# Pericles — History of the Peloponnesian War character guide

> Pericles in History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides.

**Role:** major

**First appearance:** 0002-book-i

## Snapshot

Athens' first citizen, whose measured strategy and unmatched oratory held the democracy together in the war's opening years.

## Who they are

Pericles leads Athens at the height of its power, urging a defensive strategy of walls, fleet, and patience against Sparta's superior land army. His authority rests on persuasion rather than force, and Thucydides treats his speeches as the clearest statement of Athenian ideals and self-interest. When he dies early in the war, Athens loses the one man capable of restraining its impulses, and the city's subsequent drift toward recklessness becomes the book's central tragedy.

## In the story

### [History of the Peloponnesian War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/history-of-the-peloponnesian-war)

Prominent Athenian leader whose policies and funeral oration set the stage for Athenian strategy and ideals.

### [Book I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/book-i)

Appears at the end of Book I, delivering a speech in Athens urging the city to prepare for war and not yield to Spartan demands.

### [Second Congress at Lacedaemon: Preparations for War and Diplomatic Skirmishes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/v)

Mentioned as being connected to the curse of Cylon on his mother's side; his political influence and opposition to Sparta are noted.

### [Book II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/book-ii)

Delivers the Funeral Oration and leads Athenian strategy before his death from the plague.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/vi)

Athenian general who secures a decree to refuse Spartan embassies after they march, and delivers a funeral oration honoring the fallen.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/vii)

Mentioned in the chapter heading; his position and policy are referenced in the context of the plague and war strategy.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters/pericles
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters