How Herodotus Used Tone to Illuminate the Power Dynamics in His Book “The Histories”

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Introduction
Scholars in literature often use various tools to bring out aspects more clearly to their audience. That has been known to enrich literature for the many years that the discipline has existed. Such use of varying styles beautifies literature and helps in its growth such that the generations to come will find learning foundations and take literature to even higher levels. This essay aims to analyze how Herodotus used tone to illuminate the power dynamics conspicuously seen in his book “The Histories.” The essay will narrow down to the excerpt used in the semester. Herodotus wrote the books around 450 BCE, around the time he lived. At the time, the ruling regimes often orchestrated unmatched inequalities against their subjects, which the likes of Herodotus felt they should record such that the generations would get an idea of the past. The people confronted these regimes, and a range of wars followed, leading to changes that brought about inclusivity in the generations that followed, and some scholars today imagine that modern democracies were born of these efforts.
Supporting Arguments
* King Rhampsinitus bequeaths his sons
From the beginning to the end of the excerpt on Herodotus: The Histories read during the semester, there is the transition of power several times from Proteus to Rhampsinitus, to Cheops, to Chephren, and finally Mycerinus, with each of them possessing traits that varied in different magnitudes and affecting their subjects differently. All these kings had different tones in their dealings with the people, and the people themselves used varying tones among themselves, as will be seen in this work later. The tones often change to suit the issue at hand. In the first instance, a wealthy King, Rhampsinitus, realizes that he is nearing the end of his life. Therefore, he calls his two sons to instruct them on what he wants to be done about a range of issues surrounding his estate before appointing them Comptrollers and Royal Exchequer upon his death.
“Then he gave them clear directions concerning the mode of removing the stone and communicated the measurements, bidding them carefully keep the secret, whereby they would be Comptrollers of the Royal Exchequer so long as they lived.” (Herodotus 145)
The tone used in the above context is intimate and solemn. According to Singh and Leher (95), such tone is used when the context is passionate, confidential, and informal. Therefore, the king is passionately confiding with his children on what he wants to be done upon his death, and the element of power dynamics sets in that he is bequeathing them the power to use his estate as he was instructing them.
* Furious King Rhampsinitus after thefts in his apartments
However, an incidence of theft would happen in the king’s apartments a little later, and it was not clear who was orchestrating it. He realized that more money was missing every new visit and set up traps to capture the thieves. He succeeded as two brothers returned to steal, and when the first one entered, he was caught by the trap. They quickly agreed that his free brother would chop his head and leave with it to conceal their identities...