Aeschylus (c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC)
Aeschylus's style is grand, majestic, and often archaic. His rhetoric is less about sophistic debate and more about creating powerful emotional states, religious awe, and immense pathos through elevated language.
Play: Agamemnon
Location: Lines 931-949 (Clytemnestra persuading Agamemnon to walk on the purple tapestries).
Rhetorical Tool: Persuasion (combined with Sophistry).
Analysis: Clytemnestra's argument is a masterpiece of manipulation. She equates his refusal to a potential vow made in fear, subtly challenges his manhood ("Or is it the voice of envy you fear?"), and reframes his trampling of the precious fabrics not as hubris, but as an act befitting a victor. For the audience, this is a moment of extreme tension. They know trampling on such wealth is a direct challenge to the gods. Agamemnon's capitulation is not just a domestic defeat but a sign of his fatal pride (ὕβρις), sealing his doom. Her rhetorical victory is his moral and literal death sentence.
Play: Agamemnon
Location: Lines 1404-1406 (Clytemnestra standing over the bodies).
Rhetorical Tool: Apostrophe (addressing an absent or inanimate object).
Analysis: After killing her husband, Clytemnestra describes the blood spatter: "He sprayed me with the crimson drops, a dark-red dew, and I rejoiced, as the sown earth rejoices in the glory of the rain that Zeus sends for the birth of the swelling buds." She addresses the blood as "dew" and compares her joy to that of the earth. This shocking and perverse apostrophe and simile reveal the depths of her passion and her complete inversion of natural order (blood as life-giving rain). It horrifies the audience by showing her actions not as a moment of madness, but as a fulfilling, almost orgasmic, consummation of her hatred.
Play: The Libation Bearers
Location: Lines 315-478 (The Great Kommos).
Rhetorical Tool: Anaphora (repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses).
Analysis: Throughout this long, lyric exchange between Orestes, Electra, and the Chorus, they repeatedly call upon the dead Agamemnon and the gods below. The structure often involves repeating phrases of lament or calls for vengeance. This anaphora gives the scene a ritualistic, incantatory power. It's not a logical argument but a rhetorical summoning of chthonic power, winding the characters (and the audience) up to the fever pitch required for Orestes to commit matricide.
Play: The Eumenides
Location: Lines 574-753 (The trial of Orestes).
Rhetorical Tool: Agon (formal contest or debate).
Analysis: The entire trial is a formal rhetorical debate between Apollo (for the defence) and the Chorus of Furies (for the prosecution), with Athena as judge. Apollo uses arguments from logos (the father is the true parent, not the mother) while the Furies argue from ancient tradition and pathos (the horror of matricide). This is the structural culmination of the entire trilogy, externalising the play's central conflicts: old vs. new gods, male vs. female, darkness vs. light, vengeance vs. civic justice. The use of the agon form makes a philosophical debate into a thrilling dramatic event.
Play: Prometheus Bound
Location: Lines 88-127 (Prometheus's first monologue).
Rhetorical Tool: Apostrophe.
Analysis: Chained to the rock and finally alone, Prometheus does not speak to anyone, but to the elements themselves: "O divine air, and sky, and swift-winged winds! O river springs, and laughter of the countless waves of the sea! O mother earth, all-generating! And you, all-seeing circle of the sun, I call on you!" This address to the cosmos immediately establishes the cosmic scale of his suffering. It generates immense pathos and grandeur, showing him as a divine being whose agony is felt by the very fabric of the world.
Play: Agamemnon
Location: Lines 1119-1129 (Cassandra's vision).
Rhetorical Tool: Epizeuxis (repetition of a word for emphasis).
Analysis: In the grip of her prophetic madness, Cassandra cries out, "Apollo, Apollo! God of the ways, my destroyer!" The frantic repetition of the god's name communicates her terror and helplessness far more effectively than a simple statement. It mimics a breathless, panicked cry, drawing the audience into her state of divine torment.
Sophocles (c. 497/496 – c. 406/405 BC)
Sophocles is the master of dramatic structure and psychological depth. His most potent rhetorical tool is irony, where the words spoken have a second layer of meaning, known to the audience but not to the character.
Play: Oedipus Rex
Location: Lines 216-275 (Oedipus's proclamation to the people of Thebes).
Rhetorical Tool: Dramatic Irony.
