I used to think that great art had to have come from a great-souled artist with an honorable life. How else would you be able to forge David out of a slab of marble or compose an entire opera in your head? A minimum of a pure mind combined with superhuman abilities must have been required, right?

Actually, art is oftentimes forged through intense suffering in the life of the artist. It’s suffering we know well as we also experience it to varying degrees. That’s the power of this book. It highlights Sacred Failures.

In this episode, I cover three artists, what I learned about them, and how that shifted how I now see their art.

This book was suggested by a friend of mine named William Leachman. He’s a bonafide teacher, as in he has students and teaches them in a building that says school on the outside of it. He told me I should read this book and he told me that I’m a teacher.

I bristled at that. I’m not a professional. I don’t teach eager students at the local high school. But after reading this book, I hesitantly acknowledge that I am indeed a teacher. I’m a teacher to my children, to those I work with, and perhaps to those I reach with this podcast. This book convinced me that I do indeed teach.

But this book goes much deeper. It talks of the close connection between learning and teaching. How we all have an innate desire to share the beauty we encounter, be it physical or intellectual beauty. How the best teachers are those most desirous of learning.

This is a book about the methods of teaching, not about which subjects to teach. It covers three main modes of teaching, famous teachers (and their students), and the role of parents in teaching their children.

In this episode, I share some ideas I came across and how I’ve seen them play out in my own life through great teachers and even greater teaching styles.

“And after this, not many days later…”

Xenophon begins his history with these words. The “after this…” refers to the writings of Thucydides, which abruptly end in the midst of the Peloponnesian War in 411BC. Xenophon takes up the mantle and takes us first to the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404BC and then on to 362BC.

Xenophon’s work takes us through the decline of the Athenian empire into the rise of the Spartans, Boeotians, and then Thebans. Throughout the work, the Persians are making their presence known as well.

It’s a fascinating history, one that sets the stage for the eventual Macedonian takeover. I kept thinking about the literature and philosophy being composed during these years. Some of the world’s greatest works were created during this period of history.

In this episode, I share the main things that stuck out about topics such as government, justice, and tradition.

Theo of Golden is a man “fully invested in the art of living.” He’s a character you want to emulate. A good man whose kindness is made up of “little, nameless, unremembered acts.” As the reader, we get to see how these small, daily acts weave throughout a small, fictional, Georgia town.

This book was gifted to me by a publisher well acquainted with the written word. It’s her job to quickly work through books and see if they have merit. She read this book and then promptly read it four additional times. She was stunned.

I now see why she wanted to do that. I plan to read it again later this month.

I loved this book. It reminded me of Sir Gibbie by George MacDonald and Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. In this episode, I share a few of my favorite things about this incredible book. I hope you read the book one or maybe five times!

Prior to reading Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War, I envisioned a sort of Braveheart-like battle with lines of Athenians rushing towards lines of Spartans. That’s not even close to what happened. Most battles were proxy battles far from either Athens or Sparta and many battles were fought by sea.

The Peloponnesian War took place between 431 - 404BC. This work covers years 431 - 411BC, abruptly ends mid-year, and is then picked up by Xenophon in Hellenika.

Thucydides uses speeches (141 of them) to add tension & drama to the narrative. We as readers become part of the action, reading the speeches and wondering how the audience will respond. Thucydides also highlights themes of movement, technology, panic, and forms of government to compare and contrast the Athenians and Peloponnesians.

In this episode, I give a brief overview of the work, share some themes and favorite quotes, and close with the ideas that stuck out the most through this work.

Show Notes:

* The Speeches of Pericles - Books of Titans Podcast #229

* Intro to Thucydides - Podcast episode mentioned

* Book Version - The Landmark Thucydides

If you were to rank the individual suffering of those in Greek Literature, Andromache would easily rise to the top of that list. She lost her father, 7 brothers, and husband Hector to one man, Achilles. Her son was thrown from the walls of Troy. To top off the suffering cake, she was then forced to marry the son of her husband’s murderer, Neoptolemus.

