In a televised performance which far surpassed that of any other witness in the Iran-Contra hearings of 1987, Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North came to the attention of Americans as a "national hero." To illustrate how North was able to portray himself as the hero/victim and to explore the ways in which he was able to transform the context of his defense from that of courtroom to that of a stage by invoking and manipulating a culturally based and nationally recognized set of symbol systems, this study analyzes North's July 7, 1987, speech to the select committees of the House and Senate. North's speech accomplished this transformation through its invocation of a code of honor, its use of cultural motifs, and its manipulation of a national ideological heritage. The dynamics of this code of honor and North's ability to portray himself as a victim of the proceedings facilitated the creation of ideal personal and political images. By reframing the hearings to adhere to the norms and symbol systems of a code of honor, North created a high context form of discourse which ultimately changed his surroundings from a court of law to a stage on which a heroic epic was being enacted under the sponsorship of American patriotic idealism. (One appendix reprinting North's opening statement at the hearings and 18 references are attached.) (MS)