Queen Gorgo's Rhetorical Situation

                Lloyd Bitzer’s article, “The Rhetorical Situation,” makes the claim that it is the situation that determines when, how, and if rhetoric occurs. In the beginning of the article, Bitzer clarifies what he means about the connection between rhetoric and a situation. A rhetorical situation is not just one that contains discourse. A rhetorical situation can come and go without anyone taking advantage of the moment and speaking. The discourse can even occur within one’s own head. Furthermore, it is not the discourse that creates the situation; “it is the situation which calls the discourse into existence.” (2)

                This article made me think of a number of movies where great speeches occur but last night while watching 300, I realized that Queen Gorgo’s speech to the council at the end is a perfect example of a rhetorical situation. Bitzer claims that rhetoric comes into existence for something besides the discourse. The discourse is used to try to motivate people to a course of action in order to create a change. Bitzer explains that “rhetoric is a mode of altering reality… by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action. The rhetor alters reality by bringing into existence a discourse of such a character that the audience, in thought and action, is so engaged that it becomes mediator of change.” (4) In other words, the rhetor persuades and convinces its audience to act.

                In the movie, Queen Gorgo speaks to the council at the end of the movie to try to convince them to send the Spartan army north to assist King Leonidas against the Persians. She knows the King’s 300 men will not last against the whole Persian army and unless the Spartan army is called up, not only will he die but all of Sparta. Like Bitzer claims, she feels obligated to speak in order to assure the safety of her home. But her speech wouldn’t work for everyone; it fits the exact situation. This is one of the stipulations Bitzer explains – that “discourse is rhetorical insofar as it functions…as a fitting response to a situation which needs and invites it.” (6) The situation presents Queen Gorgo with a number of particularities: persons, events, objects, relations and an exigence. She had to take into account all of these aspects in order to successfully persuade and speak to her audience.

                Her situation is also rhetorical in that her discourse can alter reality by causing her audience to act. This was a strong point Bitzer made in his article. Every situation contains an exigence (some problem, obstacle, etc.) that needs to be changed in some way. The discourse then must be able to cause “human decision or action… [in order to] bring about significant modification of the exigence.” (6) Queen Gorgo felt obligated to speak for she believed that her words might persuade the council to send their army to King Leonidas. While she knew they might not listen to her, she also knew there was a chance they would heed her words and decide to act. Her audience then, as Bitzer explains, was a group of people “who are capable of being influenced by discourse and of being mediators of change.” (8)

                There are however constraints that must be accounted for within any rhetorical situation. First are the artistic proofs that the rhetor can control (i.e. style and character). Queen Gorgo had to approach the council and not demand from them. She knew she had to approach them humbly and appeal to their reason. Her words were also a response to the inartistic proofs of the situation, those beliefs, attitudes, etc. that were present in her audience already. Spartan men in the movie disapprove of a woman’s involvement in “men’s” affairs. Queen Gorgo knew of this bias towards her sex and had to find a way to appeal to them without making them angry about her involvement. Queen Gorgo’s speech to the Spartan council illustrates the rhetorical situation explained by Bitzer in his article.