenes wrote many speeches having to do with tax laws (Against Androtion and Against Leptines) and government corruption ​ ​ ​ ​ (Against Timocrates and Against Aristocrates). Demosthenes also went head to head with ​ ​ ​ ​ Eubulus, an extremely well known politician, for he wanted to form an alliance with Megalopolis against Thebes. Demosthenes was interested in a foreign policies for the good of Athen’s, which was a new perspective for Athenians. He could be very compelling in spreading his opinion which lead many persons to point out that “we cannot often be sure what the facts were or make up our mind how we should vote, even when we have the speeches on both sides of a case, as sometimes happens” (Luce, 419). He continuously wrote many other persuading speeches and became extremely relied upon for his input. Demosthenes died in 322 after he escaped from being prosecuted as a Macedonian agitator, and fled to an island. There, he was surrounded by assassins and committed suicide by poison. One significant event that shaped Demosthenes life was when he locked himself in an underground room and practiced his speaking. In Plutarch’s biography he talked of how Demosthenes was criticised by the public when he first began speaking. He was embarrassed because of this and his speech impediment. I found it very surprising that he would lock himself in a room for months on end to fix this. I realize that there were not speech therapists in Athens, but for him to decide to constantly practice, for days on end, was very astounding. He was considered weak and fragile by his mother, and that he would sit inside and read and study rather than go to the gymnasia with the other young boys. Therefore he was very intelligent, though his body was weak. He clearly had wanted to go into being a logographer from early adulthood, and if he could not deliver a speech in such a manner, then it was also clear to see that he would stop Barrington 5 at nothing. It was noted that he got rid of his lisp by speaking phrases over and over again with pebbles in his mouth. His determination really sticks out as an important characteristic of his life. This experience led him to be patient and thoughtful as he repeated phrases over and over. Many ancient historians reflected on this and said that he had to think about the subject matter long before he would give his input. Another significant turning point in his life was when he went from being an orator to being a statesman. This switched was not only because he had gained lots of trust and fame, but because his hardwork in studying and practicing speeches brought him there. He no longer had to be anonymous, for his work could now help influence the state and people would know who came up with said ideas. Demosthenes was not always one sided, but he was good at making his point clear no matter whose side he was on. He was very persuasive and tried to help Athens in multiple wars with his input. He enjoyed the idea of building up Athens foreign policy, so wars with other city-states and empires was something he was very passionate about. He tried to help Athens in their economic terms, but he had to go head to head with one of Athens most intelligent persons, Eubulus. He and Eubulus fought back and forth with reforms and policies. I believe these two were extremely intelligent, and very much alike in the sense that they were both passionate about their jobs/duties. Though they were on opposing sides, I think that they had Athens on their minds, for they were patriotic and cared for their city. I believe the main goal of Demosthenes was to have Athens always be the powerhouse, and to gain back the city’s freedom when it was conquered by the Macedonians, for he never wanted to be under the Macedonian rule.
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