Writings of Marcus Tullius Cicero
Encyclopedia
The Writings of Marcus Tullius Cicero constituted one of the most famous bodies of historical and philosophical work in all of Classical Antiquity
. Cicero
, a Roman
statesman
, lawyer, political theorist, philosopher, and Roman constitutionalist
, lived from 106 to 43 BC. He was a Roman Senator
and Roman Consul
(chief-magistrate) who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic
into the Roman Empire
. A contemporary of Julius Caesar
, Cicero is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators
and prose stylists.
Cicero is generally held to be one of the most versatile minds of ancient Rome. He introduced the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy
and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary, distinguishing himself as a linguist, translator, and philosopher. An impressive orator and successful lawyer, Cicero probably thought his political career his most important achievement. Today, he is appreciated primarily for his humanism and philosophical and political writings. His voluminous correspondence, much of it addressed to his friend Atticus
, has been especially influential, introducing the art of refined letter writing to European culture. Cornelius Nepos
, the 1st-century BC biographer of Atticus, remarked that Cicero's letters to Atticus contained such a wealth of detail "concerning the inclinations of leading men, the faults of the generals, and the revolutions in the government" that their reader had little need for a history of the period.
During the chaotic latter half of the first century BC, marked by civil wars
and the dictatorship of Gaius Julius Caesar
, Cicero championed a return to the traditional republican
government. However, his career as a statesman was marked by inconsistencies and a tendency to shift his position in response to changes in the political climate. His indecision may be attributed to his sensitive and impressionable personality; he was prone to overreaction in the face of political and private change. "Would that he had been able to endure prosperity with greater self-control and adversity with more fortitude!" wrote C. Asinius Pollio
, a contemporary Roman statesman and historian.
and others quoted liberally from his works “On The Republic” and “On The Laws,” and it is due to this that we are able to recreate much of the work from the surviving fragments. Cicero also articulated an early, abstract conceptualisation of rights, based on ancient law and custom.
Judicial speeches
Several of Cicero's speeches are printed, in English translation, in the Penguin Classics edition Murder Trials. These speeches are included:
Political speeches
(The Pro Marcello, Pro Ligario, and Pro Rege Deiotaro are collectively known as "The Caesarian speeches").
Vol.I: Libri I-VIII (BT 1208, 1987)
Vol.II: Libri IX-XVI (BT 1209, 1987)
-- M. Tullius Cicero: The Lost and Unpublished Orations (Hypomnemata Untersuchungen zur Antike und zu Ihrem Nachleben, Heft 80, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen, 1984) ISBN 3-525-25178-5
-- M. Tullius Cicero: The Fragmentary Speeches, an Edition with Commentary, 2nd edition (American Philological Association, American Classical Studies no.37, Scholars Press, Atlanta, 1994) ISBN 0-7885-0076-7
Penguin Classics English translations
-- Selected Political Speeches (Penguin Books, 1969)
-- Selected Works: Against Verres I, Twenty-three letters, The Second Philippic against Antony, On Duties III, On Old Age, by Michael Grant (Penguin Books, 1960)
-- On Government: Against Verres II 5, For Murena, For Balbus, On the State III, V, VI, On Laws III, The Brutus, The Philippics IV, V, X, by Michael Grant (Penguin Books, 1993)
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
. Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
, lawyer, political theorist, philosopher, and Roman constitutionalist
Constitution of the Roman Republic
The Constitution of the Roman Republic was a set of guidelines and principles passed down mainly through precedent. The constitution was largely unwritten, uncodified, and constantly evolving...
, lived from 106 to 43 BC. He was a Roman Senator
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
and Roman Consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
(chief-magistrate) who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
into the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. A contemporary of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, Cicero is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
and prose stylists.
Cicero is generally held to be one of the most versatile minds of ancient Rome. He introduced the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy
Greek philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BCE and continued through the Hellenistic period, at which point Ancient Greece was incorporated in the Roman Empire...
and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary, distinguishing himself as a linguist, translator, and philosopher. An impressive orator and successful lawyer, Cicero probably thought his political career his most important achievement. Today, he is appreciated primarily for his humanism and philosophical and political writings. His voluminous correspondence, much of it addressed to his friend Atticus
Titus Pomponius Atticus
Titus Pomponius Atticus, born Titus Pomponius , came from an old but not strictly noble Roman family of the equestrian class and the Gens Pomponia. He was a celebrated editor, banker, and patron of letters with residences in both Rome and Athens...
