We, the jury, find the defendant, not guilty

Nadeen Hijaz

Rhetoric 103A

Kuan Hwa 

8 October 2016

Afflicted

Gorgias’s rhetorical composition, Encomium of Helen, asserts that the patriarchy has a historical convention of misplacing blame on female figures. Gorgias supports his claim by utilizing rhetorical and persuasive devices, such as logos and pathos, to evoke rationality and compassion for the unspoken side. He deliberately finds fault with society in order to point out a lack of male accountability within the hierarchy.

In view of this, Helen, adhering to the power of force and persuasion, resulted in a character assassination. Helen of Troy is lead to elope with Prince Alexander because she is persuaded by the demands of the gods. By complying with the perennial actions of the gods, Helen is seen as initiating the Trojan War. With this in mind, Gorgias claims that the gods should be held accountable for the events that unfolded years to come instead of Helen since she was defenseless to the will of superiority. As Gorgias contended, “…if one must attribute responsibility to Fortune and the god, one must acquit Helen of infamy” (6). Gorgias is appealing to the audiences logic by arguing that Helen’s liability is misrepresented since she is the victim to a larger system of power. The audience should also adopt a sensible course of action rather than casting aspersions on her loyalty. There is also a lack of pity that Gorgias is attempting to illuminate by mirroring empathy since any individual put in a similar situation would have to willingly follow the demands of a senior figure. Moreover, there are repeated sophisms that feed into the ancient culture’s philosophy of how women are to be subjugated.

In comparison, Gorgias claims that Helen fell victim to abduction through force, whilst her perpetrator did not face political reverberations for their behavior. Why must Helen be prosecuted for a war that was narrated by the guilty? The audience is obliged to feel pitifulness for the defamation and political backlash that was projected onto her. To quote Gorgias, “if she was abducted by force, unlawfully constrained and unjustly victimized, it is clear on the one hand that the abductor, as victimizer, committed injustice--and on the other hand that the abductee, as victim, met with mishap” (7). Helen should not be arraigned for the aggressive and unjustifiable mistreatment that she faced by Prince Alexander since having been captured. He is culpable for stigmatizing Helen with an aversive status along with the patriarchy.  

In brief, Gorgias’s paradoxical argument to a long accepted attitude toward Helen reaffirms rhetorical functions. Persuasion and discovery of truths allow both sides to be observed and decided upon by the viewing audience. By utilizing rhetoric, Gorgias is able to evoke long awaited pity and comprehension while clearing Helen’s reputation.