The Rhetoric of Manhood: Masculinity in the Attic Orators

In fourth-century BCE Athens, public speakers invoked ideals of manhood to praise, defend or attack other citizens. Courage, shame, self-control and social standing all carried weight, yet the meaning of masculine conduct was far from settled.

Joseph Roisman turns to the Attic orators to examine how Athenians argued about men’s roles in households, friendships, military service and politics. Age, wealth and the expectations of fellow citizens could change what counted as honourable behaviour. The speeches reveal masculinity not as one fixed code but as a language of competing claims, used in the courts and public life of democratic Athens.