This tragedy begins with Andromache grasping the alter of Thetis in Thessaly, begging for her life. Her and Neoptolemus have had a son, which has made Neoptolemus’ Spartan wife, Hermione quite jealous. To top it off, Hermione, the daughter of Helen of Troy, is barren and is seeking to kill Andromache and her son.

The Iliad permeates this tragedy in both storyline and direct quotes and references. There are some beautiful themes of justice and monogamy and other not so beautiful themes of jealousy, strife, and injustice.

This is an incredible look into the horror of the life of a woman on the losing side of a war, forced to live with the victors as a slave. I love the painting above. Everyone is dressed in color except Andromache, veiled in black, lost in her personal tragedy. This is “peacetime,” and yet there is no peace for Andromache.

In this episode, I walk through the tragedy play highlighting the story, themes, and beautiful dialogue. I also refer to two other tragedy plays by Euripides:

This tragedy by Euripides was written in 420BC, 10 years after Children of Heracles. Historically, this is in the midst of the Peloponnesian War. Mythologically, it’s at the point of Heracles’ life where he is completing his 12th and final labor. While away, his family is in danger. He returns, neutralizes the danger, but becomes danger himself in the form of madness brought on by the gods. In this state, he kills his wife and children with the very bow that has brought victory in his life.

Awaking from this madness, Heracles is confronted with the most cruel situation—he must live out his days knowing he killed his family. He opts for suicide but is saved by an act of great kindness.

In considering the historical timeframe, this must have been sweet balm to soldiers returning from war who had experienced or were experiencing their own form of madness. What can save someone in that situation?

I love reading Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War alongside these tragedies and considering what was happening in and around Athens while these plays are being written and performed. It adds a fascinating element in the consideration of their content.

Euripides wrote this tragedy in 430BC, a fateful year that saw the beginnings of the Peloponnesian War. It’s interesting to read this play in light of the historical atmosphere. Athens was entering a war with Sparta. The Spartans traced their descent from Heracles, and in this tragedy, the children of Heracles are near Athens (in Marathon) seeking refuge. Will Athens hold to her ideals and protect the suppliants? Will force beat deliberation? Will the innocent suffer?

This is a wonderful tragedy play, with elements of humor, despair, and deep insight. In this episode, I walk through the play, cover important scenes, quotes, and themes.

Related podcast episodes:

You, Aphrodite, lead captive the stubborn hearts of gods and of mortals.

Aphrodite conquers all. Or nearly all. Zeus is under her spell and only a few, Athena and Artemis among them, have resisted her.

Love is so powerful a force that it can even cause a step-mother to lust after her step-son. That at least is the premise for this tragedy and so the battle of Aphrodite (love, desire) is fought against Artemis (chastity) through Phaedra’s forbidden love for Hippolytus.

Humans are quick to judge and often seek revenge before knowing the full story. This requires pardon and Hippolytus must decide whether to grant it to both his step-mother Phaedra and his father Theseus.

This tragedy play won the award in Athens in 428BC, amidst the Peloponnesian War. It’s a stunning play and I try to capture its beauty and power in this episode.

In Book 2 of The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, the Athenian general Pericles gives two extraordinary speeches. One is a eulogy and the other a response to an angry and devastated populace in the midst of war and pestilence.

These speeches create a beautiful blend of history and exploration. Thucydides presents the historical facts of war—the size of armies, the results of certain battles, and naval vs land strategies. But it’s the speeches that allow him to explore the mindset, beliefs, governance, values, and national habits that play a role in those battles.

Gone are the gods of Homer. Can democracy, courage, experience, and dialogue take the place of the gods? How do the strategies, preparations, provisions and levels of courage differ between the people of the Peloponnese and the Athenians? We learn about these things in these speeches. We learn about the leader’s ideas and the feelings of the populace. It’s a fascinating way to present history.

In this podcast episode, I cover two speeches by Pericles and then compare a set of speeches by the Peloponnesian commanders and Athenian leaders. All speeches covered occur in book 2 of 8 in Thucydides great masterpiece.