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Irony
Definition of Logos
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Logos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Logos is... read full definition
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Book 12
Explanation and Analysis—Latinus's Reason:
Early in Book 12, King Latinus attempts to reason with Turnus and to calm his fighting spirit. Lamenting that "the rushing Tiber still steams with our blood" and that "the endless fields still glisten with our bones," Latinus makes a speech consisting of rhetorical questions, logos, and pathos in order to convince Turnus to surrender:
Why do I shrink from my decision? What insanity
shifts my fixed resolve? If, with Turnus dead,
I am ready to take the Trojans on as allies,
why not stop the war while he is still alive?
What will your Rutulians, all the rest of Italy
say if I betray you to death—may Fortune forbid!—
while you appeal for my daughter’s hand in marriage?
In this series of rhetorical questions, Latinus uses logos to attempt to change Turnus's mind. He reasons that if he's willing to accept the Trojans as allies after Turnus dies, he might as well stop the war before Turnus meets a tragic fate. In Latinus's view, it's a bigger betrayal to let Turnus die than to surrender in the war with the Trojans.
After these appeals to Turnus's sense of logic, Latinus turns to his emotional side. Towards the end of his speech, he uses pathos in a final attempt to sway Turnus:
Oh, think back on the twists and turns of war.
Pity your father, bent with years and grief,
cut off from you in your native city Ardea far away.
In the Greco-Roman context, one of a father's greatest sorrows was to bury his son. Impelling Turnus to pity his father, Latinus reminds the man that his life and death aren't solely about himself. Turnus and his father have already been separated. In order to convince Turnus to surrender to the Trojans, Latinus brings up his father and native city, which are "far away" and which count on him.
Related Themes:
