Will, Power and Fortune in Gorgias’ Encomium to Helen
Between Will and Imposition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14409/topicos.2024.46.e0078Keywords:
Gorgias, Encomium to Helen, Will, Fortune, RonsponsibilityAbstract
The Encomium to Helen (EH) by Gorgias aims to reveal all the possible causes that could have led Helen to travel with Alexander to Troy. Since Gorgias' intention is to exempt Helena from responsibility, the text carefully reviews each of the reasons that could have caused her trip. In the present paper I will try to show that, paying attention to these different alternatives, it is possible to see, first of all, that in all cases these are instances eminently external to Helen, that is, causes that come from the outside and that influence her course of action. However, secondly, I will show that the enumeration of these causes describes a certain parable that goes from absolute exteriority (Fortune, gods, Necessity) to something that penetrates into the human soul: love (éros). Having seen this, I will conclude that in the EH Gorgias hints at the distinction between external and internal causes of human action, a distinction that will be fundamental for subsequent practical philosophy.Downloads
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