Analysis: This entire speech is drenched in irony. Oedipus, seeking the murderer of Laius, declares: "I forbid that man, whoever he may be, my land... and I pray that the murderer's life be consumed in evil and wretchedness. And as for me, this curse applies no less if he is found to be a sharer of my hearth." The audience knows he is the murderer he seeks. Every word he speaks is an unwitting curse upon himself. This creates an almost unbearable tension and a profound sense of tragic destiny. The rhetoric of a king exercising justice becomes the instrument of his own self-destruction.
Play: Antigone
Location: Lines 499-525 (The confrontation between Antigone and Creon).
Rhetorical Tool: Stichomythia (rapid, line-for-line dialogue).
Analysis:
Creon: And you still dared to transgress these laws? Antigone: Because it was not Zeus who proclaimed them. ... Creon: An enemy is never a friend, not even in death. Antigone: I was born to join in love, not hate. This quick, alternating exchange sharpens the conflict to a razor's edge. It shows the complete incompatibility of their worldviews, leaving no room for compromise. The rhetorical form mirrors the thematic content: two unmovable forces clashing directly.
Play: Antigone
Location: Lines 450-470 (Antigone's speech on divine law).
Rhetorical Tool: Antithesis (contrast of ideas).
Analysis: Antigone's entire defence is built on a series of antitheses: the contrast between Creon's mortal decree and the "unwritten and unfailing statutes of the gods"; between "today and yesterday" and "all time"; between human law and divine law. This starkly frames the central conflict of the play and elevates her defiance from mere stubbornness to a principled, theological stand.
Play: Oedipus Rex
Location: Lines 350-403 (The argument between Oedipus and Tiresias).
Rhetorical Tool: Invective (abusive language) and Rhetorical Question.
Analysis: As Oedipus's frustration grows, he lashes out at Tiresias, calling him a "wicked old man" and accusing him of conspiracy. Tiresias retorts with devastating accusations disguised as questions: "Who is the slayer, but you? Who is the unholy polluter of this land?" The shift from reasoned inquiry to vicious invective shows Oedipus’s fatal flaw—his anger and pride. It demonstrates how, when his logos fails, he resorts to force, a key aspect of his tragic character.
Play: Philoctetes
Location: Lines 927-950 (Philoctetes's reaction to the deception).
Rhetorical Tool: Pathos (appeal to emotion).
Analysis: On discovering Odysseus's and Neoptolemus's trick to steal his bow, Philoctetes delivers a speech of pure emotional agony. He addresses the landscape of his lonely island, lamenting his betrayal. "O caves and headlands, O dens of wild creatures... I cry to you... see what the son of Achilles has done to me!" This powerful appeal to pity highlights the cruelty of the "heroic" Odysseus and forces the audience (and Neoptolemus) to question whether the ends justify such brutal means.
Play: Ajax
Location: Lines 815-865 (Ajax's final monologue).
Rhetorical Tool: Personification.
Analysis: Before falling on his sword, Ajax speaks to the sword itself, a gift from his enemy Hector, asking it to give him a swift death. He then addresses Death, asking it to come for him, and the Sun, asking it to tell his father of his fate. By personifying these concepts, Sophocles elevates Ajax's suicide from a simple act of despair into a cosmic event, a final ordering of his relationship with his own glory, his enemies, and the gods.
Euripides (c. 480 – c. 406 BC)
Euripides, the most "modern" of the tragedians, was deeply influenced by the philosophical and rhetorical movements of his day. His plays are filled with sophisticated arguments, psychological realism, and powerful emotional appeals.
Play: Medea
Location: Lines 214-266 (Medea's first speech to the Chorus of Corinthian women).
Rhetorical Tool: Ethos (establishing credibility) and Pathos.
Analysis: This is a masterful piece of rhetoric. Medea emerges, calm and reasonable. She builds a common bond (ethos) with the Chorus by speaking of the wretched lot of women in general: their powerlessness, the dangers of childbirth, their reliance on men. "Of all creatures that have life and reason, we women are the most miserable." By framing her personal plight as a universal female experience, she secures the Chorus's sympathy and their oath of silence. This rhetorical victory is the crucial first step in her revenge plot.
Play: Medea
Location: Lines 465-575 (The agon between Medea and Jason).
Rhetorical Tool: Agon featuring Sophistry.
