Selected Speeches

'Evenifeveryoneelsesuccumbstoslavery,wemuststillfightforourfreedom.'AdmiredbymanyintheancientworldasthegreatestoftheclassicAthenianorators,Demostheneswasintimatelyinvolvedinthepoliticaleventsofhisday.Aswellasshowingamasteroratoratwork,hisspeechesareaprimesourceforthehistoryoftheperiod,whenAthenswasengagedinadoomedstruggleagainsttherisingpowerofMacedonunderthebrilliantfatherandson,PhilipandAlexander.Demostheneswroteforthecourts,bothforpoliticaltrialsinwhichhewasinvolvedandforothercasesinwhichheactedasghost-writerforplaintiffordefendant,andhislawcourtspeechesgiveanunrivalledglimpseofthedailylifeofancientAthens.HealsoplayedacentralroleineducationinGreeceandRomefromtheHellenisticperiodonward,andwasimitatedbythegreatestofRomanorators,Cicero.AbouttheSeries:Forover100yearsOxfordWorld'sClassicshasmadeavailablethebroadestspectrumofliteraturefromaroundtheglobe.EachaffordablevolumereflectsOxford'scommitmenttoscholarship,providingthemostaccuratetextplusawealthofothervaluablefeatures,includingexpertintroductionsbyleadingauthorities,voluminousnotestoclarifythetext,up-to-datebibliographiesforfurtherstudy,andmuchmore.,