... highlights David's purposes in conveying his political messages. The Horatii were chosen as champions of ancient Rome (Audio-Visual Notes 2001) and the legitimacy of being chosen as champions suggests the power of the state. According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a person or institution has authority if they are able to command others to do things. That authority is legitimate only if the person, or institution, possesses the right to command others. To be legitimate, the authority the state has over the people must come from the people themselves, and not from a single entity such as the king. Power that comes from such sources is usually referred to as naked power. In such a scenario, we cannot totally agree that the Horatii were comfortable with the title as champions. They might be indulged to obey the state because they ought to, or because they are afraid of the consequences. In ...

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