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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 3, Scene 6
Explanation and Analysis—Be Wise, Then:
After Arcite is arrested by the Athenian authorities for violating the terms of his banishment and Palamon is arrested for escaping from prison, Theseus, Hippolyta, and Emilia debate over the fate of the young Theban gentlemen. When Emilia argues that they should both be set free, Theseus uses logos to highlight the flaws in her argument:
You are a right woman, sister: you have pity,
But want the understanding where to use it.
If you desire their lives, invent a way
Safer than banishment. Can these two live,
And have the agony of love about ’em,
And not kill one another? Every day
They’d fight about you, hourly bring your honor
In public question with their swords. Be wise, then,
And here forget ’em; it concerns your credit
And my oath equally.
Theseus respectfully acknowledges Emilia’s strong sense of mercy, but nevertheless he argues that she does not know “where to use” her pity and must “invent a way” to maintain peace. Using logos, he reasons that the two men cannot simply be set free, as they will simply find and “kill one another” in order to resolve their feud. Further, he argues that their fight would call Emilia’s honor into “public question,” as both men claim to be her true love. Ultimately, he argues that Emilia must “be wise” rather than emotional in dealing with the feuding cousins.
Related Themes:
