Publication Details

Abstract

The first part of the paper outlines the status of the genre of epideictic literature in the 5th century BC as well as the Gorgianic figures of speech as found in the Ancient handbooks of rhetoric. The second part deals with the methods of argumentation (apagōge and eikos) used by Gorgias in his speeches Encomium of Helen and Defence of Palamedes. The final part offers an analysis and brief interpretation of Defence of Palamedes which is not only a brilliant example of rhetorical style but also a demonstration of epistemological conviction that the it is impossible for us to reveal the truth.