Demosthenes, The Great Stuttering Orator

Demosthenes went down in history as the greatest of the Greek orators. That, in and of itself, is merit enough. However, what is truly amazing about his story is how much he had to do to achieve glory. His is one of the most uplifting stories of great people.

Demosthenes had several physical defects that he had to overcome. His health was very fragile and he was constantly ill. But the worst thing is that he suffered from stuttering . This, of course, was a gigantic obstacle to becoming a public figure, as he desired. However, with perseverance and work, he finally found a way to make his voice and his thoughts recognized.

” Demosthenes, how much talent he had, received from nature and increased with exercise, he used everything in oratory, exceeding in energy and vehemence all those who competed with him on the rostrum and in the forum .”

-Plutarch-

Demosthenes was born in 384 BC, in Athens. He was the son of a wealthy family. However, his father was a merchant and therefore was not part of the “aristocracy.” The members of this saw the office as a task of little consideration. Still, the father of this great orator had many assets. Among them, a knife factory, a furniture factory and an armory.

When Demosthenes was 7 years old, he faced the first great stumbling block of his life. He was orphaned. The inheritance was entrusted to three guardians, while the boy came of age. Two were their father’s nephews and another a childhood friend. The temporary trustees gradually squandered this rich heritage, so that when Demosthenes was old enough to manage it, it no longer existed.

The legend of Demosthenes

Demosthenes was educated as befits his position. He had major health problems, but he was a curious and motivated student who always wanted to learn more. That is why he became a voracious reader. He became one of the most educated young men of his time. Beyond this, a story was created around his figure, which I still don’t know what is real and what is legend.

This young Athenian wanted to become the best orator in Greece. He was interested in matters of politics and longed for his ideas to become as influential as they were successful. He carefully studied the speeches of the great orators. It is said that when he was very young he tried to give his first “lecture” and this was a fiasco.

They say that during his first speech he was booed by the public. This was because Demosthenes had a serious problem: he stuttered. The words ran over his lips and he couldn’t make himself understood. Someone in the audience is said to have yelled at him: “Put the air in your lungs and not your brain!” This caused a serious shock to Demosthenes. However, he was determined to reach his goal, over that obstacle that seemed so great.

A process of evolution

Demosthenes took the mockery and criticism as a challenge to his character. He had grown up alone and this had strengthened his temper. So he decided to fight his own limitations, to achieve what he wanted: to be the best speaker. Nobody believed he could do it: did a stutterer want to be a public speaker?

The story, or the legend, tells that Demosthenes imposed a severe regime to overcome his difficulties. The first thing he did was shave his head. At that time it was very frowned upon for someone to show themselves if they had no hair. His purpose was to force himself not to go out to dedicate himself completely to working on his goal. He practiced speaking until dawn.

When the first light of the sun rose, Demosthenes went to the beach. There he shouted to the star king with all his might. His goal was to strengthen the lungs. He had taken the advice of this anonymous character who had mocked him. After performing this ritual, he would return home to practice. He did it in a very particular way. He would throw a handful of stones between his mouth and put a knife between his teeth. Thus he forced himself to speak without stuttering.

After several years with this training discipline, Demosthenes managed to speak normally. Since then, he has actively participated in the legal and political life of his city. It is said that his speeches were applauded by thousands of people. He was not only the best speaker, but also an excellent writer. So much so that today, more than 2,000 years later, he is still among the most prominent figures in history.