What is the main point of Pericles Funeral Oration?
The most important thing to remember about the Funeral Oration is that it is a speech, intended to persuade its listeners. Pericles praises Athens so that people will keep fighting; he praises the sacrifices of the dead so that others will imitate them.
What is Pericles trying to say about democracy in his speech?
In the following speech, Pericles made these points about democracy: Democracy allows men to advance because of merit rather than wealth or inherited class. In a democracy, citizens behave lawfully while doing what they like without fear of prying eyes.
What picture of Athenian democracy does Pericles speech give?
Pericles describes Athenian democracy as a system of government where men advance on merit rather than on class or wealth. In a democracy, “class considerations [are not] allowed to interfere with merit” – any man capable enough to rule is allowed to do so.
How did the Pericles change Athenian democracy?
Pericles set about toppling the Areopagus (ar-ee-OP-uh-guhs), or the noble council of Athens, in favor of a more democratic system that represented the interests of the people. He introduced the practice of paying citizens to serve on juries, which allowed poor men to leave work and participate in the justice system.
Why does Pericles praise Athenian democracy?
Praise for the military of Athens In his speech, Pericles states that he had been emphasising the greatness of Athens in order to convey that the citizens of Athens must continue to support the war, to show them that what they were fighting for was of the utmost importance.
Does Thucydides believe in democracy?
He did not approve of the democratic commoners nor of the radical democracy that Pericles ushered in, but considered democracy acceptable when guided by a good leader. Thucydides’ presentation of events is generally even-handed; for example, he does not minimize the negative effect of his own failure at Amphipolis.
What is the overarching theme of the funeral oration of Pericles and what does it tell us about classical Greek culture and ideals?
In the speech Pericles relates the special qualities of the Athenians, redefining many traditional Greek virtues in a radical new light. The idea that the Athenians are able to put aside their petty wants and strive for the greater good of the city is a central theme of the speech.
Whose Funeral Oration included an eloquent description of democracy?
399 BCE): Pericles’ Funeral Oration. This famous speech was given by the Athenian leader Pericles after the first battles of the Peloponnesian war. Funerals after such battles were public rituals and Pericles used the occasion to make a classic statement of the value of democracy.
When was Pericles Funeral Oration written?
431 BCE
In 431 BCE the Athenian statesman Pericles delivered one of the most influential speeches of all time, his Epitaphios or Funeral Oration. The occasion was at the funeral of the first Athenian soldiers to lose their lives in the Peloponnesian War.
What was the impact of Pericles death?
Pericles’ death was significant. The Athenians had lost one of their greatest leaders. But even if the policies of Pericles had not been abandoned by the feeble Athenian democracy, the cost of the war would have proved too great and thus Athenian defeat was inevitable.
Why does Pericles feel the need to praise Athenian freedom and public?
What is the true meaning of Pericles’ Funeral Oration?
Pericles’s famous funeral oration is, without a doubt, one of the greatest speeches passed down in history, yet there is dispute as to the true meaning of democracy put forth. Most believe that Pericles was praising Athenian democracy, yet some claim that he was, in fact, downplaying the importance of democracy.
What is Pericles’Funeral Oration in Thucydides?
Gill is a freelance classics and ancient history writer. She has a master’s degree in linguistics and is a former Latin teacher. Pericles’ funeral oration is a speech written by Thucydides for his history of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles delivers the oration not only to bury the dead, but to praise democracy.
What does Pericles say about Athenian government?
In fact, Pericles sees Athens as having the ultimate possible government; the one best conducive to freedom, liberty, courage, honor, and justice – the values most honored by the Athenians. Pericles extolls several of the virtues of Athens, most of them centered on the then-unique form of democracy.
Is Pericles’ view of democracy outdated?
In conclusion, the view of democracy that Pericles puts forth in his funeral oration is flawed and outdated. Although Pericles himself seemed to firmly believe in the advantages of Athenian democracy to the point that he advocated it as the flawless system of government, there were minute flaws that contrast it to today’s democracy.