, has been especially influential, introducing the art of refined letter writing to European culture. Cornelius Nepos
Cornelius Nepos
Cornelius Nepos was a Roman biographer. He was born at Hostilia, a village in Cisalpine Gaul not far from Verona. His Gallic origin is attested by Ausonius, and Pliny the Elder calls him Padi accola...
, the 1st-century BC biographer of Atticus, remarked that Cicero's letters to Atticus contained such a wealth of detail "concerning the inclinations of leading men, the faults of the generals, and the revolutions in the government" that their reader had little need for a history of the period.
During the chaotic latter half of the first century BC, marked by civil wars
Roman civil wars
There were several Roman civil wars, especially during the late Republic. The most famous of these are the war in the 40s BC between Julius Caesar and the optimate faction of the senatorial elite initially led by Pompey and the subsequent war between Caesar's successors, Octavian and Mark Antony in...
and the dictatorship of Gaius Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, Cicero championed a return to the traditional republican
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
government. However, his career as a statesman was marked by inconsistencies and a tendency to shift his position in response to changes in the political climate. His indecision may be attributed to his sensitive and impressionable personality; he was prone to overreaction in the face of political and private change. "Would that he had been able to endure prosperity with greater self-control and adversity with more fortitude!" wrote C. Asinius Pollio
Gaius Asinius Pollio (consul 40 BC)
Gaius Asinius Pollio was a Roman soldier, politician, orator, poet, playwright, literary critic and historian, whose lost contemporary history, provided much of the material for the historians Appian and Plutarch...
, a contemporary Roman statesman and historian.
Works
Cicero was declared a “righteous pagan” by the early Catholic Church, and therefore many of his works were deemed worthy of preservation. Saint AugustineAugustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
and others quoted liberally from his works “On The Republic” and “On The Laws,” and it is due to this that we are able to recreate much of the work from the surviving fragments. Cicero also articulated an early, abstract conceptualisation of rights, based on ancient law and custom.
Books
Of Cicero's books, six on rhetoric have survived, as well as parts of eight on philosophy.Speeches
Of his speeches, eighty-eight were recorded, of which fifty-two survive. Some of the items below are more than one speech.Judicial speeches
- (81 BC) Pro QuinctioPro QuinctioThe speech Pro Quinctio was given by Marcus Tullius Cicero on behalf of Publius Quintius.Caius Quintius and Sextus Naevius, one of the public criers, had been partners, having their chief business in Gallia Narbonensis...
(On behalf of Publius Quinctius) - (80 BC) Pro Roscio AmerinoPro Roscio AmerinoThe speech Pro Roscio Amerino was given by Marcus Tullius Cicero on behalf of Roscius of Ameria. Roscius was accused of murdering his father. The speech was given by Cicero in 80 BCE.- Events surrounding the case :...
(In Defense of Sextus Roscius of Ameria) - (77 BC) Pro Q. Roscio Comoedo (In Defense of Quintus Roscius GallusQuintus Roscius Gallus-Life:Endowed with a handsome face and manly figure, he studied the delivery and gestures of the most distinguished advocates in the Forum, especially Q Hortensius, and won universal praise for his grace and elegance on the stage. He especially excelled in comedy. Cicero took lessons from him...
the Comic actor) - (70 BC) Divinatio in CaeciliumDivinatio in CaeciliumCicero's Divinatio in Caecilium is his oration against Quintus Caecilius in the process for selecting a prosecutor of Gaius Verres . Cicero asserts that he, rather than Q. Caecilius, will make the better prosecutor of Verres, the Roman magistrate notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily...
(Against Quintus Caecilius in the process for selecting a prosecutor of Gaius Verres) - (70 BC) In VerremIn VerremIn Verrem is a series of speeches made by Cicero in 70 BC, during the corruption and extortion trial of Gaius Verres, the former governor of Sicily...
