The existence of the oath in the courtroom can be traced back thousands of years throughout history, but the use, meaning, and effect of the oath in law has changed dramatically. The oath as we know it was once a powerful truth-telling instrument that our ancestors used to call upon a higher power. It was the belief of many that the oath itself was not sworn to man or state, but rather directly to a deity. The oath has since then evolved as a result of ever changing beliefs, fueled by increasing tolerance, shaping the oath into more of a tradition, and less of an edict. For centuries, theorists have attempted to determine whether an oath in court is actually effective at accomplishing its goal. The intent of this thesis is to examine the origin of the oath all the way up to the present day. It will be through a comprehensive study of federal law, state law, case law, articles, and publications that we will better understand the oath as a truth-telling instrument that in recent times has lost its effect. From there, it will be possible to better form a solution to a problem that plagues our courtrooms: perjury, or the act of lying under oath. This thesis will seek to establish the best way for our community to actively work towards ensuring the integrity and effectiveness of our judicial system.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T17:20:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 29 / Nenhuma / A presente dissertação tem por objetivo a afirmação do Direito como “escritura”, que é ao mesmo tempo transgressora e conservadora da tradição jurídica. Para tanto, parte-se da aproximação do direito à literatura, investigando-se, mais precisamente, as relações que se estabelecem entre a tragédia grega e o direito. Nessa senda, investiga-se o panorama geral em que se inserem os estudos que aproximam o direito da literatura e vice-versa, e visita-se a poética aristotélica para, então, examinarem-se as características do gênero e do homem trágicos. São investigados conceitos básicos da Grécia Antiga – os conceitos de physis, ethos, nomos, hamartia, hybris, themis e diké - e, então, a passagem das estruturas de pré-direito ao direito que se desvela nos mitos gregos e, por conseqüência, no gênero trágico, com base nos estudos de Louis Gernet e Vernant.vIdentificada, a partir da Poética Aristotélica, a mimesis ínsita à literatura, e, reconhecida a tragédia como evento que coincide com a afirmação da democracia gre / The main objective of the present dissertation is the affirmation of the Law as “scripture”, which is, at same time, transgressor and conservative of the juridical tradition. In order to state so, one has to approach the Law to the Literature, more precisely investigating the relations that have been established between the Greek tragedy and the Law. This way, one has to investigate the general panorama in which the studies that approximate law and literature (and vice-versa) are inserted, and the Aristotelic poetics is visited in order to allow the gender and the tragic man characteristics to be examined. Basic concepts of the ancient Grece are herewith investigated – such as physis, ethos, nomos, hamartia, hybris, themis e diké – as well as the passage of the pre-law structures to the law itself which are unveiled in the Greek myths and, consequently, in the tragic gender based on studies signed by Louis Gernet and Vernant. Identified since the Aristotelic poetics, the mimesis inserted into Literature, and