IntroductionOne of the popular historical accounts that many historians and analysts still study today is the history of the Peloponnesian War as it was described by Thucydides.
It was a long, drawn out war that involved some of the best armies and navies in this part of the European continent, as well as notable political entities coming from other parts of the world, like Asia. The Peloponnesian War was important for the parties involved, particularly for Athens, which, at that time, was experiencing a very solid and stable way of life and on the way to becoming more and more developed. This particular war helped Athens get a better look at its political leaders, whose political philosophies would contribute to the outcome of the war and to the shaping of the Athenian future. In Thucydides history of the Peloponnesian War, two prominent individuals stood out from the rest as political leaders and influential men in Athens; two leaders who are as significant during the war-time Athens as they were significant in Athens before and after the war.
One is Pericles, and the other one is Alcibiades. Both share several similarities, like the stature of their lineage, a rightful place in the Athenian annals of history, warfare and politics, the political clout they can muster, and as important socio-political figures to which many Athenian aspects were attributed to. But what is noticeable is how the two leaders who became popular and prominent before, during and after the war seemed to have utilized contradictory or even polar political philosophies for them to be able to establish and cement their own base of power and influence. Because of their differences, critics and analysts of the two individuals cannot help but draw the line and decide which between the two individuals is the most “characteristically” Athenian, largely by establishing who between Pericles and Alcibiades best represent Athenian ideals.
This is the same endeavor that this paper will embark on, through the analysis of related aspects involving classical political philosophies which can be used to ascertain the political/philosophical characteristics of the two individuals.The Athenian Ideal and Alcibiades’ QualificationVictoria Wohl, in her book entitled “Love among the Ruins”, gave the readers an idea of what the Athenian ideals are. According to Wohl, it is important in the pursuit of being the ideal Athenian by becoming a good democrat (via showing support to the idea and practice of democracy in the government) and by being a good human being at the same time, which means that one should live a proper and straight life without immoral features and problems that is characterized as illegal or illegitimate. She noted that the Athenian ideals are hinged primarily on moral stability which should be found in the ethos of every one Athenian (Wohl 130).
“The Athenian ideal united norms of sexuality, ethnicity, and citizenship so that a good Athenian is a good man and a good democrat (Wohl 130).”If such was the case, then Alcibiades would find it difficult to claim that he is the ideal Athenian especially with the features of both his personal and political life, which represents and reflects his personal and political philosophies. This is because, according to Wohl, Alcibiades life is characterized by sexual excess, (personal) as well as ideals and approaches leading to or closer to a tyrannical paradigm, not to mention the political implications of his stand on being characterized as akin to or leading to “foreignness” (Wohl 130). His sexual excesses and his other problems on personal life challenges his qualification for being a good person, while his political problems like his espousing tyrannical ideals, posed serious problems to his being a good democrat.
With both aspects of his life tainted with problems, it is difficult to see how Alcibiades can qualify as the man that best exemplifies the Athenian ideal, more so, in comparison with Pericles.The presence of political attacks and antagonism directed towards a particular individual does not always mean that the target of antagonism/attacks is not considered as someone who fits the anatomy for the ideal citizen. In many cases in many countries, martyrs and heroes who are considered as individuals who best represent the ideals of the country during their lifetime were consistently plagued by political attacks directed at them. Alcibiades can be given the same benefit of the doubt that the presence of political attacks and antagonism directed at him were part of political efforts that have vested, limited interests being protected.
Still, there is the question regarding why history has consistently painted Alcibiades’ life as that which is characterized by the presence of abrasive political relationship with the rest of the political leaders, especially when Pericles was not accorded the same level of political hostility.Was it because of what the people perceive as Alcibiades’ goal and how they disapprove of this particular political move? “Alcibiades confronts substantial political opposition, particularly the suspicion that he aims at creating a tyranny (Mara 219).” There were several instances wherein Alcibiades was implicated in the efforts to unseat the young democratic government and make way for a tyrannical rule if Alcibiades had a bigger swing at the political power inside Athens. However, even if this was to happen, it is difficult to imagine how Athenians would approve of it, or how they would approve of Alcibiades representing the Athenian ideals once tyranny was set in place, when Athens, especially during the start of democracy, was already in approval of such type of government and disapproves types of governance that chokes the people, like the presence of a “tyrannical rule (Mara 219).
