Coercion, Ambiguity, and Rhetoric in Ancient Greece: The Dangers of Peithō

The ancient Greek goddess and action peithō, which was understood as a form of inducement or psychological pressure at work in rhetoric but also in other spheres of human activity, presented dangers to interpersonal and political persuasion. Evidence from poetry, drama, vase painting, oratory, and magical papyri reveals ways in which communities and individuals understood and learned to tolerate peithō's threats of ambiguity and coercion. Allannah Karas examines peithō in connection with other coercive, semi-divine forces, such as bia (physical force), anankē (constraint, necessity), and thelgein (enchantment), which are perceived as acting on the human psyche and within the human community. She also draws on social psychology, especially the concept of ambiguity tolerance and reactance theory, to illuminate the efficacy of ancient Greek communal practices (e.g. drama, ritual, romanticization and visual humor, and oratorical piety) as mechanisms for managing peithō's necessary yet dangerous presence in society.