Xerxes has made a case for the invasion; but he doesn’t really have to persuade anyone but himself. Having made his decision, he gives the men of Persia their marching orders. “But,” he then says, “so that I shall not appear to consult only my own whim” – though why he should be concerned about this, or why he would consider a deliberate decision a whim, is not explained – “I will throw the whole matter into open debate” (7.8d). This is the cue for Mardonius, whose motives have already been exposed, to open the debate by speaking in favor of invasion. He begins with fulsome praise of Xerxes, and then proceeds to reiterate his reasons for undertaking it. As Herodotus glosses it, “Xerxes’ proposals were made to seem plausible by these words of Mardonius” (7.10). When Mardonius finishes speaking, no one is at first willing to take the opposing view. But finally, Artabanus rises to speak. Herodotus explains that he, being an uncle to Xerxes, felt that this would protect him from the consequences of contradicting the king. And Artabanus begins his speech by explaining to Xerxes that “Without a debate in which both sides of a question are expressed, it is not possible to choose the better course” (7.10a). It is worth noting that though Artabanus is expressing a Greek idea, he is expressing it in the Persian interest. He speaks from his experience serving Persian kings, and he says what he thinks it is his duty to say. But he does remind Xerxes that the Persians had been defeated at the Battle of Marathon, and that Darius had been lucky to escape with his life from his invasion of Scythia. He urges Xerxes not to undertake the invasion of Greece; but advises him to “turn the matter over quietly” by himself, and make his decision when he feels ready to (7.10d). And he would have Xerxes keep in mind that “amongst living creatures it is the great ones that God smites with his thunder, out of envy of his pride” (7.10e).

Xerxes opens the idea of the invasion up to a debate, where Mardonius agrees with the idea. However, no one is then willing to speak against the king, at first, knowing of the consequences that would await anyone who opposed him. Finally his uncle, Artabanus, speaks out by stating the importance of an equal sided debate and praises Xerxes, attempting to lessen the effects of opposing the king. He then tries to deter Xerxes from the expedition with many reasons; one being the example of Xerxes’ own father, when he “crossed over to the Scythians,”(7.10c) and was lucky to return alive, and also how the Persians had been defeated at Marathon. A third reason being that “god strikes with his thunderbolt those creatures that tower above the rest”(7.10e), warning Xerxes of the trouble that comes with becoming too powerful. He then advises Xerxes to take his time when deciding on his plan of action, because “hasty action is the father of failure, and failure in turn begets severe penalties. But much good comes from restraint, and even if one may not think so at the moment, he will discover, in time, that it is so.”(7.10f)

It is evident in Herodotus’ Histories that Xerxes originally had no intentions of carrying out his father’s plan of a second invasion of Greece. He had already witnessed two previous attempts that went unsuccessful: Mardonios’ pillage in 492 and the battle at Marathon that followed two years after. It took Mardonios’ persuasion to sway the decision of Xerxes. Mardonios suggested that Xerxes carry out his original plans of invading Egypt, but after, that he punish Athens for “inflict[ing] great evils on the Persians [and paying] no penalty for it . . . [That will give the Persians] a good reputation among men and [will] ensure that others will beware of making war on [Persia]” (7.5). After conquering Egypt, Xerxes contemplated Mardonios’ advice and summoned a council of Persian nobility to discuss his intentions of going to war with the Greeks. In his speech to the assembly, Xerxes admits that he is not “introduce[ing] a new custom (nomos); instead, I shall follow the tradition handed down to me” (7.8α). Although Xerxes does not desire to invade Greece, he sees it as his duty to comply with the traditions of Persia, lest he radically change the nomoi of Persia, “thereby endangering himself and his empire, for these nomoi have made Persia a great imperialist state” (Evans 111).

It is clear that Xerxes did not whole heartedly want to go into battle against the Greeks. I believe that he felt as though his hands were tied and as the leader he had to appear to be strong and order the march. Once he had a vision in his dream things became a little bit foggy. Also, Artabanus spoke out against the king because he felt as though it would be destructive to the Persians to march against the Greeks seeing as how at the Battle of Marathon they barely escaped with their lives.

In 7.10a Artabanos reminds Xerxes of the dangers and problems of such an idead reminding him of the disaster that happened to his father in scythia. Darius looked invade the Scythians that had no settled commun ities on their land. He did not listen to Artabanos as Darius was looking to attack the nomads yet instead lost man noble and courageous men during the act. Artabanos then goes on says that Xerxes is "about to march against men who said to be the best both on land and at sea, men far better than the Scythians." After his father's great defeat to men far worse this would not be a smart move on Xerxes part.

