A ''controversia'' is an exercise in

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

; a form of

declamation Declamation (from the Latin: ''declamatio'') is an artistic form of public speaking. It is a dramatic oration designed to express through articulation, emphasis and gesture the full sense of the text being conveyed. History In Ancient Rome, decla ...

in which the student speaks for one side in a notional legal case such as treason or poisoning. The facts of the matter and relevant law are presented in a persuasive manner, in the style of a legal counsel.

History

Like ''thesis'' and ''

suasoria Suasoria is an exercise in rhetoric: a form of declamation in which the student makes a speech which is the soliloquy of an historical figure debating how to proceed at a critical junction in his life. As an academic exercise, the speech is del ...

'', ''controversia'' originated in ancient Greece. It was a rhetorical exercise and is associated with the history of Greek education. An early form of the Roman ''controversia'' was described by Seneca as a combination of thesis (''propositio'') and hypothesis (''causa''). The former pertained to the general topic being proposed for discussion from one or more points of view without delimitation of particular persons or circumstances. On the other hand, hypothesis referred to the particular controversy given by circumstances to a deliberating body for adjudication. Based on an example of the exercise cited in

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

's '' De oratore'', it is cited that ''controversia'' emerged at least during 55 BCE, the date of ''De oratore'''s composition. The exercise was used in

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

, where it was, with the ''suasoria'', the final stage of a course in rhetoric at an

academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

. ''Controversia'' and ''suasoria'' provided students the best window into the playspeech of schooling and declamatory performance that formed the bases of ancient rhetorical mentality. As a form of disputation, it consists of a statement of one or more laws, which was followed by the circumstances of a fictitious case in which the speaker argued one side or the other. While ''suasoria'' required students to persuade a person (e.g., judge) or a group (e.g., jury) to act a certain way, ''controversia'' required a student to either prosecute or defend a person in a given legal case. The ''controversia'' is also distinguished from ''suasoria'' because of the complexity of its structural system of argument and the greater range of situations and characters employed. The distinction can also be explained in the way students who focused on this exercise end up as forensic

orators Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech delive ...

while those who trained in ''suasoria'' followed a career in

deliberative rhetoric Deliberative rhetoric (Greek: ''genos'' ''symbouleutikon;'' Latin: ''genus deliberativum,'' sometimes called legislative oratory) is one of the three kinds of rhetoric described by Aristotle. Deliberative rhetoric juxtaposes potential future outcome ...

Seneca the Elder Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Elder (; c. 54 BC – c. 39 AD), also known as Seneca the Rhetorician, was a Roman writer, born of a wealthy equestrian family of Corduba, Hispania. He wrote a collection of reminiscences about the Roman schools of rheto ...

was an expert rhetorician and, from memory, compiled a set of classical themes for this exercise: the ''Controversiæ''. ''Controversia'' is demonstrated in the case of

Quintillian Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (; 35 – 100 AD) was a Roman educator and rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing. In English translation, he is usually referred to as Quintilian ...

's ''Declamationes Minores'' where ''suasoria'' was turned into this exercise by using a courtroom as a setting. The plot addressed the issue of a son who married the daughter of his father's enemy so he could use the

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

to ransom his who was captured by pirates. Quintillian also used controversia as an analytical method, which involved a survey of diversity of opinions on a specific topic to identify positions as well as the pros and cons of each side.

References

{{reflist Pedagogy Rhetoric