{"title":"Constructing the ‘theatre of power’: the performance of speeches of Emperor Leo VI the Wise","authors":"Cao Gu","doi":"10.1017/byz.2022.30","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Emperor Leo VI the Wise made speeches on various occasions, and the surviving texts have attracted numerous philological and historical studies. However, delivering a speech was never merely a monologue, especially in the court milieu where life was highly ritualized. It combined text-reading and multiple ceremonies and thus became a theatrical performance. In this ‘theatre’, the emperor's elegant appearance, the audience reaction to the orator's words following a set of conventions, and the venue decorated with torches, candles, and many other objects all played an indispensable role.","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"47 1","pages":"2 - 17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3000,"publicationDate":"2022-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1017/byz.2022.30","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
Emperor Leo VI the Wise made speeches on various occasions, and the surviving texts have attracted numerous philological and historical studies. However, delivering a speech was never merely a monologue, especially in the court milieu where life was highly ritualized. It combined text-reading and multiple ceremonies and thus became a theatrical performance. In this ‘theatre’, the emperor's elegant appearance, the audience reaction to the orator's words following a set of conventions, and the venue decorated with torches, candles, and many other objects all played an indispensable role.
期刊介绍:
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies is an internationally recognised, peer-reviewed journal and one of the leading publications in its field. It is viewed as an important outlet for current research. Published twice a year in spring and autumn, its remit has always been to facilitate the publication of high-quality research and discussion in all aspects of Byzantine and Modern Greek scholarship, whether historical, literary or social-anthropological. It welcomes research, criticism, contributions on theory and method in the form of articles, critical studies and short notes.