Analysis: Jason presents a seemingly logical (logos) argument that his new marriage will benefit Medea and their children. He uses sophistic reasoning, twisting the truth to paint himself as a rational benefactor. Medea counters with pure, passionate pathos, reminding him of the oaths he swore and the sacrifices she made for him. The clash reveals Jason's character as a cold, self-serving opportunist and Medea's as one who operates on a more primal level of justice and loyalty.
Play: The Trojan Women
Location: Lines 95-152 (Hecuba's opening lament).
Rhetorical Tool: Apostrophe and Pathos.
Analysis: Hecuba, lying on the ground, addresses the ruins of her city and the ghosts of her family. "Lift up your head from the dust, lift up your neck." She is speaking to herself, but also to the fallen Troy. This speech sets the tone for the entire play, which is less a plot-driven drama and more a sustained lyrical exploration of suffering. Euripides uses Hecuba's raw grief to launch a powerful anti-war statement, forcing the Athenian audience to confront the human cost of their own military ventures.
Play: The Bacchae
Location: Lines 434-518 (The first encounter between Dionysus and Pentheus).
Rhetorical Tool: Stichomythia and Irony.
Analysis: The line-by-line exchange between the disguised god and the mortal king is filled with double meanings. Pentheus asks questions, seeking to assert his authority, but Dionysus's answers are enigmatic and subtly mock him. For example, when Pentheus asks what the god's rites are like, Dionysus says, "It is not lawful for the uninitiated to know." The irony is that Pentheus's refusal to be initiated is precisely what will destroy him. This rhetorical dance shows the futility of mortal reason and force against the divine.
Play: Medea
Location: Lines 1021-1080 (Medea's monologue debating killing her children).
Rhetorical Tool: Internal Debate / Antithesis.
Analysis: This is one of the most psychologically powerful moments in all of Greek tragedy. Medea argues with herself, pitting her maternal love against her desire for vengeance. "Oh, what am I to do? My heart fails me, women, when I see their bright young faces... I cannot do it." Then, her resolve hardens: "Must I be a laughing-stock by letting my enemies go unpunished?" This internal antithesis gives the audience a raw, unprecedented view into a character's soul at a moment of extreme crisis, making her final decision all the more horrific and tragic.
Play: Hippolytus
Location: Lines 902-980 (The agon between Theseus and Hippolytus).
Rhetorical Tool: Argument from Probability (eikos).
Analysis: Theseus, holding the note from his dead wife Phaedra accusing Hippolytus of rape, refuses to listen to his son. His argument is based on probability: why would she kill herself and lie? Hippolytus, bound by an oath of secrecy to the Nurse, cannot reveal the whole truth. He is forced to argue his own virtuous character (ethos), but it is useless against the "proof" of the letter. Euripides here dramatises a tragic legal situation where circumstantial evidence (the letter) and a probable argument destroy an innocent man who cannot produce counter-evidence.
Play: Hecuba
Location: Lines 1187-1237 (Hecuba's argument against Polymestor).
Rhetorical Tool: Forensic Rhetoric.
Analysis: After she has blinded Polymestor, Hecuba engages in a formal debate with him before Agamemnon. She employs the techniques of a courtroom orator, systematically dismantling his excuses for murdering her son Polydorus. She uses logos to show that his motive was greed, not politics. This scene shows how grief has turned Hecuba into a terrifyingly effective legal mind, using the tools of civilisation to justify her brutal, primal revenge.
Aristophanes (c. 446 – c. 386 BC)
Aristophanes uses the same rhetorical tools as the tragedians, but for comic effect. He parodies political speech, sophistry, and literary styles to satirise Athenian life.
Play: The Frogs
Location: Lines 1378-1410 (The weighing of the verses).
Rhetorical Tool: Parody and Literalised Metaphor.
Analysis: In the contest between Aeschylus and Euripides, Dionysus decides to weigh their lines of poetry on a giant scale. Aeschylus's grand, heavy verses ("River Spercheios, and cattle-grazing pastures") always outweigh Euripides's lighter, more cerebral lines ("Persuasion has no temple other than speech"). This is a brilliant parody of literary criticism. The metaphorical "weight" of a line is made literal, creating a fantastic visual gag that hilariously summarises the stylistic differences between the two poets.
Play: The Clouds
Location: Lines 889-1104 (The debate between the Better Argument and the Worse Argument).