(Against Gaius Verres, or The Verrines) - (71 BC) Pro TullioPro TullioPro Tullio is a partially preserved speech delivered by the Roman orator Cicero in 72 BC or 71 BC. The speech was made on behalf of Cicero's client, Marcus Tullius, who claimed legal damages from his neighbor, Publius Fabius, on the basis that Fabius had murdered several of Tullius' slaves in a...
(On behalf of TulliusTulliusTullius was a Roman nomen. The feminine form was Tullia. Tully, especially as another name for Cicero, is an anglicized form now considered antiquated....
) - (69 BC) Pro Fonteio (On behalf of Marcus Fonteius)
- (69 BC) Pro Caecina (On behalf of Aulus CaecinaAulus CaecinaAulus Caecina, son of Aulus Caecina who was defended by Cicero in a speech still extant, took the side of Pompey in the civil wars, and published a violent tirade against Caesar, for which he was banished....
) - (66 BC) Pro CluentioPro CluentioPro Cluentio is a speech by the Roman orator Cicero given in defense of a man named Aulus Cluentius Habitus Minor.Cluentius, from Larinum in Molise, was accused in 66 BC by his mother of having poisoned his stepfather, Oppianicus the elder; Cluentius was very unpopular in Rome because of rumors...
(On behalf of Aulus Cluentius) - (63 BC) Pro Rabirio Perduellionis Reo (On behalf of Gaius RabiriusGaius Rabirius (senator)Gaius Rabirius was a senator who was involved in the death of Lucius Appuleius Saturninus. Titus Labienus was put up by Julius Caesar to accuse Rabirius of having been implicated in the murder...
on a Charge of Treason) - (63 BC) Pro Murena (In Defense of Lucius Licinius MurenaLucius Licinius MurenaLucius Licinius Murena was Roman consul in 62 BC. His father had the same name.At the end of the First Mithridatic War, he was left in Asia by Sulla in command of the two legions formerly controlled by Gaius Flavius Fimbria...
, in the court for electoral bribery) - (62 BC) Pro Sulla (In Defense of Publius Cornelius Sulla)
- (62 BC) Pro Archia PoetaPro Archia PoetaPro Archia Poeta is Marcus Tullius Cicero's oration in the defense of Aulus Licinius Archias, a poet accused of not being a Roman citizen. This accusation is believed to have been a political move against Lucullus through Archias. The poet was originally Greek but had been living in Rome for an...
(In Defense of Aulus Licinius ArchiasAulus Licinius ArchiasAulus Licinius Archias was a Greek poet born in Antioch in Syria . In 102 BC, his reputation having been already established, especially as an improvisatore, he went to Rome, where he was well received amongst the highest and most influential families. His chief patron was Lucullus, whose gentile...
the poet) - (59 BC) Pro Antonio (In Defense of Gaius Antonius) [lost entire, or never written]
- (59 BC) Pro Flacco (In Defense of Lucius Valerius Flaccus, in the court for extortion)
- (56 BC) Pro Sestio (In Defense of Publius Sestius)
- (56 BC) In Vatinium testem (Against the witness Publius VatiniusPublius VatiniusPublius Vatinius was a Roman statesman during the last decades of the Republic.-Early political life:Vatinius was quaestor in 63 BC, the same year Marcus Tullius Cicero was consul. Cicero believed that Vatinius was elected on account of the influence of one of the consuls...
at the trial of Sestius) - (56 BC) Pro CaelioPro CaelioMarcus Tullius Cicero gave the speech, Pro Caelio, on April 4, 56 BC, in defense of Marcus Caelius Rufus. It is unknown why Cicero agreed to defend Caelius, who had been a political enemy, though various theories have been postulated. Caelius' was charged with vis , one of the most serious crimes...
(In Defense of Marcus Caelius RufusMarcus Caelius RufusMarcus Caelius Rufus was an orator and politician in the late Roman Republic. He was born into a wealthy equestrian family from Interamnia Praetuttiorum , on the central east coast of Italy...
