Today's Passage
This is the opening of Pericles' Funeral Oration, delivered in 431/430 BCE after the first year of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
“Most of my predecessors in this place have commended him who made this speech part of the law, telling us that it is well that it should be delivered at the burial of those who fall in battle. For myself, I should have thought that the worth which had displayed itself in deeds would be sufficiently rewarded by honours also shown by deeds; such as you now see in this funeral prepared at the people’s cost. And I could have wished that the reputations of many brave men were not to be imperilled in the mouth of a single individual, to stand or fall according as he spoke well or ill. For it is hard to speak properly upon a subject where it is even difficult to convince your hearers that you are speaking the truth. On the one hand, the friend who is familiar with every fact of the story may think that some point has not been set forth with that fullness which he wishes and knows it to deserve; on the other, he who is a stranger to the matter may be led by envy to suspect exaggeration if he hears anything above his own nature. For men can endure to hear others praised only so long as they can severally persuade themselves of their own ability to equal the actions recounted: when this point is passed, envy comes in and with it incredulity. However, since our ancestors have stamped this custom with their approval, it becomes my duty to obey the law and to try to satisfy your several wishes and opinions as best I may.
Modern Translation
Most of my predecessors who have stood in this place have praised the man who established this speech as part of our tradition, declaring it fitting that words should honor those who died in battle. As for me, I would have preferred that men who proved their worth through actions should receive honors that are likewise expressed through actions—such as the public funeral you witness today. I wish the reputations of so many courageous men did not depend on one person's eloquence, rising or falling based on whether he speaks skillfully or poorly. It is challenging to speak appropriately about matters where it's difficult even to convince listeners you're being truthful. Those who knew the deceased intimately may feel that certain accomplishments haven't been described with the detail they deserve. Meanwhile, strangers to these events might suspect exaggeration when hearing of deeds beyond their own capabilities, for people can tolerate praise of others only as long as they believe themselves capable of similar achievements. Beyond that point, envy emerges, bringing disbelief in its wake. Nevertheless, since our forefathers endorsed this custom, I must follow the law and attempt to meet your varied expectations and perspectives as effectively as possible.
Historical Context
This is the opening of Pericles' Funeral Oration, delivered in 431/430 BCE after the first year of the Peloponnesian War. As was Athenian custom, a prominent citizen was chosen to deliver a public speech honoring those who had died in battle. Pericles, Athens' leading statesman and general, uses this occasion not merely to praise the dead but to articulate Athenian democratic values and imperial ideology. The speech becomes one of the most famous passages in Thucydides, serving as both a celebration of Athenian power and, given subsequent events, a tragic irony. Pericles begins by expressing skepticism about the value of speeches compared to deeds, a rhetorical strategy that paradoxically enhances his credibility while preparing his audience for his broader political message.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Athenian Funeral Orations
The epitaphios logos was an established Athenian institution where a chosen orator delivered a public speech honoring war dead. This democratic practice reinforced civic values and collective identity, contrasting with aristocratic private funerals.
Learn more →Rhetoric in Classical Athens
Pericles' opening demonstrates classical rhetorical techniques, including captatio benevolentiae (winning goodwill) and praeteritio (mentioning something while claiming not to). His skepticism about speeches paradoxically strengthens his ethos as a speaker.
Learn more →Democratic Ideology
The public funeral at state expense reflects Athenian democratic values, where citizens who died for the polis received collective honors regardless of social status, contrasting with aristocratic individual monuments.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plato: Menexenus (234c-235c)
Plato presents a parody of funeral orations, including similar rhetorical moves about the difficulty of praising the dead adequately, offering a philosophical critique of this democratic institution.
Read passage →Demosthenes: Funeral Oration (Oration 60.1-2)
Demosthenes similarly opens by discussing the challenge of matching words to deeds, showing the persistence of this topos in Athenian funeral orations over a century later.
Read passage →Lysias: Funeral Oration (Oration 2.1-2)
Lysias employs similar opening strategies about the inadequacy of words to honor deeds, demonstrating this was a conventional element of the genre.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- Why does Pericles begin by questioning the value of funeral speeches? How does this rhetorical strategy affect his credibility?
- What does Pericles' concern about envy reveal about Athenian democratic culture and its tensions?
- How does the distinction between words and deeds relate to broader themes in Thucydides about appearance versus reality?
- In what ways might this opening prepare the audience for Pericles' later idealization of Athens?