Thucydides’ Coined Term In the book, “History of the Peloponnesian War”, Thucydides cleverly applies the newly coined Greek word, δεμαγωγός. In this essay, I will attempt to give a literal account of how the word was constructed, what this newly coined term means, and how the Athenians could have reacted to such a term. During the time of the Greeks, the word δεμαγωγός was fairly new, so reasonably most greeks, like the Athenians, were not accustomed to such a word. Though, like most newly coined words, the word δεμαγωγός is composed of two words; δῆμος and the verb ἄγω. According to the Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon, the words δῆμος refers to one belonging to the people or state. Ἄγω is the greek verb which means to lead or to bring. The complete word, δεμαγωγός, indicates a popular leader, a mob leader, and/or …show more content…
The way that I imagine them acting is in a way of confusion. The reason why I think that they would be confused is because δεμαγωγός is a newly coined word, and because it is a newly coined word, most Greeks would not understand the meaning of the term. Thus, the Athenians would at first be confused. Once the word δεμαγωγός processes within their minds, I think they will still be somewhat confused, but take it as a complement. The reason why I think this is because as stated before, δεμαγωγός can refer to a popular leader. Hence, the Athenian leader would act pridefully, thinking that he is popular. However, for those Athenians who chew on the word for longer, I think that they will be angry. It seems that they would feel angry is because δεμαγωγός also means a demagogue, and a demagogue is basically a leader who is an orator in the Platonic sense. This being the case then, we know from reading Gorgias that an Orator is one who appeals to popular desires rather than rational argumentation. Hence, the Athenians would finally take the word as an
Throughout Aristophanes’ “Clouds” there is a constant battle between old and new. It makes itself apparent in the Just and Unjust speech as well as between father and son. Ultimately, Pheidippides, whom would be considered ‘new’, triumphs over the old Strepsiades, his father. This is analogous to the Just and Unjust speech. In this debate, Just speech represents the old traditions and mores of Greece while the contrasting Unjust speech is considered to be newfangled and cynical towards the old. While the defeat of Just speech by Unjust speech does not render Pheidippides the ability to overcome Strepsiades, it is a parallel that may be compared with many other instances in Mythology and real life.
The religious view of Athenians before the Peloponnesian War can be best demonstrated by the portrayal of interaction between men and Gods in Aeschylus’ work, The Eumenides. From the first scene, when “The doors of the temple open and show Orestes surrounded by the sleeping Furies, Apollo and Hermes beside him” (Aeschylus, 137), one can see that in Aeschylus’ eyes, Gods and Goddesses are not something distant and unreachable, but instead, they are “real” figures who will at times stand by our s...
Using his talent as a public speaker, Themistocles was able to unite the Greek city-states, creating one fighting force that would stay at Salamis to fight the mighty Persian army. While having a valiant leader was an important part of Greek leadership, the Athenians provide leadership in the form of naval strength, providing the Greek navy with a vas...
Thucydides (translated by Rex Warner). History of the Peloponnesian War. Penguin Books: New York, NY. 1972.
Thucydides’ version of Pericles’ “Funeral Oration” can be read as more of an ironic rendering of Pericles’ original speech since The History of the Peloponnesian War is not just considered to be a historical account but also a “highly imaginative piece of work” in which Thucydides made characters involved in the war say what he believed they actually meant instead of what they might have originally said (Thucydides Introduction pg. x). In the “Funeral Oration”, Pericles praises certain
In conclusion, it becomes evident throughout The Iliad and The Odyssey that the epithets are used as more than just simple description or praise. Each epithet listed here was not only used to describe or praise, but also to emphasize and amplify the outstanding characteristics, which were essential to the Greek’s victory at Troy and the completion of Odysseus’ voyage home. Without these traits, the outcome of both epics could have been quite different. Homer made sure we, the readers and listeners, know this by his use of epithets.
... of the state as a whole they judged him to be the ablest” (Kagan, from Thucydides, 2.65.4) Having realized that Pericles was altogether the best man to lead them, Athens re-embraced the man who brought them to their peak. Unfortunately, they soon fell from it, but as that didn’t happen until after the Age of Pericles, this age, gilded like Athens’ goddess, remains relatively intact.
The death of Pericles was a significant event in the course of the Peloponnesian War; however, even without Pericles' leadership the Athenian Assembly had countless opportunities to prevent their loss and chose not to take them. The fickleness and inefficiency of democracy ('the mob') allowed the Athenians to be easily influenced and therefore electing populists such as Cleon, Lysicles and Hyperbolus into dominant leadership roles. Election, via democratic means, of such populists, meant that the Athenians would take a much more aggressive approach to the war and therefore abandon the policies that Pericles had previously established. So in turn, democracy the institution for which the Athenians fought tirelessly to protect, rather than the death of Pericles, ironically became the dominant factor influencing the final outcome of this Ancient Greek civil war.
Thucydides, Dent, J. M., & Dutton, E. P. (1910). The Peloponnesian War. London & New
102), by no means merely to warn off pirates but definitely as an intimidation tactic to make the Melians give in to their demands. The Melians attempt to work with the Athenians, putting forward much talk of neutrality, friendship, and peace, but the Athenian diplomats don’t want to hear it, instead giving the Melian councilors a dichotomous choice, either submit or die. This Athens is a far cry from the popular conception of the classical Athenian state. Athens has always been seen as a mediator, a democratic state where enlightened thinking and thoughtful action take precedent over baser instinct, but what we see from Thucydides’ Athens is more akin to Sparta in the popular imagination. In my imagination this is not an instance of glorifying Athens, misattributing ideals and virtues that they did not have, but instead showing the opposite side of the same
The causes of the Peloponnesian War proved to be too great between the tension-filled stubborn Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta. As Thucydides says in Karl Walling’s article, “Never had so many human beings been exiled, or so much human blood been shed” (4). The three phases of the war, which again, are the Archidamian war, the Sicilian Expedition and the Decelean war, show the events that followed the causes of the war, while also showing the forthcoming detrimental effects that eventually consumed both Athens and eventually Sparta effectively reshaping Greece.
We have now examined Thucydides' strongest arguments for Athenian rule. It is clear that Athens had a stronger claim to rule than the Melians had to remain sovereign. We also know that Athens' claims hold up when we examine them for validity. Thucydides beliefs in Athens' claims were therefore well founded.
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
As perspectives and opinions in the realm of political science are fluid and bound to change, he receives a variety of replies, for the representatives body he sent happen to comprise a Realist, a Liberal and a Constructivist. The variances the philosophies and universal laws his representatives throw back at him intrigue General Cleomedes. He recognizes that within the power play of the world, and the role of Athens as a superpower within the world’s political arena, he must be thoroughly versed in every possible political perspective. Thus, he invites his representatives to share their own view of what transpired between the dialogue between the Melians and the Athenians.
Peters, F.E. (1967) Greek Philosophical Terms: An Historical Lexicon. New York: New York University Press.