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 Funeral Oration about summary?
Pericles was a famous Greek general. He gave a speech in Athens, a public speech, honoring the many warriors who were killed in battle after the first year of the Peloponnesian War. He stated that the soldiers who died gave their lives to protect the city of Athens, its citizens, and its freedom. …
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 is the meaning of Funeral Oration?
A funeral oration or epitaphios logos (Greek: ἐπιτάφιος λόγος) is a formal speech delivered on the ceremonial occasion of a funeral. Funerary customs comprise the practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honour.
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.
Who is Hansen What are the strengths and weaknesses of this document as a source about Athens political system?
Some strengths is that he is defining what Athens was in terms of a democracy. But, his weakness is that he is contemplating that Athens wasn’t truly a democracy and how a democracy and what Athens had were two different forms of government.
Who was Pericles and why did he give his speech?
Pericles was widely seen as the leader of Athens. He gave this speech during a funeral for Athenian soldiers who died in the first year of the brutal Peloponnesian War against Sparta, Athens’s chief rival. The Athenian historian Thucydides included the speech in his book the History of the Peloponnesian War.
Was Pericles a good public speaker?
Pericles himself was a master orator. His speeches and elegies (as recorded and possibly interpreted by Thucydides) celebrate the greatness of a democratic Athens at its peak. The most famous among them is his “Funeral Oration,” a speech given after the first year of the Peloponnesian War to commemorate the war dead.
What does oration mean in the Bible?
Definition of oration : an elaborate discourse (see discourse entry 1 sense 2) delivered in a formal and dignified manner She delivered an oration on the value of art in our society.
What is Pericles goal in delivering this speech?
Pericles’ funeral oration was a speech written by Thucydides and delivered by Pericles for his history of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles delivered the oration not only to bury the dead but to praise democracy. Pericles, a great supporter of democracy, was a Greek leader and statesman during the Peloponnesian War.
How does Pericles characterize Athens explain your answer?
Pericles describes Athenian democracy as a system of government where men advance on merit rather than on class or wealth. It is clear that Pericles views democracy as the best form of government and having adopted it, he views Athens as superior to their fellow city-states.
What is the significance of the funeral oration?
The Funeral Oration is significant because it differs from the usual form of Athenian funeral speeches. David Cartwright describes it as “a eulogy of Athens itself…”. The speech glorifies Athens’ achievements, designed to stir the spirits of a state still at war.
Are there any funeral orations from ancient Athens?
Several funeral orations from classical Athens are extant, which seem to corroborate Thucydides ‘ assertion that this was a regular feature of Athenian funerary custom in wartime. The Funeral Oration was recorded by Thucydides in book two of his famous History of the Peloponnesian War.
Who delivered the last part of Thucydides’s funeral speech?
The last part of the ceremony was a speech delivered by a prominent Athenian citizen. Several funeral orations from classical Athens are extant, which seem to corroborate Thucydides’ assertion that this was a regular feature of Athenian funerary custom in wartime.
How does Socrates feel about the funeral of the dead?
However, he himself feels that the heroic deeds of the dead were adequately honored by the funeral the crowd has just witnessed and that the Athenian state has paid for.
