“Two things alone I long for: first, that when I die I may leave the Roman people free… and second, that each person’s fate may reflect the way he has behaved towards his country.”
Cicero (106-43 BC) was the greatest orator of the ancient world and a leading politician of the closing era of the Roman republic.
This book presents nine speeches which reflect the development, variety, and drama of his political career,among them two speeches from his prosecution of Verres, a corrupt and cruel governor of Sicily; four speeches against the conspirator Catiline; and the Second Philippic, the famous denunciation of Mark Antony which cost Cicero his life.
Also included are On the Command of Gnaeus Pompeius, in which he praises the military successes of Pompey, and For Marcellus, a panegyric in praise of the dictator Julius Caesar.
Cicero’s background and early career
1. Dominic Berry explains how Cicero rose from inauspicious beginnings. Click here to listen. [3:23]
law and politics
2. The law courts of the late Republic were highly politicized. Click here to find out more about how the law was put to political ends. [2:01]
3. During the 60s and 50s BC, political differences spilled over into outright violence. Click here. [1:54]
4. We asked Dominic Berry to characterize Cicero’s own political stance. Click here to hear his response. [2:13]
an eye to posterity?
5. Cicero published his speeches, often years after they were delivered. How and why did he do this? Click here. [2:23]
6. Why has Cicero been revered as a writer of Latin prose for centuries? Click here to find out. [1:04]
7. What characterizes Cicero’s style as a writer? Click here. [0:58]
reading cicero, translating cicero
8. How did Dominic Berry select the speeches for this volume, and its companion, Cicero’s Defence Speeches. He describes the process here. [1:49]
9. What challenges does Cicero present the translator with… Click here. [3:58]
10. … and the reader coming to him for the first time? Dominic Berry here suggests how to embark of reading Cicero. [1:01]
1 response so far ↓
1 Richard // Jan 31, 2012 at 05:14
If you’re to read anything from Cicero it should be In Catilinam. It’s way better and more lively than any other of his speeches. Trust me!!!
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