Pg 110-115 Pericles' Funeral Oration (Athens, 431 BCE)

Context and Occasion

  • 1st Year/Winter 431/0; Athens during the Peloponnesian War; Pericles delivers the funeral oration for war dead.
  • Marathon exception: those slain at Marathon were interred on the spot for their extraordinary valor.
  • Purpose: honor the dead and articulate the nature of Athenian democracy, virtue, and war aims to the living.

Key Themes in Pericles’ Oration

  • Democracy and equality before the law
    • Our constitution is not copied from neighbors; it is a democracy that offers equal justice to all and rewards merit rather than birth or wealth.
    • Poverty does not bar public service; any capable citizen may rise based on ability.
  • Civil liberties and private life
    • Freedom in private affairs; no jealous surveillance of neighbors; obedience to magistrates and laws protects the injured, whether on statute or unwritten code.
  • Education, culture, and leisure
    • Abundant games and sacrifices; culture and private wealth are directed toward use, not show; daily life is enriched to sustain public virtue.
  • Military policy and international openness
    • Athens opens the city to foreigners; reliance on the native spirit of citizens rather than over-systematized policy.
    • Spartans may ally with others, but Athenians often defeat enemies when fighting on foreign soil; a marine-and-land strategy allows simultaneous action.
  • Courage, deliberation, and virtue
    • True courage combines boldness with prudent judgment; the prize goes to those who distinguish hardship from pleasure and still choose danger.
  • Generosity and reciprocity
    • Generosity toward friends should be ordered by genuine lib erality, not expediency; true benefactors create lasting bonds.
  • Athens as the school of Hellas and its imperial proof
    • Athens embodies versatility and capability; its power is proven by deeds and monuments across sea and land, not by words alone.
  • The lasting legacy
    • The present and future will admire Athens for its merit and achievements; the city has shown how to meet emergencies and sustain greatness.

Civic Life and Governance

  • The city as a model for others, not imitators
    • The government favors the many and equality before the law; merit determines public standing, not private distinction.
  • Public discussion and wise action
    • Discussion is an indispensable stage of wise action; citizens judge proposals even if they do not originate them.
  • The balance of work and public duty
    • Citizens engage in industry while remaining capable judges of public matters; action should be preceded by deliberation.

Warfare and Strategy in Open Society

  • Freedom to learn and observe for all
    • Open to the world; foreigners can learn from Athens; yet defense remains paramount.
  • Coordination of land and sea power
    • Athenian strength comes from simultaneous, distributed service; success against a detach ment magnifies into national victory, and defeat into a setback for the whole polity.

Burial Rites and Speech Context

  • Funeral customs for war dead
    • Bodies burned, bones gathered; three days of preparation where bones lie in a tent; offerings made; cypress coffins carried; one empty bier for the missing; public sepulcher as final resting place for the dead; women wail to show grief.
  • Pericles as the appointed orator
    • Pericles delivers the funeral oration as part of the state ritual, explaining the city’s laws, values, and the justification of their sacrifices.

Marathon and Memory

  • Marathon is singled out as a notable exception due to extraordinary valor and its enduring memory within Athenian identity.

Note on Structure of the Oration

  • The speech moves from praise of ancestors and constitutional principles to the demonstration of Athens’ civic virtues, military prowess, and cultural leadership as foundations of the city’s greatness.