The Peloponnesian War was fought between Sparta and Athens and their corresponding allies; the war engulfed all of Greece, even reaching Sicily and Persia, and raged for 27 years (431-404 BC). In 427 BC, Corcyra, an ally of Athens, descended into civil strife as conflict broke out between its oligarchic faction, in support of Sparta, and democratic faction, in support of Athens. In Book III of The Histories, Herodotus (484-425 BC) gives an account of a group of noblemen who after throwing the false king must choose the type of government or leadership in which to rule the kingdom. They debated the merits of monarchy, oligarchy and popular rule, finally settling on monarchy, where Darius is made their king. The events of the civil war in Corcyra serve as a miniature representation of the larger conflict between "democratic " and "oligarchic " factions in Hellas as it reflects such themes as reason versus passion and personal gain versus the common good. The characteristics of democracy and oligarchy as described in the Persian debate can then be, in turn, observed in the conflict between the two political structures.
The civil war of Corcyra symbolizes the once unified Greece torn apart by the war between the two factions. During this period of civil strife in Corcyra, opposing party members would murder each other without signs of restraint nor remorse. The breakdown of law and order is quite apparent, when reason gives way to passion, human nature will go towards extremes. Keeping the theme of reason versus passion in mind, a parallel can be drawn between the events of Corcyra and the Mytilenian Debate. After the capture of Mytilene, the rebellious state, Athens had to decide how to best punish the people for the revolt. The initial decision was to kill all adult men and enslave the rest; Diodotus warned, however, "the two things most opposed to good counsel are haste and passion; haste usually goes hand in hand with folly, passion with coarseness and narrowness of mind.
