Aristotle, Rhetoric, ed. William David Ross, 3.14.6

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[6] ἐν δὲ προλόγοις καὶ ἔπεσι δεῖγμά ἐστιν τοῦ λόγου, ἵνα προειδῶσι περὶ οὗ ᾖ ὁ λόγος καὶ μὴ κρέμηται ἡ διάνοια· τὸ γὰρ ἀόριστον πλανᾷ· ὁ δοὺς οὖν ὥσπερ εἰς τὴν χεῖρα 15 τὴν ἀρχὴν ποιεῖ ἐχόμενον ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ λόγῳ. διὰ τοῦτο

μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεά.

Hom. Il. 1.1

ἄνδρα μοι ἔννεπε, μοῦσα.

Hom. Od. 1.1

ἥγεό μοι λόγον ἄλλον, ὅπως Ἀσίας ἀπὸ γαίης

ἦλθεν ἐς Εὐρώπην πόλεμος μέγας.

καὶ οἱ τραγικοὶ δηλοῦσι περὶ οὗ τὸ δρᾶμα, κἂν μὴ εὐθὺς 20 ὥσπερ Εὐριπίδης ἐν τῷ προλόγῳ, ἀλλά πού γε, ὥσπερ καὶ Σοφοκλῆς

ἐμοὶ πατὴρ ἦν Πόλυβος.

Soph. OT 774 καὶ ἡ κωμῳδία ὡσαύτως. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀναγκαιότατον ἔργον τοῦ προοιμίου καὶ ἴδιον τοῦτο, δηλῶσαι τί ἐστιν τὸ τέλος οὗ ἕνεκα ὁ λόγος (διόπερ ἂν δῆλον ᾖ καὶ μικρὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα, 25 οὐ χρηστέον προοιμίῳ)·

Rhetoric. Aristotle. ed. William David Ross. Oxford. 1959.

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Current edition Perseus

Ῥητορική (Greek) (Aristotle. Aristotelis Ars Rhetorica. Ross, William David, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press,1959 (printing).)

Translations (1)

The "Art" of Rhetoric Perseus (Aristotle. The "Art" of Rhetoric. Freese, John Henry, translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1926 (printing).) — 3.14.6 focus

[6] But in speeches¹ and epic poems the exordia provide a sample of the subject, in order that the hearers may know beforehand what it is about, and that the mind may not be kept in suspense, for that which is undefined leads astray; so then he who puts the beginning, so to say, into the hearer's hand enables him, if he holds fast to it, to follow the story. Hence the following exordia:

Sing the wrath, O Muse.²

Tell me of the man, O Muse.³

Inspire me with another theme, how from the land of Asia a great war crossed into Europe .⁴

Similarly, tragic poets make clear the subject of their drama, if not at the outset, 20 like Euripides, at least somewhere in the prologue, like Sophocles,

My father was Polybus.⁵

It is the same in comedy. So then the most essential and special function of the exordium is to make clear what is the end or purpose of the speech; wherefore it should not be employed, if the subject is quite clear or unimportant.

Aristotle Rhetoric 3.14.6

ed. William David Ross

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