”“Athenians hated tyrants (Wohl 158).” If this was true, then they would definitely hate the men and women who are pushing for this political situation, like Alcibiades. If this forms a logical pattern, then Alcibiades would not be considered as the embodiment of the Athenian ideals if he would create something that can crush what the Athenians approve of in the first place. Or was there a lot about Alcibiades that is controversial that Alcibiades has managed to make himself an entirely one of a kind person, and because of that a very unlikely candidate to represent the ideal Athenian character? There is a saying that when there is smoke, there is fire.
There maybe more about Alcibiades, in which the roots of his very controversial personal and political life are found.The Aspect of Politics in the Athenian Ideals and where Pericles and Alcibiades Each StoodOne of the strongest indications that it was Pericles and not Alcibiades who, between the two, resembles closely the Athenian ideals is the political/philosophical approach of Alcibiades. Athens, during the time of Pericles and during the place’s Golden Age, was characterized by the creation of one of the most important political features of the modern day world: democracy.The pre-Pericles era of Athens features the rule of oligarchs over Athens, it would seem that democracy would better characterize the Athenian ideals, at least during Pericles’ time.
Pericles and other pro-democracy politicians favoured it and helped Pericles sell the idea to the people, who in turn, responded positively to this new form of government. In the analysis of what is the Athenian ideal when it comes to politics in consideration of Pericles’ nomination to the list of candidates who might be the best representative of the Athenian ideal, then democracy, and not the previous oligarchy, should be the basis when the discussion on Athenian ideal shifts towards politics.For one, how can the oligarchy be the Athenian ideal when most (if not all) of the citizens of Athens has withdrawn its support from this type of government? Democracy is the main characteristic of the Athenian ideal when it comes to politics. If such was the case, Pericles already has a lead over Alcibiades, who was identified as someone who is closer to the idea of tyranny than democracy.
Because of that, Alcibiades would find it difficult to be the representative of the Athenian ideal if he can’t measure up to the requirements of the political design of the city-state.In comparing the philosophical/political outlook of Pericles and Alcibiades, it seems that it was Pericles who took to heart the idea of democracy, the one who had envisioned himself becoming the tool of Athens so that democracy would be extended further and be in place in the government longer, hoping that both country and the political system flourish over time after considerable duration and use. As for Alcibiades, he was true to the perception that he was always the opposite of Pericles. As Pericles supported the idea of the Athenian democracy, Alcibiades was identified as the political figure who is both tyrannical and anti-democratic.
“Alcibiades is aiming at tyranny…the political (specifically the anti-democratic) is inseparable in Alcibiades (Wohl 130).
“Proof that through his political and philosophical ideals Pericles was able to demonstrate who represents best the Athenian ideal is the fact that many historians and critics focused on Athens during Pericles time was using Pericles, his morals and his political direction in assessing the correctness or the inadequacies of other leaders who are either Pericles’ contemporary or those who came after him. One good example is Pericles role in restraining Athens towards embarking on what Josiah Ober described as “imperial adventures”, and vis-a-vis, how historians including Thucydides. His work was comparing the moral authority, as well as rhetorical finesse of Pericles with other leaders who are considered as someone who is not up to what is called the Periclean standard (Ober 107).According an individual like Pericles with such affirmation for moral authority and a sense of direction for a group of people often is equal to representing the ethos or ideal of the people.
If critics/historians point to the morals in Pericles’s political direction and sense of things as an important guide that Athens and the Athenians to follow, then Pericles can be considered as someone who may have sufficient qualifications to be considered as the person representing the ideals of Athens and the Athenian people.Selecting PericlesPericles is considered as the man representing best the Athenian ideals not because he is like any other common Athenian. On the contrary, he is someone who stands out among the rest, largely because he is not what a common Athenian is in the aspect of the Athenian character that leads Athens towards more problems. Because of this, Pericles was viewed as someone who is not like any other Athenian, and therefore ready to lead Athens by enforcing the changes that the Athenians need so that they can accomplish the goal of becoming the “Athenian ideal” – all of them, and not just a select few.
