Funeral Oration of Pericles

Audience

On the surface Pericles addressed his words to the families of those who had lost loved ones. However, given the direction of his speech, to defend democracy and to elevate the city itself, he also spoke to those in the audience who opposed him. The leadership of the pro-Spartan party in Athens had faced setbacks when their main voice, Cimon, was exiled after being rebuffed by the Spartans in the attempt to suppress their helot rebellion. They also complained about the loss of their property because of a policy that they felt had recklessly pushed Athens into a needless war with the Peloponnesians. The existence of aristocrats who rejected democracy also threatened Pericles' position. Criticism of democracy is expressed even among the philosophical writings that emerged after the war, such as those of Plato and Aristotle, both of whom were writing in the fourth century BCE. In fact, in the immediate aftermath, Sparta helped to install an aristocratic government that sought to purge democratic ideas. Known as the Thirty Tyrants, they quickly alienated the population and in turn were overthrown themselves.