pericles step six exercise
As you read through the speech, think about the themes and symbols used in Pericles’ funeral oration (it should help to have your summary handy as you read through Aspasia’s speech). What do the two speeches have in common? How do they differ? [45 minutes]
We have already seen in the module on Antony and Cleopatra that our assessments of leaders and their actions are often colored by our perceptions of, and implicit biases towards, their gender. With that in mind, how might Plato’s choice of Aspasia as the composer of this funeral oration affect his reader’s reaction towards the speech itself? Do you think Plato tries to gender Aspasia’s speech? If so, to what end? [30 minutes]