Marcus Fabius
Quintilianus b. AD 35
Quintilian was a Roman teacher of public speaking who
analysed hand gestures and offered meticulously detailed explanations of them,
specifying the kinds of gestures to be used by orators, for best effect. He
illustrated how speakers could use gestures in addressing crowds and everyday conversation,
including their arms, hands, and fingers, to give their words impact. Gestures
that were damaging to the performance were also listed, and Quintilian focused
on other areas of nonverbal behaviour from the head to toe, including ‘toga
management’, posture and facial expressions. For Quintilian it was important
for an orator not to give the impression of acting or mimicry, instead their movement
should appear natural and authentic. Gesticulation obeys our mind, he wrote,
and argued that gestural language and performance should be clear expressions
of emotions. Also discussed in his twelve-volume textbook were how certain head
movements display emotions such as how shame, doubt, admiration, or indignation.
Read Institutio Oratoria (Institutes of Oratory) (95 CE)