Literature Study GuidesFuneral Oration

Funeral Oration | Study Guide

Pericles

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Course Hero. "Funeral Oration Study Guide." Course Hero. 18 July 2019. Web. 5 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Funeral-Oration/>.

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Course Hero. (2019, July 18). Funeral Oration Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Funeral-Oration/

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Course Hero. "Funeral Oration Study Guide." July 18, 2019. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Funeral-Oration/.

Footnote

Course Hero, "Funeral Oration Study Guide," July 18, 2019, accessed June 5, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Funeral-Oration/.

Overview

Author

Pericles

Year Delivered

431 BCE

Type

Primary Source

Genre

History, Speech

At a Glance

Pericles (495–429 BCE) was one of the greatest leaders of the ancient Greek city-state of Athens at the height of its power.
Democratic Athens fought its militaristic neighbor, Sparta, in the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE). Pericles gave this speech to honor the Athenian dead c. 431 BCE.
Pericles's speech is an argument for the greatness and superiority of Athens.
Pericles argues that Athens's greatness stems from its openness, freedom, democracy, military excellence, and the civic and moral strength of its citizenry.
Pericles's praise of Athens also serves to compare it favorably with Sparta and to criticize Sparta's values, lifestyle, and form of government.
Pericles's funeral oration was recorded by the Athenian historian Thucydides (c. 460–c. 404 BCE) in his History of the Peloponnesian War. Many historians believe that Thucydides likely edited the speech to some extent.
The Athenians would go on to lose the war with Sparta. Their empire was dismantled, and Sparta became the most powerful Greek city-state.
Pericles's speech praising those who died for democracy influenced later speechwriters, including President Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), whose Gettysburg Address (1863) contains many parallels to Pericles's text.

Summary

This study guide for Pericles's Funeral Oration offers summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.

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