): English translation - (56 BC) Pro Balbo (In Defense of Lucius Cornelius Balbus)
- (54 BC) Pro Plancio (In Defense of Gnaeus Plancius)
- (54 BC) Pro Rabirio Postumo (In Defense of Gaius Rabirius PostumusGaius Rabirius PostumusGaius Rabirius Postumus, defended by Cicero in the extant speech Pro Rabirio Postumo, when charged with extortion in Egypt and complicity with Aulus Gabinius. Rabirius was a member of the equites order who lent a very large sum of money to Ptolemy Auletes , king of Egypt. Afterwards, Ptolemy XII...
)
Several of Cicero's speeches are printed, in English translation, in the Penguin Classics edition Murder Trials. These speeches are included:
- In defence of Sextus Roscius of Ameria (This is the basis for Steven SaylorSteven SaylorSteven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics....
's novel Roman Blood.) - In defence of Aulus Cluentius Habitus
- In defence of Gaius Rabirius"
- Note on the speeches in defence of Caelius and Milo
- In defence of King Deiotarus
Political speeches
- Early career (before exile)
- (66 BC) Pro Lege Manilia or De Imperio Cn. PompeiDe Imperio Cn. PompeiDe Imperio Cn. Pompei was a speech delivered by Cicero in 66 BC in support of the proposal made by Gaius Manilius, a tribune of the people, that Pompey the Great be given sole command against Mithridates in the Third Mithridatic War....
(in favor of the Manilian Law on the command of PompeyPompeyGnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
) - (63 BC) De Lege Agraria contra Rullum (Opposing the Agrarian LawAgrarian lawAgrarian laws were laws among the Romans regulating the division of the public lands, or ager publicus.There existed three types of land in ancient Rome: private land, common pasture, and public land...
proposed by Rullus) - (63 BC) In Catilinam I-IV (Catiline OrationsCatiline OrationsThe Catiline Orations or Catilinarian Orations were speeches given in 63 BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero, the consul of Rome, exposing to the Roman Senate the plot of Lucius Sergius Catilina and his allies to overthrow the Roman government....
or Against CatilineCatilineLucius Sergius Catilina , known in English as Catiline, was a Roman politician of the 1st century BC who is best known for the Catiline conspiracy, an attempt to overthrow the Roman Republic, and in particular the power of the aristocratic Senate.-Family background:Catiline was born in 108 BC to...
) - (59 BC) Pro Flacco (In Defense of Flaccus)
- (66 BC) Pro Lege Manilia or De Imperio Cn. Pompei
- Mid career (between exile and Caesarian Civil War)
- (57 BC) Post Reditum in Quirites (To the Citizens after his recall from exile)
- (57 BC) Post Reditum in SenatuPost Reditum in SenatuUpon his return from exile Cicero gave this speech thanking the Senate for their efforts in securing his return. The speech was given on the Nones of September, that is, September 5, 57 BC. Cicero refers to the speech and the welcome he received in Rome in a letter to Titus Pomponius Atticus .I...
(To the SenateRoman SenateThe Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
after his recall from exile) - (57 BC) De Domo Sua (On his House)
- (57 BC) De Haruspicum Responsis (On the Responses of the Haruspices)
- (56 BC) De Provinciis Consularibus (On the Consular Provinces)
- (55 BC) In Pisonem (Against PisoPisoThe Piso family of ancient Rome was a prominent plebeian branch of the gens Calpurnia, descended from Calpus the son of Numa Pompilius. with at least 50 prominent Roman family members recognized...
) - (52 BC) Pro MilonePro MiloneThe Pro Tito Annio Milone ad iudicem oratio is a speech made by Marcus Tullius Cicero on behalf of his friend Titus Annius Milo. Milo was accused of murdering his political enemy Publius Clodius Pulcher on the Via Appia...
(In Defence of Titus Annius MiloTitus Annius MiloTitus Annius Milo Papianus was a Roman political agitator, the son of Gaius Papius Celsus, but adopted by his maternal grandfather, Titus Annius Luscus...
)
- Late career
- (46 BC) Pro MarcelloPro MarcelloPro Marcello is Latin for on behalf of Marcellus.Marcus Claudius Marcellus was descended from the most illustrious families at Rome, and had been consul with Servius Sulpicius Rufus; in which office he had given great offence to Caesar by making a motion in the Senate to deprive him of his command;...
