Suasoria

Origin

The formal introduction of suasoria as a school form is unknown. One of the earliest forms of this exercise, however, involved Cicero's practice of philosophical theses, which were addressed to the self.

*Et nos ergo manum ferulæ subduximus: et nos * *Consilium dedimus Syllæ privatus ut altum * *Dormiret. Stulta est clementia cum tot ubique * *Vatibus occurras perituræ parcere chartæ.

I too have felt the master's cane upon my hand. I too

have given Sulla advice to retire into a deep

sleep. No point in sparing paper which is doomed to

destruction as you meet all those 'bards' everywhere.

Here Juvenal recalls his speech advising the dictator Sulla to retire. Another Roman poet who recalled enjoying his suasoria was Ovid.

Surviving examples

A book of suasoriae survive from antiquity, recorded in Suasoria by Seneca the Elder. He writes responses and analysis of responses on seven suasoriae:

1. Alexander debates whether to sail the ocean,
2. The three hundred Spartans sent against Xerxes deliberate whether they too should retreat following the flight of the contingents of three hundred sent from all over Greece,
3. Agamemnon deliberates whether to sacrifice Iphigenia for Calcas says otherwise sailing is impermissible,
4. Alexander the Great warned of danger by an augur deliberates whether to enter Babylon,
5. Xerxes has threatened to return unless the trophies of the Persian War are removed: the Athenians deliberate whether to do so,
6. Cicero deliberates whether to beg Antony's pardon, and
7. Antony promises to spare Cicero's life if he burns his writings: Cicero deliberates whether to do so.

References

References

1. Bloomer, W. Martin. (2010). "Roman Declamation: The Elder Seneca and Quintilian". John Wiley & Sons.
2. Evans, Ernest. (2016). "Tertullian's Treatise on the Incarnation: The Text Edited with an Introduction, Translation, and Commentary". Wipf and Stock Publishers.
3. Mendelson, M.. (2013-06-29). "Many Sides: A Protagorean Approach to the Theory, Practice and Pedagogy of Argument". Springer Science & Business Media.
4. (2010). "A Companion to Roman Rhetoric". Wiley Blackwell.
5. Susanna Morton Braund. (1997). "Roman Eloquence: Rhetoric in Society and Literature". Routledge.
6. (1912). "Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics". [[Charles Scribner's Sons]].
7. Gowing, Alain M.. (2005-08-11). "Empire and Memory". Cambridge University Press.
8. Seneca the Elder. (1974). "Suasoriae". Harvard University Press.
9. Seneca the Elder. (1974). "Suasoriae". Harvard University Press.
10. Seneca the Elder. (1974). "Suasoriae". Harvard University Press.
11. Seneca the Elder. (1974). "Suasoriae". Harvard University Press.
12. Seneca the Elder. (1974). "Suasoriae". Harvard University Press.
13. Seneca the Elder. (1974). "Suasoriae". Harvard University Press.
14. Seneca the Elder. (1974). "Suasoriae". Harvard University Press.