On a Wound by Premeditation
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On a Wound by Premeditation is a speech by the ancient Greek orator and speechwriter Lysias.
Lysias[1] is one of the "Canon of Ten" Attic orators He is known for being a Greek professional speech writer. He was born in 445 B.C. and died around 380 B.C. Lysias was the son of Cephalus, who was a wealthy man who settled in Athens. When Lysias came back to Athens in 414 B.C, it is believed that he taught rhetoric, which is considered the art of persuasion, or discourse. In 404, there were thirty tyrants, who were issued to govern the city of Athens, and they decided to seize Lysias and his brother, Polemarchus, as aliens. Polemarchus died, but lysias escaped to Megara. While Athena was on its way back to democracy, he returned and started to write speeches for litigants.
It is said that Lysias actually really enjoyed writing these speeches. He wanted to assure that he could serve his clients in the best way. He knew that he was good at efficiently and eloquently getting the message across. With this understanding of his skill, he had a desire to make his clients, who entrusted him with their cases, to sound intelligent when talking in court.[2]