| ATHENIANS
before people vs few .. interrupt whenever controversial |
|
MELIANS
calm atmosphere vs present threat |
| facts .. save city |
|
different points of view |
| right to empire ..
defeated Persians [familiar? ]
justice [= ‘right way’] depends on equality of power |
|
justice [‘right way’] vs self
interest vs principle .. your fall (cf. Pericles p. 162) |
| good of our empire |
|
good .. slaves? |
| profit from you |
|
neutral? |
| hatred evidence of power |
fair play? |
| if we fail to attack .. afraid |
|
interests not to make enemies
of all neutrals |
|
islanders embittered by constraints
of empire |
|
cowards & weaklings if submit |
|
no fair fight .. honor vs shame
[Why familiar?
] |
|
fortune vs surrender |
| hope .. expensive .. blind ..prophecies
.. ruin |
|
gods .. fortune .. right vs wrong;
Spartans .. honor |
|
gods .. principles of conduct
.. general & necessary law .. rule whatever one can [WHERE have we
heard something like this before?
] |
|
Spartan self interest--protect
friends |
| self-interest = safe vs danger,
justice, honor |
|
Sparta .. count risk worth taking |
|
goodwill vs preponderance of power |
|
would turn against your own land |
| lack of common sense .. false
sense of honor .. ruin .. pride .. folly
nothing disgraceful .. alliance on tribute-paying basis,
liberty to enjoy own property |
|
liberty .. gods .. Spartans |
113 uncertainties as realities
114-116
STUDY QUESTIONS: answer the following questions on the
basis of your reading:
In what ways do these Athenian attitudes & values
relate to those of the other Athenians you have seen?
What does the dialogue add to your understanding of the
nature of the Athenian empire?
Compare the Athenian conception of the gods here with
the gods you saw in epic & tragedy:
Turn to page 6 and scan the table of CONTENTS for pages
409-562.
What, in three words, is the main topic of BOOK VI?
What, in three words, is the main topic of BOOK VII?
What do the topics of BOOK VIII bring to mind in view
of what you know about Athens?
What reasons might Thucydides have
for giving such detailed treatment to the Dialogue with the Melians at
just this place in the story?
