CLEON AND DIODOTUS

Cleon and Diodotus

Cleon and Diodotus

Introduction

Of the political debates in Thucydides' History, one of the most interesting is that between Cleon and Diodotus (Woodruff, p. 85-125). The city of Mytilene had revolted from Athenian domination in 428 B.C. Athens forcibly recovered it, and the assembly voted to put all the male Mytileneans to death, both those who had led the revolution and those who opposed it, and to sell the women and children into slavery, making the city an example for any others that might be inclined to revolt. By the next day, there was a reaction in Athens against this agonizing decision, and a second meeting of the assembly held to reconsider it. Cleon, who supported the severe punishment, argues that it is not only “just” but “expedient” in that it will avoid future revolts (Grube & Reeve, p. 220-254). Diodotus, in opposition, might have been expected to stress the argument from justice and mercy; instead, however, he argues primarily on the basis of what is in the best interests of Athens, in this case to spare those who were Athens' friends and thus to encourage such factions else-where. He also argues against the utility of the death penalty, the earliest example of this topic, which continues as a subject of debate today. The assembly voted in favor of Diodotus' position, though by a narrow margin. The two speeches are unusually clear examples of the topics of justice and expediency and deserve to be read as background for Aristotle's discussion of the species of rhetoric.

Discussion

To illustrate the situation we begin by bringing up a debate within the Athenian assembly, reported by Thucydides in his History of the Peloponnesian War, in which two speakers, Cleon and Diodotus, include reflections on the power and the political role of the logos as part of its strategy of persuasion (Grube & Cooper, 24-42). The debate resolved the fate of city-Mitylenians, who had taken advantage of Athenian weakness during one of the Spartan invasions to Attica to try, unsuccessfully, to throw off the yoke of the Athenian League and tyrannical. The Athenian response was as rapid and blunt: immediate execution order of all males Mitylenians. While the trireme with the execution order rowed to Mytilene, He suggested a review, and it is precisely the extent to which this debate intend to move to start our reflection. Cleon, on the execution of all Mitylenians, scolds the Assembly for its indulging in rhetorical skills, qualifying members Assembly of “viewers and listeners made speeches”, citizens despise the experience for the benefit of artifice and staging oratory (Woodruff, p. 85-125).

Athenian citizens did not deal only with relatively minor issues, as do, for instance, community and town meetings in the modern era; nor did they vote only once in a while, as we do in modern elections. The Athenians--ordinary citizens sitting in the Assembly--tackled the most weighty matters of state as they arose and immediately (Woodruff, p. 85-125).

The decision recounted earlier was on whether or not to ...