This rhetorical commentary of Cersei Lannister’s speech is written purely as an exercise for identifying uses of classical rhetoric in modern popular culture. Rhetoric is used in discourse all the time; it is used in speeches, movies, books, articles and even TV shows about dragons!
If you haven’t watched Game of Thrones, it will still make sense as I have quoted the script and you don’t need much context. If you are currently watching Game of Thrones and haven’t watched up to Season 7 Episode 2 then I suggest you stop reading now (spoiler alert)!
This speech is an example of a philippic which is an aggressive attack on someone’s ethos (this is also known as ad hominem).
Continue reading “Game of Rhetoric: A rhetorical commentary on Cersei Lannister’s speech”
Cambridge Speechwriter 