THEOPHRASTUS (370–286 BCE)

Written by Jessica Estep

Theophrastus, a student of both Plato and Aristotle, headed the Lyceum for nearly thirty-five years. His best-known rhetorical text, The Characters, built upon Aristotelian methods.

BIOGRAPHY

Theophrastus was born Tyrtamos on the Greek island of Lesvos; however, he would spend most of his life in Athens. As an adolescent in Lesvos, Theophrastus likely studied under Alcippus before departing for Plato’s academy. While studying under Plato, Theophrastus was mentored by Aristotle, who was then teaching at the Lyceum and advising Alexander the Great. The two Greeks seem to have had great admiration for one another. In fact, Aristotle renamed Tyrtamos Theophrastus because of his articulacy. (Theo means “god” and phrasso means “speak”, implying that Theophrastus could speak in a manner that could invoke or please the gods.) However, when Alexander the Great died in 323 BCE, Aristotle was forced to flee Athens and abandon the Lyceum. Aristotle's chosen successor, Theophrastus took the helm and remained there until his death.

As owner of the Lyceum, Theophrastus expanded the property’s dining room and libraries, and the student population swelled to two thousand students, the zenith of student enrollment. This expansion is largely attributed to Theophrastus's leadership. He was a well-liked, dedicated teacher and a gifted philosopher who spurned a wife in favor of scholarship.

As a scholar, Theophrastus focused on developing methods of inquiry as opposed to drawing inferences; he was a critical thinker and classifier who rarely held firm opinions. While at the Lyceum, Theophrastus is credited with writing over 200 books, most of them lost. His surviving, fifty-page text The Characters was rediscovered during the Renaissance and is today considered a foundational rhetorical and psychological text.

THEOPHRASTUS’ THE CHARACTERS

Thirty humorous character sketches of Greek men over fifty are at the heart of The Characters. Each character sketch is given its own title—for instance, “The Garrulous Man” or the “Superstitious.” Following this title is a definition of the trait and a long description of its attributes. For example, the “Arrogant Man” is defined as having “a certain scorn for all the world beside oneself.” Theophrastus follows with details about how this man will act. One detail about the arrogant man is: “If he entertains his friends, he will not dine with them himself, but will appoint a subordinate to preside.”

Clearly humorous, the piece was a source of parody, particularly beginning in the Renaissance when it was rediscovered. The basis for parody is the baffling characterizations of the individuals in the book. The reader is told the characters have certain habits, moods, or inclinations, but no explanation is given for these habits, not even in the beginning or end of the work. Instead, the prologue and epilogue of The Characters serve to situate the reader within a moral framework—but no logical framework. No other explanation is offered for the descriptions. However, Theophrastus likely intended the sketches to be funny so they would amuse his students during their lessons.

The text was, in fact, probably used in the classroom as a rhetorical teaching tool, emphasizing ethos’ significance. The characters' droll errors show what a man without proper ethos will look like, thus scaring his students away from these habits. Theophrastus likely imparted the lesson that a man could not assert ethos if he demonstrated petty ambition, grossness, or recklessness—flaws categorized within this text.

THEOPHRASTUS AND ARISTOTLE

While little survives of what Theophrastus may have written about rhetoric, historians do know that he investigated the topic, building upon Aristotle’s rhetorical strategies. Like Aristotle, Theophrastus taught the three types of writing (epideictic, judicial, and deliberative). He also continued dividing Aristotle’s categories. For example, Theophrastus broke down Aristotle’s classification of “style” into four sub-groupings. He also included gestures as a method of delivering a speech, a concept Aristotle had not covered.

In his texts, Theophrastus used both Plato and Aristotle's methods as guides. In particular, Theophrastus’ text The Characters parallels some structures in Aristotle’s On Rhetoric. It is even possible that The Characters was intended to supplement Aristotle’s sketch of the old in On Rhetoric. In this text, Aristotle provides a few pages’ explanation of what can be expected of old men: anger, indifference, and callousness. Theophrastus may have written The Characters to elaborate on these characteristics and classify them further.

As both Plato and Aristotle would require, Theophrastus begins each character sketch with a specific definition. Then, he goes into detail about each character’s habits and actions. This format is similar to Aristotle’s. In his text, Aristotle typically writes without reference to moral or ethical purpose; the book is supposed to serve as a guide or handbook for aspiring rhetoricians. The Characters likely had a similar aim. Aspiring rhetoricians could choose from the characteristics listed to imagine and develop possible audiences for their words. The individual sketches served as a framework for constructing the behaviors of a real, complex person, much as Aristotle’s topics were intended to serve as the framework for constructing complex arguments.

CONCLUSION

A long-time director of the Lyceum, Theophrastus built upon the rhetorical legacy left to him by Aristotle and Plato, both in his writing and teaching methods. 

Theophrastus' last words were allegedly to his students: "Life greatly wrongly depreciates many pleasures for the sake of glory, for we die the moment we begin to live … Farewell and either forsake my teaching— for the labour is too much—or hold it in your mind—for the glory is great…" (D. L. V.41, 22-27).

Works Cited

Fortenbaugh, William W. "Theophrastus, The Characters and Rhetoric." Peripatetic Rhetoric After Aristotle. Ed. William W. Fortenbaugh and David C. Mirhady. Vol. VI. New

     Brunswick, N.J., U.S.A.: Transaction, 1994. 15-35. Print. Rutgers University Studies in Classical Humanities.

"Theophrastus (c. 372-c. 287 BC)." The Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Abington: Helicon, 2013. Credo Reference. Web. 09 November 2013.

"Theophrastus of Eresus." Meet the Philosophers of Ancient Greece. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing, 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 10 November 2013.