Villains and Quintillian
In the essay entitled “Institutes on Oratory”, Greek rhetor Quintillian argued that rhetoric is the power of speaking well. He identifies constraints and concerns, opposing ideas, and takes from other rhetors. A main premise of his argument, Quintillian proposes that rhetoric is only practiced by those who are considered “good”. In all three of the Spider-Man movie franchises with Tobey Maguire, the antagonists use powerful rhetoric throughout their conversations with Spider-Man. These are villains that directly attack Quintillians’ views on who can practice rhetoric, as they are all villains who can be classified as both good and bad.
In Spider-Man 2002, Norman Osborn, the man most notably known as Green Goblin, is a business man, a father, and a friend to Peter Parker. He is a man driven by ambition and a friend to those around him, as is made evident with the group dinner between the Osborns and the Parkers. Osborn, by all accounts, is a good man and falls in accordance with Quintillains assertion that “no man can speak well who is not good himself” (Quintillian 6). Norman Osborn is not the true villain in this situation-- the villain is made out to be Green Goblin, a parasite who has found his way into Osborn’s head and turned him into the typical villain archetype. Both Osborn and Green Goblin use rhetoric to argue with Peter, proclaim their innocence, and fight for their cause. They are two separate entities in one humanoid package that expells rhetoric in every which direction, from poignant and annunciated speeches to small green grenades.
In Spider-Man 2, ambitious scientist Otto Octavius is transformed from a well-meaning individual into a murderous eight-legged machine/man. In the first half of the movie, Otto uses verbal rhetoric to explain to Peter his inventions, their design, and their impact. He uses oratory to create a rapport and relationship with his future enemy, a relationship that he manipulates and destroys soon after the machine takes control of his body. Here, an inherently good man is turned bad by a machine. This attacks Quintillian’s assertion that only “good” men can practice rhetoric because Otto Octavious is good. He is a man and a scientist and a husband, and he practices rhetoric with positive intentions. He is still Otto when the machine takes over, metamorphizing him into Doc Ock who is inherently bad. Both personalities are tied to one person, and both personalities use their words to attempt to twist Peter’s mind to their cause.