Rhetorical Tool: Agon and Parody of Sophistry.
Analysis: Two personified arguments debate for the soul of a young student. The Better Argument represents old-fashioned, disciplined education, while the Worse Argument represents amoral, sophistic rhetoric that can "make the weaker argument appear the stronger." The Worse Argument wins by twisting logic, appealing to base desires, and using clever but meaningless rhetoric. This is a direct satirical attack on the new philosophical education in Athens, which Aristophanes believed was corrupting the youth.
Play: Lysistrata
Location: Lines 1114-1188 (Lysistrata’s speech to the Athenian and Spartan delegates).
Rhetorical Tool: Panhellenic Persuasion.
Analysis: Having brought the men of Greece to their knees, Lysistrata delivers a powerful speech. She doesn't just scold them; she reminds them of their shared heritage, their common religion at places like Olympia and Delphi, and their common external enemies (the Persians). This is a classic rhetorical strategy of creating a shared identity (ethos) to overcome internal division. It is both funny, because of the context (the men are all suffering from painful erections), and genuinely moving in its appeal for peace.
Play: The Birds
Location: Lines 460-626 (Peisthetaerus's great speech to the birds).
Rhetorical Tool: Hyperbole (exaggeration).
Analysis: The smooth-talking Athenian, Peisthetaerus, convinces the birds to create their own kingdom in the sky. He does this through wild hyperbole, arguing that the birds were originally kings of everything, older than the gods themselves, and that by building Cloud-Cuckoo-Land they can starve the gods into submission. It is a perfect parody of the speeches of a demagogue, using grand promises and a twisted version of history to whip a crowd into a frenzy and seize power.
Play: The Acharnians
Location: Lines 496-556 (Dicaeopolis's speech parodying Euripides).
Rhetorical Tool: Parody and Pathos.
Analysis: To plead his case for making a private peace with Sparta, the farmer Dicaeopolis borrows tragic rags from Euripides to make himself look more pathetic. His speech is a masterful parody of Euripidean pathos, mixing high-flown tragic language with mundane complaints about market inspectors and garlic. This self-conscious use of another playwright's style shows the audience's deep familiarity with rhetorical modes and creates a complex layer of comedy.
Play: Lysistrata
Location: Lines 551-586 (Lysistrata's wool-working metaphor).
Rhetorical Tool: Extended Metaphor (or Allegory).
Analysis: When a magistrate asks how women can possibly solve the problems of the state, Lysistrata explains it using an extended metaphor of weaving. The city is like a tangled fleece of wool that must be washed, beaten to remove the burrs (bad citizens), carded to bring everyone together, and then spun into a strong yarn of unity. This brilliant metaphor takes a familiar domestic task and turns it into a clear, logical, and persuasive model for civic reform, rhetorically demonstrating that female skills are indeed applicable to running the state.
Play: The Frogs
Location: Lines 905-970 (Euripides's critique of Aeschylus).
Rhetorical Tool: Satirical Logos.
Analysis: Euripides attacks Aeschylus for his long silences, obscure language, and repetitive prologues. He applies a form of "logical" criticism, breaking down Aeschylus's lines to show their alleged absurdity. The famous running gag, "lekythion apolesen" ("he lost his little oil flask"), which he shows can be nonsensically added to the end of many of Aeschylus's prologue lines, is a perfect example. It's a parody of pedantic, deconstructive analysis, using logic for purely comic and destructive ends.
pray continue for more examples.
Show thinking
Certainly. Here are further examples of the rich and varied use of rhetoric in Greek drama, continuing with the same structure and level of detail.
Aeschylus
Aeschylus continues to use rhetoric to build a world of divine consequence and human suffering, where language itself has a performative and prophetic power.
Play: Agamemnon
Location: Lines 1-39 (The Watchman's opening speech).
Rhetorical Tool: Aposiopesis (suddenly breaking off in speech).
Analysis: The Watchman speaks of the "house's secret" and the suffering within. Just as he is about to say more, he stops himself: "The rest is silence. A great ox stands upon my tongue." This deliberate silence is more powerful than any revelation. It creates an immediate sense of foreboding and conspiracy. For the audience, it signals that there are terrible truths hidden within the palace walls, establishing the play's oppressive atmosphere of dread and suppressed knowledge from the very first minute.
Play: Agamemnon
Location: Lines 104-159 (The Chorus's Parodos, describing the omen of the eagles).
