Whilst various arguments support that shakespeare is the sole author of the play notably delvecchio and hammonds. I am very pleased to get hold of a reprint of this useful commentary on thucydides, sometimes a challenging authro, particularly in the speeches. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. Thucydides, pericles, and the idea of athens in the peloponnesian war. This speech became known as pericles funeral oration, and it occurred in 431 b. In this section of the text, thucydides describes the first two years of the war between the athenians and the peloponnesians. History of the peloponnesian warbook 2 wikisource, the. Pericles instead gives corn to the nation, and the citizens are grateful.
What can thucydides and the plague of athens teach us in. Pericles doesnt reveal the truth, and antiochus gives him forty days before his death sentence. Beginning of the peloponnesian warfirst invasion of atticafuneral oration of pericles. Statue portrait of historian thucydides outside the austrian parliament in vienna. What is a brief summary of pericles funeral oration. His pride for athens is evident and he intends to spread that pride through this speech to all citizens listeni. Thucydides, the peloponnesian war, book 2, chapter 34. The author of the paper pericles funeral oration from thucydides by paul halsall will begin with the statement that pericles funeral oration is the aforementioned athenian leaders speech during the internment of the athenians who died for their nation during the peloponnesian war. Pericles, prince of tyre, tries his hand at the riddle. Thucydides admired pericles, approving of his power over the people and showing a marked distaste for the demagogues who followed him. As kagan reveals in his book after a lifetime of study of the long war between the greeks, our man thucydides was human after all. This commentary contains very good explanations and clarifies thucydides syntax effectively. Pericles begins his funeral speech in thucydides book 2 by dissenting from the view that the speech is a laudable feature of the funeral ceremony. Shmoop speare weve got all the dirt on will shakespeare, plus links to other great resources.
Thucydides assessment of pericles as statesman and orator 2. Thucydides and the ancient simplicity uc press ebooks collection. Mar 21, 2020 about 270 years after the iliad, or thereabouts, plague is the centrepiece of two great classical athenian works sophocles oedipus the king, and book 2 of thucydides history of the. This group was defeated and many prisoners were captured. The history of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides 431 bc.
It is only marcellinus 2 who gives to his mother the name of the mother of cimon. The second book of thucydides is of particular interest. Athens sends a huge fleet to sicily and suffers disaster. Thucydides and the plague of athens what it can teach us. Mar 23, 2020 thucydides offers us a description of a citystate in crisis that is as poignant and powerful now as it was in 430bc. He carefully crafted a story that he wanted the audience to accept.
Thucydides admired pericles, approving of his power over the people and. Pericles, a great supporter of democracy, was a greek leader and statesman during the peloponnesian war. Thucydides and the plague of athens what it can teach us now. Thucydides then remarks that should another dorian war come, this time attended with a great famine, the rhyme will be remembered as famine, and any mention of plague forgotten.
Agamemnon, the leading prince of the greek army, insults a local priest of. Following the annual tradition, pericles delivers his speech at the public funeral for the victims of war. Thucydides quotes author of history of the peloponnesian war. The historian thucydides wrote about the speech of pericles in his history of the peloponnesian war. Although thucydides records the speech in the first person as if it were a word for word record of what pericles said, there can be little doubt that he edited the speech. Dec 07, 2016 contrary to mcphersons assessment, thucydides has to be read more critically rather than accepted as trustworthy. Thucydides and the plague of athens consortiumnews. Thucydides was an athenian strategos, a political as well as a military post.
After his death, thucydidess history was subdivided into eight books. Books go search best sellers gift ideas new releases whole foods todays deals amazonbasics coupons gift cards customer service free shipping shopper toolkit registry sell. This famous oration included in thucydides history of the peloponnesian war has been credited as highly significant due to its unique nature amongst others in its genre. It is well known that thucydides held the view that human nature had. Sitalces was the son of teres and king of the thracians.
Thucydides wrote that the speech was reproduced from his memory and was a loose account only. Then pericles begins to deliver the oration itself. It was carried on without heralds, but not without suspicion, as events were occurring which were equivalent to a breach of the treaty and matter for war. Now they began to blame pericles for having persuaded them to go to war and to hold him responsible for all the. Tarsus is pericles s first stop, where cleon assumes that pericles s ships contain soldiers intent on conquering tarsus when none can defend it. Pericles funeral oration from thucydides by paul halsall book. Project gutenberg s the history of the peloponnesian war, by thucydides this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. The history of the peloponnesian war the internet classics. Pericles delivers the oration not only to bury the dead, but to praise democracy. Cleon later pledges to take care of pericles s infant child, but his wife, dionyza, plots to kill the child. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war, book 2.