(On behalf of MarcellusMarcus Claudius Marcellus (consul 51 BC)Marcus Claudius Marcellus, was a member of the plebeian gens Claudia of the branch cognomitated Marcellus and a Roman politician.Marcellus was elected curule aedile in 56 BC. In 52 BC he was elected consul, together with Servius Sulpicius Rufus, for the following year...
) - (46 BC) Pro LigarioPro LigarioPro Ligario is a political speech made by Marcus Tullius Cicero in 46 BC in defense of Quintus Ligarius before Gaius Julius Caesar.In this speech Cicero defends Ligarius, who is accused of crimes in Africa. Ligarius' accuser is Tubero, who has himself committed crimes in Africa. Cicero attempts to...
(On behalf of Ligarius before Caesar) - (46 BC) Pro Rege Deiotaro (On behalf of King DeiotarusDeiotarusDeiotarus of Galatia was a Chief Tetrarch of the Tolistobogii at Western Galatia, Asia Minor, and a King of Galatia at Anatolia, Asia Minor. He was considered one of the most adept of Celtic kings, ruling the three tribes of Celtic Galatia from his fortress in Blucium...
before Caesar) - (44 BC) PhilippicaePhilippicaeThe Philippicae or Philippics are a series of 14 speeches Cicero gave condemning Mark Antony in 44 BC and 43 BC. The corpus of speeches were named and modeled after Demosthenes' Philippic, which he had delivered against Philip of Macedon, and were styled in a similar manner.-The political...
(consisting of the 14 philippics, Philippica I–XIV, against Marcus AntoniusMark AntonyMarcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
)
- (46 BC) Pro Marcello
(The Pro Marcello, Pro Ligario, and Pro Rege Deiotaro are collectively known as "The Caesarian speeches").
Rhetoric & Politics
- (84 BC) De InventioneDe InventioneThe De Inventione is a handbook for orators that M. Tullius Cicero composed when he was still a young man. Quintillian tells us that Cicero considered the work rendered obsolete by his later writings. Originally four books in all, only two have survived into modern times.-External links:* by C.D....
(About the composition of arguments) - (55 BC) De OratoreDe OratoreDe Oratore is a dialogue written by Cicero in 55 BCE. It is set in 91 BCE, when Lucius Licinius Crassus dies, just before the social war and the civil war between Marius and Sulla, during which Marcus Antonius Orator, the other great orator of this dialogue, dies...
ad Quintum fratrem libri tres (On the Orator, three books for his brother Quintus) - (54 BC) De Partitionibus Oratoriae (About the subdivisions of oratory)
- (52 BC) De Optimo Genere OratorumDe Optimo Genere OratorumDe Optimo Genere Oratorum, which literally translates as 'the Best Kind of Orator', is a work from Marcus Tullius Cicero written in 46 BCE between two of his other works, Brutus and the Orator ad M. Brutum...
(About the Best Kind of Orators) - (51 BC) De Re PublicaDe re publicaDe re publica is a dialogue on Roman politics by Cicero, written in six books between 54 and 51 BC. It is written in the format of a Socratic dialogue in which Scipio Africanus Minor takes the role of a wise old man — an obligatory part for the genre...
(On the Republic) - (46 BC) Paradoxa Stoicorum (Stoic Paradoxes)
- (46 BC) BrutusBrutus (Cicero)Cicero's Brutus is a history of Roman oratory. It is written in the form of a dialogue, in which Brutus and Atticus ask Cicero to describe the qualities of all the leading Roman orators up to their time. It was composed in 46 B.C.-Further reading:*G. V...
(For Brutus, a short history of Roman rhetoric and orators dedicated to Marcus Junius Brutus) - (46 BC) Orator ad M. Brutum (About the Orator, also dedicated to Brutus)
- (45 BC) De Fato (On Fate)
- (44 BC) Topica (Topics of argumentation)
- (?? BC) De LegibusDe LegibusThe de Legibus is a dialogue written by Marcus Tullius Cicero during the last years of the Roman Republic. It bears the same name as Plato’s famous dialogue, The Laws...