Rhetorical Tool: Extended Simile / Allegory.
Analysis: The Chorus recounts the omen seen at Aulis: two eagles (Agamemnon and Menelaus) tearing a pregnant hare to pieces. The prophet Calchas interprets this as a sign of their future victory over Troy, but also warns that the goddess Artemis is angered by the killing of the helpless young. This is not just a simile; it's a complex allegory for the entire Trojan War. It predicts the brutal sack of the city but also foreshadows the divine anger that will lead to Agamemnon's demand to sacrifice his own daughter, Iphigenia, setting the entire tragic cycle in motion.
Play: The Eumenides
Location: Lines 321-396 (The Furies' "binding song").
Rhetorical Tool: Performative Utterance / Incantation.
Analysis: This is not an argument but a magical act performed through language. The Furies dance and chant a hymn that they claim will "wither" Orestes, bind his mind, and destroy him. The repetitive, hypnotic rhythm and the horrifying imagery ("a hymn from hell, to bind the soul") function as a curse. For the audience, this is a demonstration of old, chthonic, magical law made manifest. The rhetoric is the punishment, showcasing a form of justice that operates outside of reason and logic.
Sophocles
Sophocles continues to employ rhetoric to explore the tragic gap between appearance and reality, and the collision of individual will with unbending principles.
Play: Antigone
Location: Lines 162-210 (Creon's first speech as king).
Rhetorical Tool: Political Ethos and Metaphor.
Analysis: Creon’s inaugural address is a classic piece of political rhetoric designed to establish his authority (ethos). He uses the famous "ship of state" metaphor, declaring that the city has weathered a storm and he is now the firm captain at the helm. He lays out his principles: loyalty to the state above personal loyalty. This speech is crucial because it establishes his political philosophy before it is challenged. The audience hears a man who sounds reasonable and patriotic, which makes his later tyrannical inflexibility all the more tragic and pronounced.
Play: Antigone
Location: Lines 683-723 (Haemon's speech to Creon).
Rhetorical Tool: Diplomatic Logos / Analogy.
Analysis: Haemon's attempt to persuade his father is a model of careful, diplomatic rhetoric. Knowing Creon's temper, he doesn't challenge him directly. Instead, he uses analogies from nature: a tree that doesn't bend in a flood will be torn out by the roots; a sailor who keeps his sail too tight will capsize his boat. He is appealing to Creon's reason (logos) by offering practical wisdom rather than emotional defiance. The failure of this perfectly constructed, logical appeal demonstrates the sheer rigidity of Creon's mindset.
Play: Electra
Location: Lines 1126-1170 (Electra's lament over the urn).
Rhetorical Tool: Pathos combined with Dramatic Irony.
Analysis: The Paedagogus gives Electra an urn he claims holds the ashes of Orestes. Her subsequent lament is a speech of absolute and devastating grief, addressing the urn as if it were her brother. "O monument of him whom I loved best on earth... you are nothing... when I sent you from home, you were shining." The speech is heart-wrenching in its pathos. Its power is magnified tenfold for the audience by the dramatic irony of knowing that the real Orestes is standing right beside her, listening to her grief. The rhetoric of lament becomes a catalyst for the imminent recognition scene.
Play: Oedipus at Colonus
Location: Lines 589-603 (Theseus’s speech on mortality).
Rhetorical Tool: Gnome (a short, pithy statement of general truth) and Antithesis.
Analysis: In response to Creon's potential treachery, the hero-king Theseus delivers a philosophical reflection on change and decay. "Only to the gods comes no old age or death; all other things are confounded by all-powerful time. The earth's strength decays, the body's strength decays..." He contrasts the eternal gods with the decaying mortal world. This use of gnomic wisdom establishes his character as thoughtful and pious, providing a moral anchor in the play and a stark contrast to the volatile Creon and the cursed Oedipus.
Euripides
Euripides continues to push the boundaries, using rhetoric to stage philosophical debates and expose the raw, often ugly, psychology of his characters.
Play: Medea
Location: Lines 1136-1203 (The Messenger's speech describing the deaths of Glauce and Creon).
Rhetorical Tool: Enargeia (vivid, graphic description).
