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CICERO'S

Date "CICERO'S" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references)

 

Specialty Definition: Cicero

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This article is about the Roman orator. For other uses see Cicero (disambiguation)
Marcus Tullius Cicero (January 3, 106 BC - December 7, 43 BC) was an orator and statesman of Rome, and is generally considered the greatest Latin prose stylist.
Marcus Tullius Cicero at about age 60, from an ancient marble bust

Cicero was born Arpinum, Italy and died in Rome.

Cicero served as a quaestor in Western Sicily in 75 BC. He first attained prominence for his successful prosecution in August 70 BC of Gaius Verres, the former governor of Sicily.

He was elected consul for the year 63 BC -- the first man elected consul who had no consular ancestors in more than 30 years. During his consulship he defeated a conspiracy led by Catiline to seize control of the Roman government. The speeches against Catiline are among his most famous extant works.

In March 58 BC Cicero's enemies succeeded in having him exiled from Italy for one year on the pretext of having proceeded illegally in his prosecution of Catiline. He spent the year in exile setting down his speeches on paper.

As the struggle between Pompey and Julius Caesar grew more intense in 50 BC, Cicero favored Pompey but tried to avoid making Caesar into a permanent enemy. When Caesar invaded Italy in 49 BC, Cicero fled Rome. Caesar attempted vainly to convince him to return, and in June of that year Cicero slipped out of Italy and travelled to Salonika. He returned to Rome, however, after Caesar's victory.

In a letter to Varro on April 20 46 BC, Cicero indicated what he saw as his role under the dictatorship of Caesar: "I advise you to do what I am advising myself – avoid being seen, even if we cannot avoid being talked about... If our voices are no longer heard in the Senate and in the Forum, let us follow the example of the ancient sages and serve our country through our writings, concentrating on questions of ethics and constitutional law."

In February 45 BC Cicero's daughter Tullia died. He never entirely recovered from this shock.

Cicero was taken completely by surprise when Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March 44 BC. Cicero and Caesar's subordinate Mark Antony became the leading men in Rome; Cicero as spokesman for the senate, and Antony as consul and as executor of Caesar's will. But the two men had never been on friendly terms. When Octavian, Caesar's heir, arrived in Italy in April, Cicero formed a plan to play him against Antony. In September he began attacking Antony in a series of speeches he called the Philippics.

Cicero described his position in a letter to Cassius, one of Caesar's assassins, that same September: "I am pleased that you like my motion in the Senate and the speech accompanying it... Antony is a madman, corrupt and much worse than Caesar - whom you declared the worst of evil men when you killed him. Antony wants to start a bloodbath..."

Cicero's plan to drive out Octavian and Antony failed, however. The next year the two reconciled and, together with Lepidus, formed an official five-year autocratic pact - the Second Triumvirate, modelled on the First Triumvirate that united Caesar and Pompey with the lesser man Crassus as a balancing factor.

The three men soon worked out an agreement to purge their personal enemies. Though Octavian was inclined to defend his ally Cicero, he yielded to Antony's wish to have him killed. Cicero was assassinated on 7 December 43 BC; his hands and head were displayed on the rostra in the Roman forum by order of Mark Antony.

Major Works:

Speeches:

Philosophical works:

Letters:

  • ad Atticum
  • ad Familiares
  • ad Quintum
  • ad Brutum

speeches - 58 survive, 88 are recorded
similar positive reputation.

See also: Catiline Orations

External links:

Works of Cicero at the Latin Library: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/cic.html

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Cicero."

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