Book 2, chapter 63: Pericles' third speech. The city was blanketed with corpses. And in his last recorded speech in 430, although its intention was to persuade the Athenians to keep fighting, he said: For those who are prospering and who have a choice, going to war is folly (2.61.1). In a democracy, citizens behave lawfully while doing what they like without fear of prying eyes. AI on Leadership - by David Ragland, DBA, MS, PMP https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pericles-Athenian-statesman, Ancient Origins - Pericles: The Charismatic and Powerful Politician of Ancient Greece, World History Encyclopedia - Biography of Pericles, Perseus Digital Library - A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology - Pericles, Pericles - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Pericles - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). These were evidence of his freedom and importance, and so a source of pride. (Athens was only a democracy for adult, male citizens of Athenian descent, not for women or slaves, or for foreigners living under imperial rule.) .he may not wander about comfortably acting like someone with a clean reputation or else he is beaten by his betters. The freedom we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life. The history of book bansand their changing targetsin the U.S. His achievements included the construction of the Acropolis, begun in 447. "Future ages will wonder at us, as the present age wonders at us now." - Pericles. "Pericles' Funeral Oration - Thucydides' Version." Spartas great reputation depended on its extraordinary military achievements, and these were attributed in turn to its religious piety, single-minded severe system of training, the tight discipline imposed on all aspects of life, and the ascetic Spartan mores. [21] He explained that fighting for one's country was a great honour, and that it was like wearing a cloak that concealed any negative implications because his imperfections would be outweighed by his merits as a citizen. The new democracies will, therefore, need leaders in the Periclean mold, leaders who know that the aim and character of true democracy should be to elevate their citizens to the highest attainable level, and that cutting down the greatest to assuage the envy of the least is the way of tyranny. Visionary Leadership: Pericles had a clear vision for Athens and articulated it to the citizens, emphasizing the importance of democracy, civic engagement, and the pursuit of knowledge and arts . [10] David Cartwright describes it as "a eulogy of Athens itself". The bibliography on this topic is enormous. Pericles was born in 495 BCE in Athens, Greece. In 430429 B.C.E., a mysterious epidemic ravaged Athens, plunging the city into chaos. Work began in 447 B.C. For their food, the Spartans relied on the helots slaves of the Spartan state who out-numbered the Spartans by at least seven to one, bitterly hated their masters, and, in the words of the fourth-century writer Xenophon would gladly eat them raw (Hellenica 3.3.6). . And they especially need leaders with the talents to persuade their impatient citizens that these political institutions are the necessary first foundation for a decent regime and a good life for all. Many are now confronting long-suppressed ethnic divisions that threaten to destroy the needed unity and harmony. The Funeral Oration is significant because it differs from the usual form of Athenian funeral speeches. (2021, July 29). Pericles notes, "We alone do good to our neighbors not upon a calculation of interest, but in the confidence of freedom and in a frank and fearless spirit." In the process, he presented his vision for Athens and the kind of citizen its unique constitution and way of life would produce. Pericles ends with a short epilogue, reminding the audience of the difficulty of the task of speaking over the dead. Only facing dangers that the mind can comprehend deserves to be called bravery, and that is what is expected of the men in his polis. https://www.thoughtco.com/pericles-funeral-oration-thucydides-version-111998 (accessed May 1, 2023). It was still open to each man to seek satisfaction in the pursuit of his own interests and those of his family, if necessary at the expense of the polis. The law also may have passed because of a general wish to restrict access to the benefits of office and public distributions, but there was never any disposition on the part of Athenians to restrict economic opportunities for foreignerswho served in the fleet, worked on public buildings, and had freedom of trade and investment, with the crucial, but normal, exception of land and houses. Pericles' funeral oration has exercised a permanent fascination on the political imagination of the West. Solon, an Athenian lawmaker of the early sixth century, went further, arguing that a well-governed polis was the best defense against injustice, faction, and turmoil: It makes all things wise and perfect in the world of men.. More fully, and therefore at greater length, Pericles did the same thing. Only someone of Pericles intelligence and integrity, Thucydides wrote, could respect the liberty of the people and at the same time hold them in check. His death left Athenian democracy in the hands of self-serving scoundrels such as Alcibiades, who later promoted an oligarchic coup, and bellicose demagogues such as Cleon, whom Thucydides scorned as remarkable among the Athenians for the violence of his character.. Pericles (l. 495-429 BCE) was a prominent Greek statesman, orator, and general during the Golden Age of Athens. STDs are at a shocking high. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. ", "Louis Warren, "Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: An Evaluation" (Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co. 1946), p. 18", "The New York Review of Books: The Art of Abraham Lincoln", An English translation of Pericles's Funeral Oration, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pericles%27_Funeral_Oration&oldid=1145831230, Begins with an acknowledgement of revered predecessors: "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent", Praises the uniqueness of the State's commitment to, Addresses the difficulties faced by a speaker on such an occasion, "we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground", Exhorts the survivors to emulate the deeds of the dead, "It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the great task remaining before us", Contrasts the efficacy of words and deeds, "The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detractThe world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. At this point, however, Pericles departs most dramatically from the example of other Athenian funeral orations and skips over the great martial achievements of Athens' past: "That part of our history which tells of the military achievements which gave us our several possessions, or of the ready valour with which either we or our fathers stemmed the tide of Hellenic or foreign aggression, is a theme too familiar to my hearers for me to dwell upon, and I shall therefore pass it by.

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