Political Myth and Action in Pericles' Funeral Oration
| dc.contributor.author | Ritchie, Shawna | |
| dc.contributor.editor | Fitzsimmons, Scott | |
| dc.contributor.editor | McDougall, Alex | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-12-18T19:54:33Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2020-12-18T19:54:33Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2008 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Pericles’ funeral oration, one of the most famous passages in Thucydides’ book History of the Peloponnesian War, is the clearest expression of the myth of Athens. The oration articulates ancient democratic theory, and the picture of democracy it describes serves as a model for democratic states even today.1 In a seminal piece of work, Clifford Orwin has argued in his book, The Humanity of Thucydides that Pericles’ third speech, delivered to the Athenian populace after the outbreak of the plague represents Pericles’ true funeral oration. Orwin argues this because the plague represented a real crisis. The link Orwin makes between these two speeches is illuminating and casts a new, unprecedented light on Pericles’ later speech. This paper will argue that the connection Orwin articulates between the two speeches is essential for a proper understanding of both; however, he misrepresents the relationship between the speeches. Pericles’ final speech is not the true funeral speech, but rather represents a pragmatic instruction manual for how the Athenians can embody the myth of Athens, as articulated in the funeral speech proper. This is demonstrated by examining the traditional understanding of Pericles’ funeral oration, Orwin’s argument and the common themes in both speeches. Understanding the relationship between these speeches is essential for understanding the role of political myth in democratic states. | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1480-6339 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1480-6388 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1880/112886 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/38481 | |
| dc.publisher.department | Political Science | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Arts | |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Calgary | |
| dc.rights | © Innovations: A Journal of Politics 1998-2050 | |
| dc.title | Political Myth and Action in Pericles' Funeral Oration | |
| dc.type | journal article |