Before the war with the Lacedeamonians, Pericles relates the Athenian thesis of honor, fear, and interest to the people of Athens in terms of war. "If you give way, you will instantly have to meet some greater demand, as having been frightened into obedience in the first instance; but a firm refusal will make them clearly understand that they must treat you more as equals" (1, 140). Pericles wants to relate a virtue of honor and conquest to the people. "It must be thoroughly understood that war is a necessity, and that the more readily we ac

The second oration of Pericles that I wish to speak of is the funeral oration in Book II of The Peloponnesian War. Pericles is speaking of fallen Athenians and of supposed Athenian virtue. Pericles talks of the greatness of the Athenian way and political action. "Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitation ourselves" (2, 37). In this oration, Pericles is following the soul of the democratic regime. "Its administration favors the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy" (2, 37). Pericles is speaking of democratic laws and nature that inhabit the victorious empire of Athens. There are many references to Athenian virtue in this oration. Being a model for the Hellenic world is a prominent virtue upon the mind of Pericles when viewing Athens. This is stated above in the first quote of this paragraph. Pericles also talks of military policy and of how open they are to the world. "If we turn to our military policy, there also we differ from our antagonists. We throw open our city to the world, and never by alien acts exclude foreigners from any opportunity of learning or observing, although the eyes of an enemy may occasionally profit by our liberality; we trust less in system and policy than in the native spirit of our citizens" (2, 39). Pericles is feeding the hearts of the people with virtue and thusly into the democratic regime that governs it.

Tyranny can come from one that was once just, and just may still be, but with power there comes corruption. This is something that Pericles could not escape. Pericles is the "son" of Athens that has been coddled to the point where he has become strong enough to overtake his father (8, 568). "The people that begot the tyrant will support him and his comrades" (8, 568e). Tyranny has been transformed out of democracy and the people themselves have unthinkingly fed it and let it grow within their empire only to be possessed by it a generation later. Does this foreshadow the downfall of the Athenians? I believe so and so may Thucydides even though he may not know it. "With his successors it was different. More on a level with one another, and each grasping at supremacy...by which th

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Approximate Word count = 1511
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)