compliments. In any case, the funeral oration of Pericles perfectly characterizes the moment and the spirit of that Athens, which he identifies as the land of the free and the home of the brave (like the American home of the brave ) that, after his death at the the following year, it would never regain its splendor. The epainesis of Pericles begins with a comment on prognoi, a tribute to the relatives of the fallen: I make the ancestors my opening theme, since it is right, it is appropriate here, to pay them memorys tribute. Introduction | ; Board Members | ; The Eviction | ; Projects | This reassurance is a way to guard against the loss of morale and the will to fight. dramatism, rather he embraces it fully as would be expected of him. Perhaps most interesting is the effect this kind of analysis has on a reader of presidential documents: after conducting one close reading of the address with the Greek epitaphios logos in mind, numerous links between the two become evident, as well as connections with speeches of other presidents. Funeral Oration was an annual event given to commemorate all of those Pericles wishes to reinforce that Athenian society allows ordinary people to benefit and to flourish. And we are the only ones who, without anguish, seek to benefit someone not so much by calculating the right moment as by trusting our freedom. 2023. Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" and Pericles' "Funeral Oration" are two of the most memorable speeches given throughout history. As an Athenian . Pericles here responds to a criticism of Athenian policy. It is certain that Pericles gave that speech and that, in essence, he said what Thucydides wrote, but it is reasonable to think that the historian expressed it in his own words. Recognizing that many presidents draw from the Western cannon makes Lincoln all the more special, because he did not have the education in the Classics that others in his office had. . For men can endure to hear others praised only so long as they can severally persuade themselves of their own ability to equal the actions recounted: when this point is passed, envy comes in and with it incredulity (2.35). This article was originally published in La Brjula Verde. As I shall now. The city requires justification. Pericles' Funeral Oration was a significant timestamp in 5th century Greece, Athens and to the Classical World. certainly contrasts against the stark, militaristic nature of the His speech was a celebration of not only those who died in combat, but of the city of Athens itself. He was an Athenian aristocrat and army general who wrote The History of the Peloponnesian . were not lost in vain as were so many heart attack victims, way, they have much in common and it's very possible that Pericles Pericles will address these three questions before eulogizing the dead. to digest the content more easily. However, it started as an ancient Greek art form. The Funeral Oration was recorded by Thucydides in book two of his famous History of the Peloponnesian War. Though strong you can use them for inspiration and simplify your student life. Though his address is shorter than that of the typical Greek genre, Lincoln manages to link his speech to Pericles epitaphios logos by composing his message with a compressed but similar structure. Thus, these essays are of lower quality than ones written by experts. What made Pericles's speech remarkable was its emotive and bonding appeal to the greatness of ancient Athens and the Greek people. We can be as brave as those who never allow themselves to rest; thus our city is equally admirable in peace and in war. Pericles says that Athenians are equal to Sparta in war but are also able to enjoy peacetime. by Pericles who was the Athenian leader. Pericles continues to highlight the equality of all citizens before justice (free citizens, it is understood) and the extension of these principles to foreign policy as well as the opening of the city to foreigners. the exact words of Pericles' famous and influential Funeral Oration In generosity we are equally singular, He recognizes that Athens's more warlike neighbors think the Athenians weak because they enjoy life. man who, where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so 5 likes. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us (Pericles, 22). Pericles frames the bravery of the Athenians as a deliberate choice. This section might be said to be the logos of Pericless speech. measured as to terminate in the happiness in which it has been A) Ethos. By using it, you accept our. final son (with Aspasia), Pericles the Younger. He does not Antony: " , , , lend me your ears. 4 0 obj The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text. enjoyment to unnerve his spirit, or poverty with its hope of a day of Pericles himself with any actual figures of speech seems unfair as At He points out how the slain resist[ed] and suffer[ed], rather than fly and save their lives; they ran away from the word of dishonor. What it is, however, is a deft stab at Aristotle's three Many of those who before now have made prayers in this very place and seat, praised in great measure this ancient custom of praising before the people those who died in the war, but it seems to me that the solemn funeral rites which we publicly make today are the best praise of those who by their deeds have deserved it. He argues that Athens is strong because its citizens are able to reflect and to act based on knowledge and wisdom. In closing, Pericless funeral oration speech bears certain remarkable similarities to the structure of President Abraham Lincolns brief but striking eulogy: The Gettysburg Address. Both begin with an ancestral praise, followed by an ode to national greatness, and an acknowledgement that mere speeches cannot fully honor the dead, however we, the living, may forever remember their deeds. who had died throughout the year in service of the Athenian military. Pericles entreats his audience to view the death of Athenians as dauntless offerings to the greatest state on Earth. Our city is thrown open to the world we never expel a foreigner and prevent him from seeing or learning anything of which the secret if revealed to an enemy might profit him. Such is the city for whose sake these men nobly fought and died; they could not bear the thought that she might be taken from them. speech about to be analyzed. Funeral Oration by Pericles In the Aftermath of the Peloponnesian war between Athens and Sparta, Pericles, Athens' general and statesmen, delivered a powerfully comforting eulogy to the polis of Athens, assuring the people that their city state is in good hands, and easing the pain of all the families and relatives of the deceased. hoplite ethos even among Athenians of the lower classes. weight given the current war against the Peloponnesians and Pericles' Course Hero. He believes Athens's government and culture are superior and stand as an example to the other Greek city-states, which learn from Athens. Pericles delivers his famous eulogy, the funeral oration speech in the winter of 431 BC, after the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War in honor of the fallen Athenians. