Conon's Sons and Meidias: Ēthopoiia and Hypokrisis in Demosthenes' Against Conon and Against Meidias .

This paper aims to show how Demosthenes presents and “manipulates” the personae of Conon’s sons and Meidias in his orations “Against Conon” and “Against Meidias”. Initially, the ēthē of Conon’s sons and Meidias are studied, as Demosthenes constructs them based on narrations, vivid descriptions and the stimulation of pathē to the audience (in selected passages). Secondly, the delivery of the above mentioned speeches is examined, connected to the ēthopoiia of Conon’s sons and Meidias as it is discussed in selected passages, taking also into consideration Aristotle’s remarks about delivery, especially the importance of the tone of voice for the expression of particular emotions and, not least, the role of gestures and other extra-lingual, performative features, which all could have contributed to the successful, as far as the outcome of the trial is concerned, presentation of Conon’s sons and Meidias.