Hortensia : speaking truth to power in the Roman forum / Rhonda Knight.
This case examines Appian of Alexandria's portrayal of the Roman woman Hortensia in Book Four of The Civil Wars. This book examines the events that followed the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE, including the punishments that the triumvirs-Octavius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Lepidus-impos...
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| Format: | Ebook |
| Language: | English |
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London :
SAGE Publications: SAGE Business Cases Originals,
2024.
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| Series: | SAGE business cases
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | SAGE |
| Summary: | This case examines Appian of Alexandria's portrayal of the Roman woman Hortensia in Book Four of The Civil Wars. This book examines the events that followed the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE, including the punishments that the triumvirs-Octavius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Lepidus-imposed on Roman patricians. These punishments were primarily execution, exile, and the confiscation of property. When the triumvirs attempted to confiscate the jewelry of 1,400 prominent Roman women-an unprecedented act-the women tried to gain recourse through the customary means of advocacy that patrician women of the time utilized. When this system failed them, they crossed into the male space of the Forum to voice their protests. Their leader, Hortensia, delivered a speech that is an example of the Greek rhetorical form, parrhesia, which means speaking the truth, even when the outcome is dangerous to the speaker or might offend the listener. This is a practice that we now call "speaking truth to power." Students will consider the physical and psychological boundaries that Hortensia and the women crossed in order to speak to the triumvirs. Considering the relationship between leadership and parrhesia, they will also weigh its benefits and risks within this specific historical situation as well as within their own lives. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource. |
| ISBN: | 9781071931479 1071931474 |