Today's Passage
This passage occurs during the Mytilenean Debate in 427 BCE, where the Athenian Assembly reconvenes to reconsider their harsh decision to execute all adult males and enslave the women and children of Mytilene after its revolt.
Crawley Translation (1910)
“For myself, I adhere to my former opinion, and wonder at those who have proposed to reopen the case of the Mitylenians, and who are thus causing a delay which is all in favour of the guilty, by making the sufferer proceed against the offender with the edge of his anger blunted; although where vengeance follows most closely upon the wrong, it best equals it and most amply requites it. I wonder also who will be the man who will maintain the contrary, and will pretend to show that the crimes of the Mitylenians are of service to us, and our misfortunes injurious to the allies. Such a man must plainly either have such confidence in his rhetoric as to adventure to prove that what has been once for all decided is still undetermined, or be bribed to try to delude us by elaborate sophisms. In such contests the state gives the rewards to others, and takes the dangers for herself. The persons to blame are you who are so foolish as to institute these contests; who go to see an oration as you would to see a sight, take your facts on hearsay, judge of the practicability of a project by the wit of its advocates, and trust for the truth as to past events not to the fact which you saw more than to the clever strictures which you heard; the easy victims of new-fangled arguments, unwilling to follow received conclusions; slaves to every new paradox, despisers of the commonplace; the first wish of every man being that he could speak himself, the next to rival those who can speak by seeming to be quite up with their ideas by applauding every hit almost before it is made, and by being as quick in catching an argument as you are slow in foreseeing its consequences; asking, if I may so say, for something different from the conditions under which we live, and yet comprehending inadequately those very conditions; very slaves to the pleasure of the ear, and more like the audience of a rhetorician than the council of a city.
Modern Translation
I stand by my original position and am astonished at those who wish to reopen the Mytilenean debate, thereby creating a delay that benefits only the guilty party. Such postponement dulls the sharp edge of the victim's righteous anger, whereas swift retaliation following an offense most accurately matches and satisfies the wrong done. I'm equally puzzled by whoever will argue the opposite position, claiming that Mytilene's crimes somehow benefit us while our losses harm our allies. Such a person must either possess such supreme confidence in his oratory that he attempts to prove that settled matters remain undecided, or else has been paid to mislead us with sophisticated but empty arguments. In these rhetorical competitions, the state awards prizes to the speakers while shouldering all the risks herself. The real culprits are you citizens who foolishly establish these contests. You attend speeches as if they were theatrical performances, accepting hearsay as fact, judging whether policies are feasible based solely on the speaker's cleverness, and trusting eloquent reinterpretations of past events over what you witnessed firsthand. You fall prey too easily to novel arguments, refusing to accept established truths, enslaved by every new paradox while scorning common wisdom. Each of you wishes he could speak as brilliantly as these orators; failing that, you compete to appear equally sophisticated by applauding their points before they're fully articulated, quick to grasp arguments but slow to foresee their consequences. You seem to desire conditions different from our actual circumstances, yet fail to properly understand even our present reality. You are utterly enslaved by the pleasure of listening, behaving more like spectators at a sophist's performance than councilors deliberating your city's fate.
Historical Context
This passage occurs during the Mytilenean Debate in 427 BCE, where the Athenian Assembly reconvenes to reconsider their harsh decision to execute all adult males and enslave the women and children of Mytilene after its revolt. Cleon, the hawkish demagogue, is speaking here, defending the original brutal verdict and criticizing the Assembly for reopening the debate. He attacks both his opponents (particularly Diodotus, who will speak next) and the Athenian citizens themselves for their susceptibility to clever rhetoric over practical policy. This debate represents a crucial moment in Athenian imperial policy and democratic deliberation, highlighting tensions between justice and expediency, emotion and reason, and the power of rhetoric in democratic decision-making.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Athenian Democracy and Rhetoric
Cleon's critique reveals the centrality of public oratory in Athenian democracy, where citizens made crucial decisions based on competitive speeches. His attack on the audience's love of novelty and clever arguments reflects contemporary concerns about the influence of sophists and the potential manipulation of democratic assemblies through persuasive speech rather than sound policy.
Learn more →The Mytilenean Revolt
Mytilene, the principal city of Lesbos, revolted from Athens in 428 BCE despite being one of the few remaining autonomous allies. After a siege, the city surrendered in 427 BCE. The Athenians initially voted for harsh collective punishment but reconsidered the next day, leading to this famous debate about justice, deterrence, and imperial policy.
Learn more →Cleon the Demagogue
Cleon was Athens' most prominent politician after Pericles' death, known for his aggressive policies and populist rhetoric. Thucydides portrays him negatively as violent and unscrupulous. In this debate, Cleon advocates for maintaining the harsh punishment as both just retribution and necessary deterrence for other potential rebels in the Athenian empire.
Learn more →Sophistry in Classical Athens
Cleon's accusation of 'elaborate sophisms' reflects the contemporary intellectual movement of sophistry, where traveling teachers taught rhetoric and argumentation. Many Athenians viewed sophists suspiciously as making 'the weaker argument appear stronger,' a concern evident in Cleon's charge that his opponents use clever rhetoric to overturn established decisions.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Aristotle: Rhetoric (Book 3, Chapter 1 (1403b-1404a))
Aristotle discusses how audiences can be swayed by style over substance in oratory, directly relevant to Cleon's criticism of Athenians being 'slaves to the pleasure of the ear' and judging policies by rhetorical cleverness rather than practical merit.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (Book 1, Chapter 7 (1.7.12-15))
Xenophon describes the trial of the Arginusae generals, another instance where the Athenian assembly's emotions and susceptibility to rhetoric led to a controversial decision they later regretted, paralleling the Mytilenean debate's themes.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Nicias (Chapter 8)
Plutarch describes Cleon's rhetorical style and political methods, providing additional context for understanding his approach in the Mytilenean debate and his criticism of Athenian susceptibility to oratorical display.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Cleon's criticism of democratic deliberation reveal tensions within the Athenian political system? Can democracy function effectively if citizens are easily swayed by rhetoric?
- Is Cleon's argument about swift vengeance being more just than delayed punishment philosophically sound? How do modern justice systems balance retribution with deliberation?
- What does this passage reveal about the role of expertise versus popular judgment in democratic decision-making? Should citizens defer to speakers or trust their own judgment?
- How does Cleon's attack on 'new-fangled arguments' and praise of 'commonplace' wisdom relate to contemporary debates about tradition versus innovation in politics?