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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
Act 1, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Doll's Argument:
In the first scene of the play, Subtle and Face almost compromise the group’s schemes by bickering incessantly. Face threatens to call the authorities on Subtle, and Subtle attempts to claim a larger share of their profits. Frustrated, Doll Common uses logos in her argument that the three must work together.
Dol. [TO FACE.]
You will accuse him! you will "bring him in
Within the statute!" Who shall take your word?
A whoreson, upstart, apocryphal captain,
Whom not a Puritan in Blackfriars will trust
So much as for a feather:
[TO SUBTLE.]
and you, too,
Will give the cause, forsooth! you will insult,
And claim a primacy in the divisions!
You must be chief! as if you only had
The powder to project with, and the work
Were not begun out of equality?
The venture tripartite? all things in common?
Without priority? 'Sdeath! you perpetual curs.
Here, Doll’s logic and reason stand in stark contrast to the emotional responses of Face and Subtle. She reminds Face that, despite his threats, he is in no position to report Subtle to the authorities, as he is also a lower-class figure who is involved in crime. “Who shall take your word?” she asks angrily, reminding him that not even a “Puritan” would trust him. She then turns to Subtle, undermining his claims to “primacy” in their scheme and reasoning that they have all worked equally as a “venture tripartite” in which all labor and profit is shared “without priority.” In this scene, Doll employs logos to put an end to the senseless fight and to remind her co-conspirators of the grave consequences that await them if their plot is exposed.
Act 3, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Subtle's Argument:
Ananias and Tribulation Wholesome express their misgivings regarding alchemy, which conflicts with their strong religious ideals. In response, Subtle uses logos to argue that they can use riches for religious purposes by helping rich and powerful individuals and thereby gaining influence:
Sub. A lord that is a leper,
A knight that has the bone-ache, or a squire
That hath both these, you make them smooth and sound,
With a bare fricace of your med'cine: still
You increase your friends [...]
You cannot
But raise you friends. Withal, to be of power
To pay an army in the field, to buy
The king of France out of his realms, or Spain
Out of his Indies. What can you not do
Against lords spiritual or temporal,
That shall oppone you?
Here, Subtle notes that, with the Philosopher’s Stone, they might help such important individuals as a “lord that is a leper” or a “knight that has the bone-ache.” By using the stone to heal those who are rich or prominent, Subtle reasons, they can “increase” their “friends” and gain greater influence. Though the Puritans believe that it is sinful to covet gold, Subtle argues that they can use this money and influence to “pay an army in the field,” or to “buy / The King of France out of his realms, or Spain / Out of his Indies.” The Puritans, Subtle argues, would be in a good position to achieve their goals if they had the money and power to win wars and depose monarchs with whom they disagree, most notably Catholic monarchs such as those of Span and France. He concludes by noting that no “lords spiritual or temporal” would be able to oppose them. Here, Subtle uses logic and reason to argue that the Puritans cannot extend their influence while ignoring “temporal” (or “earthly”) concerns.
Related Themes:
