Genre
Historical document, nonfiction
Setting and Context
Greece, 400's
Narrator and Point of View
Thucydides
Tone and Mood
Describing, explaining, analyzing
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Humans, Antagonist: War.
Major Conflict
A war breaks out between Athens with their allies and Sparta with their allies.
Climax
When Athens attacks Sparta, breaching the Peace.
Foreshadowing
There are foreshadowing in the book such as “he could not have anticipated what happened next.”
Understatement
The death of Pericles was understated, as he was the only person with the authority to control Athens as one unified element.
Allusions
Thucydides has several connections and references with Greek mythology, even though he didn't use it directly in his documents.
Imagery
The image of people killing each other for their countries is important, as it lets Thucydides discuss and analyze human nature during war.
Paradox
If the Peloponnesians or the Athenians are the men at fault is often discussed, as the reader needs to know which side is most righteous, or might it be the war itself that is evil? Human lives are being taken, and Thucydides is very aware of that fact in the documents.
Parallelism
There is a clear parallel between Athens and Sparta, as they both want to win the war the best they can, though they have different tactics.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A