Page "Thomas Sheridan (actor)" Paragraph 9

Central to Sheridan's work was his emphasis on the importance of tones to eloquence.

These tones, which correlated with the expressive effects one can give to their speaking, were something Sheridan considered an important part of persuasion.

He stated, " The tones expressive of sorrow, lamentation, mirth, joy, hatred, anger, love, & c. are the same in all nations, and consequently can excite emotions in us analogous to those passions, when accompanying words which we do not understand: nay the very tones themselves, independent of words, will produce the same effects.

" For Sheridan, how a message was communicated was apparently as important as the message itself.

He uses the example of someone saying in a calm demeanor, " My rage is rouzed to a pitch of frenzy, I can not command it: Avoid me, be gone this moment, or I shall tear you to pieces " to show the importance of tones to a message.