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Rhetorical Themes and Features in the Speeches of Julius Caesar’s De Bello Gallico and De Bello Civili

Dahlström, Anders LU (2015) LATM04 20151
Latin
Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine what rhetorical themes and features are present in the speeches of Julius Caesar’s De bello Gallico and De bello civili. The investigation is based on the 172 speeches found in De Bello Gallico and the 83 speeches found in De Bello Civili. Lausberg’s Handbook of Literary Rhetoric: A Foundation for Literary Study provides the theoretical framework for the analysis. The analysis also entails a study and comparison of the 255 speeches.

The investigation shows, among other things, that Caesar, through the use of rhetorical themes and features, in connection with the use of certain keywords is keen to show that his actions are justified, i.e. that he is “in the right”. The use of rhetorical features and... (More)
The aim of this study is to examine what rhetorical themes and features are present in the speeches of Julius Caesar’s De bello Gallico and De bello civili. The investigation is based on the 172 speeches found in De Bello Gallico and the 83 speeches found in De Bello Civili. Lausberg’s Handbook of Literary Rhetoric: A Foundation for Literary Study provides the theoretical framework for the analysis. The analysis also entails a study and comparison of the 255 speeches.

The investigation shows, among other things, that Caesar, through the use of rhetorical themes and features, in connection with the use of certain keywords is keen to show that his actions are justified, i.e. that he is “in the right”. The use of rhetorical features and propagandistic elements increases in those sections where Caesar’s position could be described as tenuous. There are also several recurring themes, some scenes tend toward the formulaic; Caesar’s opponents, whether Gallic or Pompeian, are given the same inherent traits, e.g. greed, cruelty and hubris. In his work Caesars Commentarii – Stil und Stilwandel am Beispiel der direkten Rede, Detlev Rasmussen makes the claim that the style becomes more rhetorical as the two works progress. The current investigation cannot find anything to support this claim. (Less)
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author
Dahlström, Anders LU
supervisor
organization
course
LATM04 20151
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Julius Caesar, Latin, style, rhetorics, direct and indirect discourse
language
English
id
5257305
date added to LUP
2015-04-13 12:55:20
date last changed
2015-04-13 12:55:20
@misc{5257305,
  abstract     = {{The aim of this study is to examine what rhetorical themes and features are present in the speeches of Julius Caesar’s De bello Gallico and De bello civili. The investigation is based on the 172 speeches found in De Bello Gallico and the 83 speeches found in De Bello Civili. Lausberg’s Handbook of Literary Rhetoric: A Foundation for Literary Study provides the theoretical framework for the analysis. The analysis also entails a study and comparison of the 255 speeches.

The investigation shows, among other things, that Caesar, through the use of rhetorical themes and features, in connection with the use of certain keywords is keen to show that his actions are justified, i.e. that he is “in the right”. The use of rhetorical features and propagandistic elements increases in those sections where Caesar’s position could be described as tenuous. There are also several recurring themes, some scenes tend toward the formulaic; Caesar’s opponents, whether Gallic or Pompeian, are given the same inherent traits, e.g. greed, cruelty and hubris. In his work Caesars Commentarii – Stil und Stilwandel am Beispiel der direkten Rede, Detlev Rasmussen makes the claim that the style becomes more rhetorical as the two works progress. The current investigation cannot find anything to support this claim.}},
  author       = {{Dahlström, Anders}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Rhetorical Themes and Features in the Speeches of Julius Caesar’s De Bello Gallico and De Bello Civili}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}