Take for example, in the case of Athenian’s being a natural risk taker. According to Ober, Pericles, unlike the rest of his fellow Athenians, showed restraint and even preached restraint when it is needed and when it is logical (Ober 107), especially since Athenians, as described by Nicias through Thucydides accounts, acts “in their accustomed dashing and daring manner (Ober 107).”In this instance when Pericles showed restraint, he embodied the Athenian ideals because he acted in a manner that Athens, as a growing and urbanizing place, expects its people to be in the future. Pericles is setting the example for his countryman to follow.
This action was parallel to Pericles and his role in introducing a new form of government (democracy). In putting the best interest of his fellow Athenians first in his political decision making, he directly or indirectly creates new features in the society which are designed to make life better for the Athenians.The Cultured PericlesAnother proof why Pericles, compared to Alcibiades, is considered as the symbolism of the Athenian ideals is because of the presence of important characteristics in his political philosophy and approach in implementing political leadership over the constituency. Despite the fact that the rule of Pericles is an era characterized by the presence of many problematic aspects like impending war, war times, division among leaders and states and the problems of imperial expansion, Pericles, nonetheless, showed ability in the establishment of the multi-faceted Athens.
He was able to focus not just on purely political aspects of the state but also those which are non-political but is highly affected by the political status of the city-state. Despite important political problems, Pericles political instinct told him that the development of other avenues and institution, like the arts, is still an important human aspect that can eventually help Athens recover and heal itself from the impact of political problems, discord among political leaders, the threat of neighboring countries, the unstable international relationships and the long war.Athens has always been known to be a state that has a very strong cultural section. In the effort to continue this tradition, Pericles’ political strategy included the focus on developing the creative aspect and capability of the Athenians, leading to the creation of “one of the most creative and dynamic civilizations of the ancient world (Del Testa 143)” through the efforts of Pericles and the strategy he used during his leadership of Athens.
His focus on the interests of particular sections of the society like creative arts demonstrated how Pericles was like any other Athenian in the sense that he loves and enjoys the fruits of creative arts, and in the process, allows the continuity of efforts geared at making this aspect of the society flourish even with serious political concerns facing the city-sate.Pericles, Patriotism and DemocracyBesides introducing a new type/aspect of governance that Pericles believes is something better for more people compared to previous forms of rule in Athens, Pericles is considered as the person that best exemplifies the Athenian ideals because of his patriotism. Athenians have always prided themselves with their sense of patriotism and their loyalty to Athens, especially during the time when Athens was growing stronger and stronger and becoming more and more independent and stable (Del Testa 143). Patriotism is a characteristic of Athenians, and Pericles own sense of patriotism has been observed by historians, analysts and critics.
“Pericles rallied Athenians around a patriotic devotion to their city (Del Testa 143).” And while this is another solid point for Pericles, Alcibiades, for his part, will again be faced with great odds when it comes to getting the same stature in this aspect similar to the patriotic Pericles.This is because, many historians believed that despite his intent for a chance to rule Athens and show what he can do as a leader of the city-state, Alcibiades is someone who is far from being a legitimate patriot, especially during the later part of his life. Many scholars believed in his role overseas focused on contributing towards the destruction of Athens by working side by side with countries, groups and city-states that Athens has considered their political and military enemy.
Without a solid background on being a patriotic individual, Alcibiades’ deficit in positive characteristics pushes him farther and farther from where Pericles stand when it comes to the consideration on who, between the two Athenian leader-figures, represents best the Athenian ideals.Alcibiades patriotism was indeed questionable. For analysts, critics and historians, this was largely because of Alcibiades’ being mostly self-centered especially in his political direction and agenda. Alcibiades was more concerned with what is happening to him, what his conflicts are and how he can address these concerns through the participation of the community.
His outlook was having everything look inside him and have his concerns the centre of everything. Because of that, he was not able to produce something that can be considered as significant contribution to Athens in the same breadth as the contribution of Pericles (Euben 50). Even the contribution to patriotism, which does not cost any amount of wealth, was something that Alcibiades was not able to provide because he remained self centered, and vain about himself and his own personal concerns, that historians and analysts believe that “his patriotism [was] corrupted by vanity (Euben 50).”The concept of how Alcibiades’ vanity affected his political direction and philosophies in a negative way was an idea shared by other historians.
