Teofrasto e lo stile di Lisia: il Ποιετικόν, l’eccesso di figure e i giochi di parole

According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Theophrastus in his Περὶ λέξεως criticises Lysias for chasing after ποιητικόν rather than ἀληθινόν and over-using figures of speech. He also formulates a threefold division of antithesis. Does Theophrastus condemn poetry as antithetical to truth or is he referring to poetic expressions? Does he reject figures of speech tout court or is he suggesting that they should be avoided in speeches? How does his definition of antithesis differ from Aristotle’s? The article discusses these and other questions arising from a rhetorical fragment of Theophrastus that is remarkably detailed.