63 Colloquial and Li.. - Ganino.com

132 hilla halla-aho and peter kruschwitz
It is always difficult to describe the ‘form’ or ‘pattern’ of the ‘best’ (for which
the Greek word is ), because different people have different notions
of what is best. ‘I like Ennius,’ says one, ‘because his diction does not depart
from common usage.’ ‘I like Pacuvius,’ says another, ‘for all his lines are embellished
and carefully elaborated; in Ennius there is much careless work.’ Suppose
that another likes Accius. There is a difference of opinion, as there is in the
case of Greek authors, and it is not easy to explain which type is the most
excellent. (trans. H. M. Hubbell)
The second passage that is of interest here deals with a similar aspect,
namely the need for variation of style and tone in speeches, and Cicero
once again gives a poetic parallel:
an ego Homero, Ennio, reliquis poetis et maxime tragicis concederem ut ne
omnibus locis eadem contentione uterentur crebroque mutarent, non numquam
etiam ad cotidianum genus sermonis accederent: ipse numquam ab illa acerrima
contentione discederem? sed quid poetas divino ingenio profero? histriones eos
vidimus quibus nihil posset in suo genere esse praestantius, qui non solum in
dissimillimis personis satis faciebant, cum tamen in suis versarentur, sed et comoedum
in tragoediis et tragoedum in comoediis admodum placere vidimus: ego non
elaborem? (Cic. Orat. 109)
Am I to yield to Homer, Ennius and all the other poets, and more especially
the tragic poets, the privilege of not employing in all passages alike the same
impassioned style but of changing their tone frequently, even of passing over at
times to the language of everyday life, while I myself am never to depart from that
most vehement and impassioned manner? But why do I cite poets of divine genius?
We have seen actors whose superiors in their own class cannot be found, who not
only gained approval in utterly different parts while confining themselves to their
own proper spheres of tragedy and comedy, but we have also seen a comedian
highly successful in tragedy and a tragedian in comedy. Should I not take equal
pains? (trans. H. M. Hubbell)
Cicero emphasises that the speaker needed to use various styles, and not
use the same contentio (‘rhetorical style’, as Ferri and Probert (this volume
p. 25) translate – ‘rhetoric that made use of all possible rhetorical embellishments’,
one may add) everywhere. Cicero here says that not even epic
and tragic poetry always use the same form of language, acerrima contentio
(typical of epic or tragic register), but often turn to everyday language use.
As Ferri and Probert rightfully point out, not everything in a high poetic
register should be considered alien to everyday language use, at least not
by default. What this means, however, is that there is considerable stylistic
variation within the tragic register, from the high-flying, grand expression