It is the common state of rulers throughout the Histories to believe themselves to be more than human, most notably Cyrus and Croesus. However, despite the fact that, as king, Xerxes is all-powerful, he seems to display some insecurity in his own power. Though his decision in matters of war is the only one that matters, Xerxes sees fit to put the matter of war against the Athenians before the Persian nobles "for open discussion". However, when Xerxes' uncle Artabanos dares to freely express a contradictory opinion, he becomes enraged. It is clear from this reaction that Xerxes' reasons for putting the question before the nobles was not in fact to have them assist him in making his plans, as he previously states, but rather to have his own plans praised and his belief in his own infallibility bolstered by inferiors who are too frightened of his displeasure to express their opinions openly. The source of this insecurity may indeed have been reflected in Artabanos' warning to Xerxes during his speech, which directly compared Xerxes' plan to invade Greece by bridging the Hellespont with Darius' failure to conquer the Scythians. In trying to convince Xerxes to follow his advice Artabanos also implies that the undertaking of a campaign against Greece would lack divine favor since the pride which a large army such as the Persians would inspire in its master would surely cause the gods to become "resentful". This warning is reminiscent of Xerxes' predecessors in that it describes the inevitable fall of an over-confident ruler.

I feel as though the reason Xerxes is so determined to pursue his attack on Greece is because he feels an obligation to his country. As the ruler of Persia, a fierce and power hungry country known for its military actions, what sort of message would Xerxes be sending if he did not attack Greece. Unable to come to a decision by himself, Xerxes makes a move uncharacteristic of the Persians and enters the matter into a debate. Throughout the debate he listens to arguments from both points of view, eespecially the ideas of Artabanus. Artabanus encourages Xerxes to practice restraint when it comes to the expedition against Greece. He reminds Xerxes of King Darius and the suffering he underwent in his invasion against Scythia. Artabanus proceeds to remind Xerxes of God's power and how he has a tendancy to "strike with his thunderbolt those creatures that tower above the rest, and does not permit them to be so conspicuous, while those that are small do not provoke him." (7.10) Artabanus' advice is important because although he is presenting an opinion opposite to that of Xerxes, he does so with reason and points out the points most important to consider, such as practicing restraint and avoiding haste.

It seems interesting and moreso unlikely that a Persian King would engage in a debate. As our Professor Knowlton has commented several times in class, debates are a very Greek institution. As has been mentioned, "Xerxes had no desire at all to march on Hellas" (7.5).But after Mardonios brings up the prospect of War, Xerxes calls the supposed assembly to debate whether he should go to war or not. This strikes me as a moment of weakness for Xerxes. This solitary ruler is unable to make a decision for himself, and instead, turns to others to make up his own mind. As the assembly begins, Xerxes makes a case for the war, wanting to "increase the power of Persia no less than [the previous kings of Persia] had", hoping to "gain glory, take possession of lands fully as extensive, productive, and fertile as those we have now; and at the same time obtain vengeance and retribution, too" (7.8a). Here the king seems to be sure of his plan to engage in war, but ultimately, his reasoning sounds more like he is trying to appear strong to the assembly, rather than appearing to be a weak and indecisive king. Mardonios speaks for the war, speaking in such a way as to indicate the battle would be easy, such as saying that "The Hellenes are in the habit of starting wars without the slightest forethought, out of obstinacy and stupidity" (7.9b). His arguments for the war play off of Xerxes's indecision: In making the war seem like a simple task, Mardonios is making the declaration of war less daunting to Xerxes so that he will ultimately choose to fight. Arabanos instead speaks against the war, indicating that "their men are said to be strong and warlike", counteracting Mardonios's argument that the army is weak (7.10b). (It should be obvious to Xerxes that their army is not weak, since the Persian army has been defeated at their hands before). Xerxes disregard's Artabanos's view at first, calling his words "foolish" and stating that he is a coward, while Xerxes is ultimately worried that "If [he] fail[s] to punish the Athenians, [he will] be disowned as the son of Darius..." (7.11). But Xerxes remains weak indecisive even after choosing to go to war. The next morning he announces to the Persians that he is no longer planning to attack Hellas. And once again, he changes his mind because of a dream that told him he must restart his military campaign, or else "As high and mighty as you have become in a short time, so low will you fall again and just as quickly" (7.14). The whole proceeding of the debate, from the events before to the events after heavily indicate that Xerxes was, in fact, a very weak ruler. I have not read the rest of book 7 yet, but this information thus far leads me to believe that the war will be a failure.

It is interesting to see this side of Xerxes, as he is most well known for his conquest in Greece. After changing his mind about the advice Artabanos had said to him, "he realized that marching against Hellas would not be a good thing for him to do" (7.12). In fact, after he had decides not to march against Hellas he is visited by a vision telling him that it would be in his best interest to attack. Even Artabanos seems to think that this vision is evidence of its divine provenance. It seems as if Xerxes was only following what he thought to be his fate, an event that appears often in Herodotus' stories.

Due to the fact that Xerxes is held to such high standards as king, he feels that he has to stand strong for his country. Although Xerxes' opinion is the only one that matters, he does question it, because he cares about not only doing what is right for his people, but also pleasing them so that he is not viewed as a disappointment. However, with the slightest wrong donig, his reputation can diminish. Xerxes feels that if he does not attack Greece, he will be letting down all of the people who have supported him during his reign. Xerxes also takes into account his vision, which assures him it would be best if he attacked, as well as the opinion of Artabanos, who also believes this vision must have happened for a reason. Although many seem to think Xerxes did not trust him own decision, it is clear that the reason he was so concerned with making this decision was because making the correct one is what would determine his future.