Norma Claire Moruzzi described Alcibiades and his posturing as a public political figure as something akin to a stage drama, which features Alcibiades as “a dramatically self-conscious public figure who masquerades his controversial social identity to good political effect (Moruzzi 137). She added that because of Alcibiades’ actions, he was considered as “the most successful political actor of his day (Moruzzi 137).” This is an observation that is more negative than positive considering the underlying meaning attached to this kind of assessment to one’s political abilities and capabilities, especially for someone who came from an esteemed pedigree of political leaders and a lineage of significance in Athens like that of Alcibiades.Pericles also contributed in the growth of the sense of civic consciousness among Athenians.
And because this input from Pericles is important and significant and something that was appreciated by the masses (like how they appreciated democracy), the Athenians managed to imbibe the message that Pericles was trying to impart to the masse. And since the mass are characterized by a feature that originated or spearheaded by Pericles, defining the characteristic of the Athenian would definitely include something that was originally Pericles. Pericles has again cemented and even improved his advantages versus Alcibiades. Alcibiades cannot boast of the same impact or social role and cannot represent the same socially-shared value among Athenians (who, in part of whole, adored and respected Pericles) (Del Testa 143).
“In the sphere of culture Pericles’ rule established an example of civic consciousness that had lasting consciousness (Del Testa 143).”This civic consciousness was evident in democracy, as well as in patriotism. In both aspects, Pericles was also viewed in a positive light. In democracy, Pericles was encouraging the participation of those who are qualified because of the belief that social rule and management should be something shared by the people in it, and this exemplifies civic consciousness.
Civic consciousness was also evident in patriotism, especially since Pericles is imparting the notion of love and pride for one’s city or origin (Athens) and the need to do anything and everything for the welfare of the city, which, when achieved, can also result in the welfare of the people inside it, thus, making the task an important aspect of civic consciousness among Athenians, including himself.Pericles’ patriotism and acts geared toward civic consciousness was a result of Pericles’ genuine belief in Athens and its ability to be great. Because he believed this, he used the political platform to inspire his countrymen to participate in the efforts that will help the city-state realize its potential for greatness and superiority, which Athens, at some degree, has managed to accomplish (Samons 62). “Pericles regarded Athens as superior (Samons 62).
“This is an important point in the characterization and embodiment of the Athenian ideals, especially politically. With the design of the new government geared at involving every qualified Athenian, democracy was increasingly becoming more and more popular compared to the former oligarchy and the thoughts of tyrannical rule by Alcibiades and his political kin. In the growth of democracy, the Athenian ideal in politics is defined largely by the role of good democracy and the proponents of democracy. Pericles has an active hand in this particular endeavour, constantly pushing for the participation of Athenians, regardless of social status and financial capacities so that democracy, which Athens popularized, can grow, mature and develop.
“In Pericles’ characterization of Athenian democracy…. the many who are not independently wealthy and for whom private gain is therefore a major concern are expected to break out of their selfishness and participate politically (Ludwig 322).”Pericles was the embodiment of the Athenian ideals, especially politically, because of his important contribution, that is, democracy. Because of this, Athens would become a seat of an important humanistic outlook on political governance, something that Athens is proud of.
It was all because of Pericles’ political philosophy and vision which is characterized by effective governance, participation of the citizens and groundwork for a political condition designed to contribute significantly to the effort at improving various aspects of governance. “In subsequent centuries Western civilization would look back to Periclean Athens as a model of enlightened government (Del Testa 143).” If democracy is an important Athenian ideal, then Pericles definitely earned significant merit for him to be considered as the person that can represent the Athenian ideal.Assessing AlcibiadesEven for the flaws that are attributed to the Athenians, it is hard to imagine how Athenians themselves would consider a man who possesses many flaws in his personal, philosophical outlook and political as someone who embodies the Athenian ideals, especially if the flaws are uncharacteristic for a person of high social standard and stature.
