Examining Thucydides’s Description of the Funeral Oration of Pericles

Thucydides’s description of Pericles’s Funeral Oration was an ancient version of a modern “pep talk.” The oration was meant to inspire, encourage, and remind the Athenians of their civic duties and to prepare them for the duration of the Peloponnesian war, in addition to honoring the memory of the deceased warriors.
Pericles did not wish his speech to be based solely on the memories and characteristics of the dead. He felt that the focus of his funeral oration should be on the brave deeds of the men, rather than the men themselves. He understood that it would be difficult for him to meet the expectations of the men’s friends and families without alienating the rest...