Thucydides description of the plague that struck athens in 430 bc is one of the great. Jan 12, 2018 pericles funeral oration is a speech written by thucydides for his history of the peloponnesian war. He was himself politically active, therefore, and it is reasonable to assume that. Beginning of the peloponnesian war first invasion of attica funeral oration of pericles the war between the athenians and peloponnesians and the allies on either side now really begins.
For further information on the critical and stage history of pericles, see sc, volumes 2, 15, 36, 51, 66, and 79 most literary scholars agree that shakespeare wrote pericles between. The first act of violence was the attack upon plataea, a city allied with athens, by a theban force. He was the son of the politician xanthippus, who, though ostracized in 485484 bc, returned to athens to command the athenian contingent in the greek victory at mycale just five years later. The funeral oration was recorded by thucydides in book two of his famous history of the peloponnesian war. But the athenians did not admit into the city or to their assembly, pericles. Mar 17, 2016 this feature is not available right now. Thucydides, pericles, and the idea of athens in the peloponnesian war taylor, martha on. The lessons we learn from the coronavirus crisis will come from our own experiences of it, not from reading thucydides. Jul 16, 2012 this book includes pericles s funeral oration.
Aug 31, 2016 thucydides begins by describing the funeral tradition that would have precipitated the oration delivery. Thucydides, pericles, and the idea of athens in the. About 270 years after the iliad, or thereabouts, plague is the centrepiece of two great classical athenian works sophocles oedipus the king, and book 2 of thucydides history of the. Thucydides, history of the peloponnesian war, book ii. Read pericles online here it all is, with some nifty search options to boot. Thucydides history, like machiavellis prince and hobbess leviathan, does much. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides the internet. Pericles had such a profound influence on athenian society that thucydides, his contemporary historian, acclaimed him as the first citizen of athens. This question refers to pericles funeral oration in book 2 of thucydides history of the peloponnesian war. Pericles funeral oration from the peloponnesian war book 2. Did thucydides report the pericles funeral speech honestly. All talking between the 2 sides happened through heralds. In book one, thucydides portrays pericles as some one who. Funerals after such battles were public rituals and pericles used the occasion to make a classic statement of the value of democracy.
Pericles, a strong athenian leader and politician, makes a clear statement throughout his funeral oration that the athenian people are superior to all others throughout the rest of greece. Pericles funeral oration thucydides excerpt youtube. In the first book of his history of the peloponnesian war, thucydides gave the background information for the conflict, culminating with pericles first speech in athens. Thucydides seems to not trust the common man in being able to run a government yet at the same time he feels that the common man should have a say it what a city decides, but that it should be heavily influenced by the likes of a higher standing citizen, such as pericles. Pericles funeral oration on the greek 50 drachmai 1955 banknote. For now all intercourse except through the medium of heralds ceased, and hostilities were commenced and prosecuted without intermission. Hide browse bar your current position in the text is marked in blue. He was so important for athens that his name defines the. In the same winter the athenians gave a funeral at the public cost to those who had first fallen in this war. Thucydides history of the peloponnesian war, book 2, chapter 6 beginning of the peloponnesian warfirst invasion of atticafuneral oration of pericles. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. Selfcontrol is the chief element in selfrespect, and selfrespect is the chief element in courage. He is successful, but discovers that its answer reveals the incestuous relationship between father and daughter. Introduction this is a study guide for the book pericles, prince of tyre written by william shakespeare.
And now the war between the athenians and peloponnesians and the allies of both 1 actually began. The description of the plague immediately follows on from thucydides renowned account of pericles funeral oration it is important that pericles died of the plague in 429 bc, whereas thucydides caught it but survived. Valor was a key theme in the address, and pericles reminds the athenian people of their achievements against both foreign and domestic powers. The narrative is arranged according to summers and winters and follows the order of events. Bbc shakespeare the bbcs shakespeare portal, with lots of multimedia and the latest skinny on shakespeare. Thucydides makes pericles say that athens, because of her manifold excellent qualities. Henceforward the struggle was uninterrupted, and they communicated with 2 one another only by heralds. With an english translation by charles forster smith. Pericles, prince of tyre is a jacobean play written at least in part by william shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the first folio. Aug 20, 2016 listen to pericles funeral oration thucydides excerpt audio book listen to pericles funeral oration thucydides excerpt audio book skip navigation sign in. The history of the peloponnesian war by thucydides, part of the internet. Read act 2, scene 1 of shakespeares pericles, prince of tyre, sidebyside with a translation into modern english. Thucydides peloponnesian war better than herodotus histories.