Jordan Moniz 

Rhetoric 103A 

October 4, 2016 

Precis Assignment 

                                                 Encomium of Helen

In Brain R. Donovan’s translation of Gorgias’ text Encomium of Helen, Gorgias, uses and performs the art of rhetoric to defend Helen of Troy, and prove that she is not to be blamed as the cause of the war between Greece and Troy. Gorgias’ goal is to persuade his audience/readers that Helen, is not the culprit for the war, but rather was the victim of Prince Alexander’s persuasive speech. Gorgias lays out his reasons for why Helen left Greece and shows in each example that Helen’s actions are not to be blamed as the reason for the war and that she should be exonerated of being known as the fault for the great war between Greece and Troy. For each reason that Gorgias gives for Helen leaving Greece he carefully argues to show the reader that in all cases Helen, was either in a state of non sound mind or was compelled by the divine or by force. The two reasons that Gorgias focuses on the most for Helen leaving are speech and love, both of which Prince Alexander is the cause of her fleeing and that Alexander, was indeed the one who was to blame. 

Gorgias argues that Prince Alexander is at fault for he was the persuader and compelled her by his use of speech to leave Greece and therefore, Helen cannot be held at fault for she was persuaded by his speech to do so( Gorgias,12). Gorgias uses the term discourse to describe the type of speech that Helen fell a victim to because discourse, is the persuasive type of speech associated with rhetoric. Gorgias’ claim is that Alexander’s goal was to persuade Helen by way of discourse into leaving with him. Gorgias sees discourse as the primary motivator for Helen’s actions and explains how the power of discourse can effect ones judgement, leaving one in a non sound state of mind, and influencing one to make choices that they would not do under normal circumstances. Those who are skilled in the art of rhetorical discourse, like Alexander can manipulate others into doing what they want. Gorgias goes on to show that discourse, has the same power as drugs and can bewitch the soul into falling under evil persuasion(Gorgias, 14). This point is crucial for proving Gorgias’ claim that Helen is not to be blamed for if she was under a power that acted as a drug either by discourse or by love, then she was not sound of mind at the time that she left Greece. This is a bold statement because if discourse works like a drug which Gorgias is claiming here then Helen was under the influence and she didn’t flee on her own volition. Here you find Gorgias appealing to his audience/readers’ senses by explaining how discourse can have the same affect as drugs do to someone when the persuader is skilled at the craft of discourse, aka rhetoric. This is also the same if Helen fell a victim to love. Gorgias’ calls love a “mental weakness” and just like a drug, mental weakness causes one to not be in a sound state of mind. Gorgias goes on to explain that Helen was persuaded by Alexander’s body to flee Greece and she was under the compulsion of love which clouded her judgement(Gorgias, 19). In both cases of discourse and love Helen, fell under the spell of persuasion either by the words that Alexander spoke to her or by his body that he presented to her. These two forms of persuasion are according to Gorgias what compelled her to flee and it was not a choice she made on her on volition.  In closing Gorgias, believes that he has proven by way of rhetoric persuasion that Helen is not to be blamed for her actions and her name should be cleared of any wrong doing. Gorgias is a skillful rhetorician and makes a compelling argument for showing that Helen was not the cause of the Trojan war.