Home Classical, Ancient Near Eastern & Egyptian Studies No Decorum in the Forum? Comic Invective in the Theatre of Justice
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

No Decorum in the Forum? Comic Invective in the Theatre of Justice

  • Jan Lukas Horneff
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Comic Invective in Ancient Greek and Roman Oratory
This chapter is in the book Comic Invective in Ancient Greek and Roman Oratory

Abstract

This chapter examines the performative role of humour and invective in Roman forensic interaction. An orator taking centre stage was expected to provide entertainment and demonstrate his dominance in the “theatre of justice”. He had to craft the better gibes and portray his opponent as an inferior comic character, exploiting social and sexual stereotypes in Roman gender discourse. Thus, presenting a case had much in common with staging a comedy. We find evidence of this in the correspondence of the philosopher and rhetorician Fronto with his friend and pupil Marcus Aurelius. In a remarkable letter, Marcus Aurelius anticipates that Fronto would very likely ridicule and defame the philosopher Herodes Atticus, also a friend and teacher of Marcus Aurelius, and Fronto’s opponent in a forthcoming trial. While the adequacy of personal attacks is never questioned in principle, Marcus Aurelius asks Fronto for moderation in this specific case. From a few hints in Fronto’s letters, we can conclude that he had planned to portray Herodes Atticus as an effeminate intellectual, a cinaedus. This kind of mockery was widespread in antiquity and apparently had the potential to entertain the public: it was the perfect ingredient for comic invective in the theatre of justice.

Abstract

This chapter examines the performative role of humour and invective in Roman forensic interaction. An orator taking centre stage was expected to provide entertainment and demonstrate his dominance in the “theatre of justice”. He had to craft the better gibes and portray his opponent as an inferior comic character, exploiting social and sexual stereotypes in Roman gender discourse. Thus, presenting a case had much in common with staging a comedy. We find evidence of this in the correspondence of the philosopher and rhetorician Fronto with his friend and pupil Marcus Aurelius. In a remarkable letter, Marcus Aurelius anticipates that Fronto would very likely ridicule and defame the philosopher Herodes Atticus, also a friend and teacher of Marcus Aurelius, and Fronto’s opponent in a forthcoming trial. While the adequacy of personal attacks is never questioned in principle, Marcus Aurelius asks Fronto for moderation in this specific case. From a few hints in Fronto’s letters, we can conclude that he had planned to portray Herodes Atticus as an effeminate intellectual, a cinaedus. This kind of mockery was widespread in antiquity and apparently had the potential to entertain the public: it was the perfect ingredient for comic invective in the theatre of justice.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. Acknowledgements VII
  4. Killing with a Smile: Comic Invective in Greek and Roman Oratory 1
  5. Part I: Intertextual and Multi-genre Invective
  6. Comedy and Insults in the Athenian Law-courts 25
  7. Comic Invective and Public Speech in Fourth-Century Athens 43
  8. Comic Invective in Attic Forensic Oratory: Private Speeches 65
  9. Rhetorical Defence, Inter-poetic Agōn and the Reframing of Comic Invective in Plato’s Apology of Socrates 81
  10. “You are Mad!” Allegations of Insanity in Greek Comedy and Rhetoric 107
  11. Comic Invective in Cicero’s Speech Pro M. Caelio 125
  12. How to Start a Show: Comic Invectives in the Prologues of Terence and Decimus Laberius 147
  13. Part II: The Cultural Workings of Invective
  14. Comic Somatisation and the Body of Evidence in Aeschines’ Against Timarchus 171
  15. Comic Invective, Decorum and Ars in Cicero’s De Oratore 191
  16. No Decorum in the Forum? Comic Invective in the Theatre of Justice 211
  17. Part III: Invective in Ancient Socio-political Contexts
  18. Political Rhetoric and Comic Invective in Fifth-Century Athens: The Trial of the Dogs in Aristophanes’ Wasps 235
  19. Democracy, Poverty, Comic Heroism and Oratorical Strategy in Lysias 24 257
  20. Notes on Editors and Contributors 273
  21. General Index 275
  22. Index Locorum 279
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110735536-011

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. Acknowledgements VII
  4. Killing with a Smile: Comic Invective in Greek and Roman Oratory 1
  5. Part I: Intertextual and Multi-genre Invective
  6. Comedy and Insults in the Athenian Law-courts 25
  7. Comic Invective and Public Speech in Fourth-Century Athens 43
  8. Comic Invective in Attic Forensic Oratory: Private Speeches 65
  9. Rhetorical Defence, Inter-poetic Agōn and the Reframing of Comic Invective in Plato’s Apology of Socrates 81
  10. “You are Mad!” Allegations of Insanity in Greek Comedy and Rhetoric 107
  11. Comic Invective in Cicero’s Speech Pro M. Caelio 125
  12. How to Start a Show: Comic Invectives in the Prologues of Terence and Decimus Laberius 147
  13. Part II: The Cultural Workings of Invective
  14. Comic Somatisation and the Body of Evidence in Aeschines’ Against Timarchus 171
  15. Comic Invective, Decorum and Ars in Cicero’s De Oratore 191
  16. No Decorum in the Forum? Comic Invective in the Theatre of Justice 211
  17. Part III: Invective in Ancient Socio-political Contexts
  18. Political Rhetoric and Comic Invective in Fifth-Century Athens: The Trial of the Dogs in Aristophanes’ Wasps 235
  19. Democracy, Poverty, Comic Heroism and Oratorical Strategy in Lysias 24 257
  20. Notes on Editors and Contributors 273
  21. General Index 275
  22. Index Locorum 279
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 26.12.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110735536-011/html
Scroll to top button