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Dramatic Irony
Definition of Ethos
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Ethos is... read full definition
Ethos, along with logos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Part 2, Chapter 35
Explanation and Analysis—A Playwright :
Clare Quilty, a famous playwright who is also, like Humbert, a pedophile, wields ethos in his attempt to convince Humbert to abandon his plans for revenge:
“My dear sir,” he said, “stop trifling with life and death. I am a playwright. I have written tragedies, comedies, fantasies. I have made private movies out of Justine and other eighteenth-century sexcapades. I’m the author of fifty-two successful scenarios. I know all the ropes. Let me handle this. There should be a poker somewhere, why don’t I fetch it, and then we’ll fish out your property.”
Previously, Quilty helped Lolita escape from Humbert in order to abuse her, only to abandon her after she refused to appear in a pornographic film. Humbert, who considers Quilty responsible for “taking” Lolita away from him, has arrived at Quilty’s manor to murder the man he perceives as his rival. After seeing Humbert’s gun, the previously disoriented Quilty attempts to save himself using his wits, wielding ethos in his argument that Humbert should abandon his homicidal plans. Claiming authority as a famous playwright and intellectual, Quilty notes that he has written “tragedies, comedies, fantasies” and is the author of “fifty-two successful scenarios.” Therefore, he concludes, he knows “all the ropes” and is too experienced to be easily killed by Humbert. Ultimately, however, Humbert sees through Quilty’s blustering talk and kills the man, shooting him several times.
