The recent past in Isaeus' forensic speeches

References to past events are limited in number and concise in Isaeus’ speeches. The recent past is recalled to back up narratives on the causes’ protagonists: family and individual memories that, at times, intertwine with the wider history of the polis. Such references may have an argumentative function, to display the reasons or explain the origin of a specific circumstance useful to the case, or an encomisastic/denigratory one, while constructing a character in the speech. In both cases events of the recent past come as pure facts, without any paradigmatic intent or judgment. The purpose in using the past is to illuminate the ethos of the characters, as good or bad citizens, by displaying individual attitude towards military or fiscal obligations. Identifying past facts was not Isaeus’ concern; he used them as a given element within the narrative. Finally, I analyze Isaeus V as a relevant case-study.