Lives by Plutarch - 5 - Pericles
Pericles
Quote
"His chief elements were hope and fear: he used these as rudders, so to speak, as he restrained the foolhardy elements among the people of Athens, and relieved and encouraged those who had lost heart."
Notes
Pericles is born to a wealthy, ruling family, and he is born with an elongated head. Apparently this is why all images of him show him wearing a helmet.
He studies under well-known teachers, including musicians and philosophers. One of his teachers is Anaxagoras, known for his theory that a cosmic mind gives order to the universe, and so life is not ruled by chaos and chance, as many others believe at the time. Plutarch credits this to Pericles' calm and composure throughout his life, even when he's facing a crisis.
Pericles grows into an intelligent and impressive man, but he reminds a lot of people of an infamous tyrant who ruled Athens in the past, which makes them wary of him, and he avoids public life to steer clear of that association. At the same time he is subtly competing with Cimon for influence and popularity with the common people.
Pericles is a talented and charismatic speaker (part of why he reminds people of a tyrant). But he is careful about it and he only speaks on rare occasions so as to "avoid satiety that follows continuous association." In other words, he understands that the influence of his speaking wanes when it's overused. But his power is undeniable. People say he emits thunder and lightning when he speaks, comparing him to the god, Zeus.
His competition with Cimon for the people's support continues. Cimon has more personal wealth than Pericles, but Pericles uses public funds for festivals, grants, and other kinds of gifts for the people to win them over. Pericles helps get Cimon ostracized from Athens, but he is also instrumental in getting him to come back when they need his help. Eventually, Cimon dies and Pericles becomes the most powerful man in Athens. The aristocratic party in Athens wants someone to help keep him in check and they appoint Thucydides.
Pericles continues with his programs to support the common people and keep Athens thriving. He has ships sent out on numerous expeditions which helps keep people busy, productive, well-trained, earning good pay, and expanding Athens' empire.
He also has a number of building projects of famous, sacred buildings. However, these bring a lot of criticisms. People say it's irresponsible and sending the wrong message to the Greeks whom they're taxing, when they see all their money going to extravagant and expensive buildings for Athens, instead of military security which they're paying for. Pericles responds saying that those Greek cities are paying for security and Athens is delivering it, and they should be able to use the payment they get for it however they want. And this is a good way to use it, he says, since it's an investment in Athens and her people, giving work and wages to workers as well as monuments of "eternal glory".
Pericles' power keeps growing and he keeps getting elected over and over again. The power of his speaking continues to be a big factor. He's like a doctor, says Plutarch, "who treats a complex and chronic illness by occasionally prescribing harmless pleasures, and at other times bitter but healing drugs."
Plutarch also writes that Pericles' speaking is a confirmation of Plato's idea about rhetoric, that it is "a means of directing minds, and the most important of its jobs is the scientific study of character and emotion, which are, so to speak, the pitches and strings of the mind, and require plucking and strumming in just the right way."
Pericles has impeccable character as well, which adds to his popularity and leadership. He doesn't lavish himself in wealth either but he's actually very frugal, which his family finds very frustrating. He's also cautious militarily and is keeping his eye on Sparta (the Peloponnesian War is coming).
He isn't completely upstanding morally, though. Even though Cimon is dead, Pericles keeps the rivalry going and sends Cimon's sons on a mission without the proper amount of men and resources on purpose so they'll be defeated.
The rising conflict between Athens and Sparta starts to boil over. Although the Spartans attempt to settle things diplomatically, Pericles refuses. Plutarch thinks he alone is responsible for the war because of this.
Sparta goes on the attack and invades Attica (the region surrounding Athens). Pericles brings everyone into the city so they can be protected rather than go out and fight, despite protests from people who want to do just that. He remains true to his character, calm and composed. He also sends ships to attack Sparta, and he evicts people from nearby colonies and promises the land to the Athenians to help tide them over.
But then, plague strikes Athens, and it's made much worse by the fact that everyone is crammed so tightly in the city. The anger against Pericles is overwhelming and they throw him out of power.
It's a very low point for Pericles as nearly all his close friends, family, and advisors are dying from the plague. Amazingly, he keeps his composure throughout, except for one occasion where he has to bury his son and can no longer keep his emotions down. Eventually he catches the plague, too, and dies.
Despite the tragic ending, the era of Pericles' rule is seen as the golden age for Athens when it was at the height of its power.
Extras
Before diving into the life of Pericles, Plutarch gives us the reason why he wanted to write Lives in the first place.
"Now, since our minds have an innate capacity to enjoy learning and contemplation, does it not follow that it is reasonable to criticize people who waste this capacity on sights and sounds that do not deserve serious consideration, to the neglect of those that are fine and beneficial? ... Each of us has the capacity to choose to use his mind, to make a shift from time to time and to change direction with the greatest ease according to deliberate decision, and it therefore follows that we should go after what is best for us, so that we do not just see, but are also nourished by what we see."