Thucydides downsizes the importance of the decrees of Megara as they devalue Pericles himself, either showing him to be vindictive or as Cornford argues to have a less tenuous grasp on power than Thucydides, in his usage of Pericles as a heroic character, would like to admit:"Pericles had to throw himself into it (the Megara decree) or advertise to all Greece that his influence was not supreme" Thucydides treatment of Pericles and in antithesis Cleon is an example of the artistic and dramatic interpretation he uses to illustrate his history. His usage of poets and concentration on Human history are examples of the dramatic nature of his history. The role of speeches and the polarisation of speakers further extenuate this. The History can be read as a tale in the mould of classical Greek tragedy, it shows the Hubris of Athens and the course of her demise, in this case because she does act in concurrence with those who have the moral strength not to be corrupted by power. The drama is helped by the language used, especially the use of Superlatives:"It was certainly the greatest battlefought by the most renowned cities in Hellas" The History can be seen as a series of dramatic events in the course of relations between two great powers. Hence the exclusion of Persia and of commonalities between the two powers, such as religion. It is important for this dramatisation that there is a distinct dichotomy between the two powers, so they conform to the antithetic model. On one side there is Sparta, ruled by monarchs, the traditional power base in Greece and its military strength is predominantly land based, on the other there is Athens, everything that Sparta is not; it is a naval power, a new force and a democracy. Therefore both the Spartans and the Athenians are treated as collective entities, at least until later in the book, when the antitheses are shown between individuals. Thucydides, much as he made claims to objecti...
