History of Demosthenes

Demosthenes was a 4^th century B.C.E. Greek orator from the city of Athens.  Considered to be one of the greatest orators of ancient Greece, it is also considered that “his death marked the end of Greek political speech” (Articles on Ancient History).  Demosthenes received his first taste for the power of speech when, at the age of seven, his father died, leaving to his young son a modest inheritance.  His two cousins, also charged with caring for the boy, were accused by Demosthenes of embezzlement and, when he came of age, took them to court and won, though it is not thought that he received any money in the settlement.  This victory is credited to his teacher, Iasus, known throughout Greece for his sizeable talent, eloquence with the spoken word, and an expert in Attic law with a specialization in wills (Articles on Ancient History).

Demosthenes also studied at Isocrates’ school, and though he has often been cited as attending a school of Plato, this is most likely false (Articles on Ancient History).  

In 355, Demosthenes began his public life in a career as an expert on international relations, taking up the charge against King Philip II of Macedon, the ruler of Macedonia and the number one threat, in Demosthenes’ mind, to the independence and freedom of the Athenian state (Articles on Ancient History).  Demosthenes saw Athens as the shining star of Greece, the greatest city in land, which had to be defended at all costs.  One of Demosthenes’ most famous speeches, the First Philippic, was delivered in 551 as a warning to his countrymen that to allow Philip to continue with his conquest would result in their ruin.

And come Philip did.  He continued his conquest toward Greece, making it as far inward as Olynphus by the time the Athenians realized that they must do what they could to stop Philip.  They sent Demosthenes and ten other diplomats went to Philip in 346 to negotiate peace, an effort which ended in the Peace of Philocrates.  Part of the peace negotiation led to the annexation of Amphipolis to Philip and the Macedon’s, a loss that many in Greece found wholly unacceptable.  Philip had no intentions of ceding his power in Greece, and this was a way to keep his foot in the door so to speak.  

Ultimately, Demosthenes roll as diplomat and master of international relations ended in ruin when Alexander of Macedon sacked Greece and installed a new embassy in the embattled city.  However, the constant lover of Greek independence continued looking for fights to take to the enemy, and essentially would continue to do so until he took his life in 322 B.C.E. 

Demosthenes as an Orator

Demosthenes did not come by his mastery of the spoken work by birth, but through brutal drills and tricks of elocution.  He would orate while running up hills, being hit by waves in the ocean, and with an entire mouth full of pebbles.  He had himself locked in a cell to escape other humans after shaving one side of his head so that he could speak in peace (NNDB).  All of this was to overcome a speech impediment that many scholars believed he had as a young child. 

Demosthenes was successful as a rhetor because he was able to bring his countrymen to his side on the issues.  When, near the end of his life, Demosthenes was brought to trial for the problems that he had caused Greece and Athens throughout his life, he declared that everything he had done had been with the support of the people of Athens.  This of course was the truth, and he further argued that if the people find him guilty, then it is in a fact a repudiation of their own decisions.  It is a deft argument, and perfectly developed for his purpose. 

His prose is very heavy and filled with the necessities of speaking in a court and making sure that one means exactly what one says.  Anything else could end in an absolute debacle.  His speech is measured and precise, and it makes for quite a heavy read.

Famous Speeches

-       First Philippic

-       Second Philippic

-       “Concerning the Name”

-       “On the Peace”

-       First Olynthiac

Websites Consulted

-       http://www.nndb.com/people/705/000094423/

-       http://www.livius.org/de-dh/demosthenes/demosthenes.html

Books Consulted

-       Plutarch, Life of Demosthenes

-       Demosthenes, The Public Orations of Demosthenes