KOMIKUS ÁTHALLÁSOK A SZÓNOKI ÉRVELÉSBEN
Comic Reminiscences in the Rhetorical Argument

Summary/Abstract: The present paper scrutinises the intrinsic argumentative structure of Hyperides' Athenogenes-speech. Since the speaker cannot rely on solid juristic foundation (as his task was to annul a valid, undersigned contract), in order to influence his audience, he adopts a threefold method of argumentation. First, Hyperides produces an impressive list of irrelevant laws, then he launches a bitter invective against Athenogenes and finally, which plays the decisive role, he targets the jurors (his well trained fellow-spectators of comedy) with cleverly chosen comic reminiscences. Quite uniquely in the history of Attic eloquence, the orator — as his main weapon — creates a striking scenario (both events and characters) of contemporaneous comic choreography. This is proven by thematic and linguistic parallels. On the basis of the new reading of the papyrus [col. XVI,1] we can also re-evaluate the invective against Athenogenes.

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