# Theramenes — History of the Peloponnesian War character guide

> Theramenes in History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides.

**Role:** supporting

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

## Snapshot

Athenian politician and general whose talent for reinvention earned him the nickname 'the buskin' — a shoe that fits either foot.

## Who they are

Theramenes moves through Athens's darkest years as a man who can negotiate with oligarchs, democrats, and Spartans alike, always seeming to land on the winning side of a collapsing city. His gift for compromise is also his curse: rivals call it treachery, and his shifting allegiances make him trusted by no faction completely. In the war's final arc, he becomes the hinge on which Athens's brief oligarchic revolution turns, embodying how principle bends when survival is at stake.

## Relationships

### [Nicias](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters/nicias)

_professional_

Nicias and Theramenes were Athenian generals who served together in the Sicilian Expedition, with Theramenes later criticizing Nicias's indecisive leadership.

### [Archidamus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters/archidamus)

_professional_

Archidamus and Theramenes were Spartan leaders who worked together in diplomatic and military matters, though Theramenes was more moderate.

## In the story

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

Athenian politician involved in the oligarchic coup, later becomes a leading figure in the moderate faction.

### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/xxvi)

Emerges as a leader of the malcontents within the Four Hundred, criticizing the oligarchy and advocating for the Five Thousand to be a real body.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters/theramenes
- 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