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. He further says that democracy guarantees privacy and equal justice for all. families, as he states in the fourth to last paragraph. This line surely earned Ethos, logos and pathos are three persuasion tools used by Shakespeare in Mark Antony s funeral oration over Caesar s body. Pericles was an influential Greek statesman, politician, and general of Athens who was born in 495 BC and died in 429 BC. It provides benefits that outweigh the risk of revealing information to enemies. Pericles becomes the city through his demagoguery, and also Pericless speech immediately precedes an outbreak of the plague which eventually kills Pericles. Pericles describes the governmental system of Athens, which was unusual at the time. Both "Pericles' Funeral Oration" transcribed by Thucydides and "The Perils of Indifference" by Elie Wiesel demonstrate desire for a redefined culture: a culture geared towards a better societal attitude. July 18, 2019. Though If there is anyone who should be praising Therefore, the words of the epitaphios logos shape the funeral oration into a celebration of the men who have died as well as the cause of their fight. For heroes have the whole earth for their tomb; and in lands far from their own, where the column with its epitaph declares it, there is enshrined in every breast, a record unwritten with no monument to preserve it, except that of the heart (2.42 [3]). potentially die at any point in time. They dwelt in the country without break in It was an Athenian custom of the time to hold an annual commemorative event to honor those who had fallen in battle during the previous year. He wishes to establish that the cause for which they sacrificed was good and just and that their sacrifice was necessary and noble. The Parthenon, a great temple built under Perikles' supervision in the fifth century B.C., represented the virtues the politician celebrated in his "Funeral Oration." Since it was dedicated to the goddess Athena, the temple symbolized Athenian wealth, power, greatness, and elevated culture. It is Pericles was a man who lived in Ancient Greece. they are, how accepting of foreigners they can be, and how in spite Thucydides warns at the beginning of his work that the speeches he transcribes are not textual records, but rather represent the ideas of what was said. Pericles' Funeral Oration by Philipp Foltz (1852). freedom and riches to tempt him to shrink from danger. (Par. Athenian. Any deadline. This war was fought between the two most powerful city-states of ancient Greece: Athens and Sparta. Everyone, according to our laws, has equal rights in particular disputes, while according to the reputation each one has in something, he is not esteemed for things in common more by turn than by his worth, nor in turn by his poverty, at least if he has something good to do for the benefit of the city, he is impeded by the darkness of his reputation. to beautify the Acropolis and Parthenon, and of course the monumental By reminding his audience of their triumphant republic, their duty as Athenians, as well as the creation of their democracy and the unique Athenian way of life their constitution planted, Pericles associates the Athenian way of life with the recently deceased, whose valor and sacrifice in the service of their homeland, was so glorious that it atoned all previous offenses and provided unmistakable testimony to Athens greatness. In this paragraph, towards the end, Thucydides As a people who live under a rule of law that favors the many over the few, and which regards citizens as equal before the law, Athenian diplomacy has allowed its state to achieve greatness. Who was Thucydides? Considering that both speeches used logos, Pericles' Funeral Oration presented a better logical appeal because he brings forth hypothetical examples.In the speech, Pericles says " I would ask you to count as gain the greater part of your life, in which you have been happy, and remember that . winning him over, ruling Athens for thirty years, gathering the funds Thucydides' interpretation of the speech. Pericles He speaks of how open and free 8) One of the most famous of these speeches is Pericles' Funeral Oration. His final word on the topic was not, Appropriately honoring the heroic dead is a difficult task. This reflects Athenian ideals, which encourage people to reflect and collaborate in order to preserve their freedom. It is not by chance that Churchill knew very well the work of Thucydides and Athenian prayer. . Pericles' Funeral Oration by Thucydides, c. 420 BCE In his magisterial History of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE), Thucydides could speak with authority and precise analysis. As such, he praises Athens distinctive character and the virtues they uphold, as well as its democratic system of governance. (2019, July 18). of their easygoing, pleasure centered lifestyle, they maintain the families and children of the lost will be compensated, and curtly He then goes on to highlight how Athenians are magnanimous towards others, generous in their help and confident in the validity of their institutions. For this reading I used the impeccable Landmark edition of ThucydidessHistory of the Peloponnesian Warby businessman-turned classical scholar Robert B. Strassler. Athenian democracy, according to Pericles, is a kind of governance in which persons rise purely on merit rather than rank or fortune. wordplay likely fall to Thucydides. As Thucydides recounts, it consisted of a procession that accompanied the ten coffins (cypress coffers, one for each Athenian tribe, plus one always empty in memory of the disappeared) to their burial place in the Ceramic, the most important cemetery in Athens, which can still be visited today. For example, look at the following few sentences taken from another part of the Funeral Oration. Pericles says that he has spoken of the greatness of Athens in order to praise the dead soldiers, who chose to fight and die for their city-state. In keeping with custom, Pericles, Athens' most respected statesman and general, a "man of approved wisdom and eminent reputation," is chosen to give the funeral oration. The speech was a part of the yearly public funeralfor the people who died in the war. Many people view the key documents in presidential history as being purely American, and while this is true in some respects, they often overlook the influence that the Western cannon has had on them. Course Hero. Statue of ancient Athens statesman Pericles. In addition, he ties all of his In Course Hero. proper that they should have the honour of the first mention on an Pericles opens by saying he doesn't agree w/ the speech. Though the exact words of Pericles' famous and influential Funeral Oration during the Autumn of 430 B.C are unknown, it's purpose, meaning, and eloquence was captured by his good friend Thucydides. In the end, Sparta prevailed, but its hegemony would not last long, since first Thebes and then Macedonia, would end up imposing themselves on the Greek world. praise from Pericles' audience, not simply because of his Athenian The scene of communication for the funeral oration is ritualized: The people of Athens, . It was the first of its kind, as the known history of Athens shows no other speech breaking away from . The speech was delivered in 430 B.C.E., after the first year of the Peloponnesian War.