How can someone be described as the man who best represents the Athenian ideals if this man is considered as someone who is guilty of breaking the socially shared norms and morals in the society that has defined what the Athenian ideals are in the first place? “Alcibiades exploded the norms of identity and behavior that structured Athenian political life (Moruzzi 137).”It is in this predicament that Alcibiades further experiences the discrepancy found between him and Pericles, at least, according to the review of their peers and contemporaries and as discussed by historians in several literary sources. Besides the problems already mentioned earlier about Alcibiades, there are also some other characteristic that is found in his personal traits that might have affected his political philosophical approach and direction. This lead to the very poor peer assessment he had among contemporaries (Mara 231).
In turn, it supported the idea that Alcibiades, in comparison to Pericles, is not good enough an Athenian to represent the Athenian ideal because of his many different characteristics that are undesirable. Inconsistency is a problem that affected his political/philosophical aspect, and this characteristic was seen in many episodes in his political life. “Socrates..
.characterizes Alcibiades as almost the personification of inconsistency (Mara 231).”ConclusionIn the end, history has seen Alcibiades as a man with potential. He was a man given with opportunities for a political power that was eventually utilized and yielded results that ultimately did not benefited Alcibiades or his stature but has contributed to his self destruction, politically and personally.
As a political figure, a great part of his life was immersed and politics and his personal and political life intertwined and intersected in many different instances. Because of that, his failures in his personal life reflected greatly in his failures in his political life, and his personal outlook heavily influenced his political outlook and philosophy.Because of what historians call as a moral failure in both his political and personal life, Alcibiades, in comparison to Pericles, would have to be delegated to second place when it comes to identifying which between the two Athenian political leaders embodied the true Athenian ideals. Pericles was seen as a political leader whose outlook in politics and overall political life which may not be perfect but is not as tainted as that of Alcibiades.
“Central to the story of Alcibiades was the fact that it ended in disaster for himself and for Athens. Many Socratics traced Alcibiades’ fate to a moral failure caused by his unwillingness to examine his life and to take care of himself (Gribble 216).” Palmer described Alcibiades’ actions as characterized by lawlessness, as well as impiety and the participation of Alcibiades so that democracy can be overturned or defeated and replaced by a different type of government (Palmer 86).The considerations that was made earlier in the paper illustrates and enumerates the solid qualification of Pericles that proves his characteristic as the ideal representation of the Athenian ideals, while at the same time casting a doubtful shadow on Alcibiades and what he actually have done for Athens and how his actions and his political philosophy and socio-political beliefs and sense of direction demonstrates his effort to suit to the Athenian ideals (or deviate from it).
From notes on political aspects like the new form of government, as well as the feeling of patriotism, to other contributions that show where Pericles’ heart lies when it comes to love for, and development of culture, Pericles was a significant image that Athens during his time would definitely consider as the best representative of the Athenian ideals. “His rule of Athens is remembered by historians for positive contributions to democracy and high culture (Del Testa 143).As for Pericles, he managed to maintain a political background that is characterized by mostly positive accomplishments and a line of thinking that favours the Athenians first before anything else. If there were any ulterior motives in the part of Pericles and his acts during his political rule and tenure, it was not seen or detected because it was not overreaching and greedy.
Pericles, despite being more popularly known as a general who is involved in war, showed his diversity and finesse as a political leader by becoming a stable source of strength for Athens regardless of the political atmosphere. “In peace and war…
Pericles kept Athens safe (Jaeger, Highet 405).” Because of that, and many other things in his political background, Pericles managed to come out as the better man against Alcibiades and should be considered as the one who represents the Athenian ideal if the selection for this citation features only Pericles and Alcibiades.And because of what he has done, his political philosophies, perceived impact of Pericles to Athens and how Athens responded to Pericles, in return, Pericles was placed on a lofty pedestal long after he died an honor that can be equivalent to being the symbol of the Athenian ideals during his time. Alcibiades and Pericles were the two important figures who rose to significance in Thucydides’ account of the Peloponnesian War – an important part of Athens’ history especially during that time.
But if the two were to be compared so that one will overshadow the other, Pericles has the upper hand because of his political achievements, his political philosophy and how he was appraised for his actions – which are of no small merit. Historians believe Thucydides historical opus reflect many proofs of Pericles philosophical and political strengths and achievements that benefited Athenians. “The most memorable monument to the political vision of Pericles was left by Thucydides in his History of the Peloponnesian War (Del Testa 143).” Works Cited Del Testa, David W.
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