Analysis: Greek tragedy avoided showing violence onstage, so the messenger speech was used to paint a picture with words. This speech is perhaps the most famous example of enargeia. The messenger describes the princess's flesh melting from her bones "like pitch-pine tears" and her father dying in a grotesque embrace with her poisoned corpse. The language is so visceral and horrifying that it forces the audience to "see" the event in their minds, making Medea's revenge far more terrifying than any stage effect could achieve.
Play: Iphigenia at Aulis
Location: Lines 1211-1252 (Iphigenia's plea to Agamemnon).
Rhetorical Tool: Supplication (formal, ritualized pleading).
Analysis: Clinging to her father's knees in a formal act of supplication, Iphigenia makes her plea for life. She uses pure pathos, reminding him she was the first to call him "father" and sit on his lap. "Don't destroy me before my time... To see the light is sweetest for mortals; what is below is nothing." This is not a logical debate but a raw emotional appeal, using the rhetorical conventions of a suppliant to maximise the scene's tragic power. It puts Agamemnon's choice in the starkest possible terms: his ambition versus his daughter's life.
Play: Andromache
Location: Lines 147-273 (The agon between Andromache and Hermione).
Rhetorical Tool: Invective and Ad Hominem (attacking the person, not the argument).
Analysis: This vicious debate is less about logic and more about personal and nationalistic slurs. The Spartan Hermione attacks Andromache for being a "barbarian" from Troy, while Andromache attacks Spartan women for being promiscuous and undisciplined. "A Spartan girl could not be chaste even if she wanted to be." This use of invective reveals the deep-seated hatred and jealousy between the two women. It explores themes of racism, sexism, and the clash of cultures through raw, insulting rhetoric.
Play: The Bacchae
Location: Lines 266-327 (The speech of Tiresias).
Rhetorical Tool: Rationalizing Theology / Euhemerism.
Analysis: In trying to persuade Pentheus, the prophet Tiresias offers a surprisingly "modern" and rationalistic explanation of the new god. He suggests the story of Dionysus being sewn into Zeus's thigh is just a misunderstanding of words. He argues for accepting the god on pragmatic grounds. This is a fascinating use of sophistic rhetoric applied to theology, an attempt to make the irrational palatable to the rational mind. Its complete failure to sway Pentheus shows that the power of Dionysus cannot be contained, explained, or rationalized; it must be experienced.
Aristophanes
Aristophanes consistently deploys rhetoric for satirical demolition, holding up a comic mirror to the language of the courts, the assembly, and the theatre itself.
Play: The Wasps
Location: Lines 891-1008 (The trial of the dog).
Rhetorical Tool: Forensic Parody (parody of courtroom speeches).
Analysis: Philocleon (Lover-of-Cleon) stages a mock trial where one dog (representing the general Laches) is prosecuted by another dog (representing the demagogue Cleon) for stealing a "Sicilian cheese." The entire scene is a hilarious parody of Athenian legal procedure and rhetoric. The characters deliver passionate speeches, call witnesses (a mixing bowl), and appeal to the jury's emotions, all over a piece of cheese. This brilliantly satirises the Athenian obsession with litigation and how the grand language of justice was often used for petty, self-serving quarrels.
Play: The Knights
Location: The entire play, but especially lines 732-835.
Rhetorical Tool: Contest of Invective and Demagoguery.
Analysis: The play pits the demagogue Paphlagon (Cleon) against an upstart Sausage-Seller in a contest to see who can be the most shameless and effective panderer to Demos (the personification of the people). Their rhetoric consists of wild promises, fawning flattery, and vicious insults against each other. The Sausage-Seller wins not by being more virtuous, but by being even more vulgar and audacious than Paphlagon. Aristophanes uses this contest to argue that the Athenian people were being seduced by the worst kind of political rhetoric, showing how demagoguery corrupts both the speaker and the audience.
Play: Peace
Location: Lines 102-176 (Trygaeus addressing his dung beetle).
Rhetorical Tool: Parodic Apostrophe.
Analysis: As his hero, Trygaeus, prepares to fly to heaven on a giant dung beetle to find the goddess Peace, he addresses the beetle as if it were a noble steed or a winged horse like Pegasus. He calls it "my little Pegasus" and encourages it onward. This is a parody of the tragic hero's apostrophe to a grand object or animal. The comedy comes from the grotesque mismatch between the elevated, heroic language and the foul, lowly nature of the creature being addressed, satirising tragic grandeur itself.