(On the Laws) - (?? BC) De Consulatu Suo (On his ((Cicero's)) consulship - epic poem, only parts survive)
- (?? BC) De temporibus suis (His Life and Times- epic poem, entirely lost)
Spuria
Several works extant through having been included in influential collections of Ciceronian texts exhibit such divergent views and styles that they have long been agreed by experts not to be authentic works of Cicero. They are also never mentioned by Cicero himself, nor any of the ancient critics or grammarians who commonly refer to and quote passages from Cicero's authentic works.- (late 80s BC) Rhetorica ad HerenniumRhetorica ad HerenniumThe Rhetorica ad Herennium, formerly attributed to Cicero but of unknown authorship, is the oldest surviving Latin book on rhetoric, dating from the 90s BC, and is still used today as a textbook on the structure and uses of rhetoric and persuasion....
, (authored by a pro-Marian orator of the mid to late 80s BC sympathetic to the tribune Publius Sulpicius RufusPublius Sulpicius RufusPublius Sulpicius Rufus was an orator and statesman of the Roman Republic, legate in 89 to Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo in the Social War, and in 88 tribune of the plebs....
; perhaps Publius CanutiusPublius CanutiusPublius Canutius or Cannutius was described by Cicero as the most eloquent orator of the senatorial order.Canutius was born in 106 B.C., the same year as Cicero...
) - (60s BC) Commentariolum PetitionisCommentariolum PetitionisCommentariolum Petitionis , also known as De petitione consulatus , is an essay supposedly written by Quintus Tullius Cicero, ca. 65-64 BC as a guide for his brother Marcus Tullius Cicero in his campaign in 64 to be elected consul of the Roman Republic...
, (Note-book for winning elections) (often attributed to Cicero's brother Quintus)
Philosophy
- (45 BC) HortensiusHortensius (Cicero)Hortensius or "On the Philosophy" is literature that Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote in the year of 45 BC. The dialog is named after Cicero's friend, the speaker and politician, Quintus Hortensius Hortalus.-Effects Of The Work:...
- (45 BC) Lucullus or Academica Priora, liber II (book 2 of the Prior Academics)
- (45 BC) Varro or Academica Posteriora (The Later Academics)
- (45 BC) Consolatio (Consolation) How to console oneself at the death of a loved person (see Consolatio Literary GenreConsolatio Literary GenreThe Consolatio or consolatory oration is a type of ceremonial oratory, typically used rhetorically to comfort mourners at funerals. It was one of the most popular classical rhetoric topics, and received new impetus under Renaissance humanism....
) - (45 BC) De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum (About the Ends of Goods and Evils) - a book on ethics. Source of Lorem ipsumLorem ipsumIn publishing and graphic design, lorem ipsum[p] is placeholder text commonly used to demonstrate the graphics elements of a document or visual presentation, such as font, typography, and layout...
- (45 BC) Tusculanae QuaestionesTusculanae QuaestionesThe Tusculanae Disputationes , is a series of books written by Cicero, around 45 BC, attempting to popularise Stoic philosophy in Ancient Rome...
(Questions debated at Tusculum) - (45 BC) De Natura DeorumDe Natura DeorumDe Natura Deorum is a philosophical dialogue by Roman orator Cicero written in 45 BC. It is laid out in three "books", each of which discuss the theology of different Roman and Greek philosophers...
(On the Nature of the Gods) - (45 BC) De DivinationeDe DivinationeCicero's De Divinatione is a philosophical treatise in two books written in 44 BC. It takes the form of a dialogue whose interlocutors are Cicero and his brother Quintus....
(On Divination) - (44 BC) Cato Maior de Senectute (Cato the Elder On Old Age)
- (44 BC) Laelius de AmicitiaLaelius de AmicitiaLaelius de Amicitia — or simply De Amicitia — is a treatise on friendship by the Roman statesman and author Marcus Tullius Cicero.-Summary:...
(Laelius On Friendship) - (44 BC) De OfficiisDe OfficiisDe Officiis is an essay by Marcus Tullius Cicero divided into three books, in which Cicero expounds his conception of the best way to live, behave, and observe moral obligations.- Origin :...
(On duties)
Letters
More than 800 letters by Cicero to others exist, and over 100 letters from others to him.- (68-43 BC) Epistulae ad Atticum (Letters to Atticus)
- (59-54 BC) Epistulae ad Quintum Fratrem (Letters to his brother Quintus)
- (43 BC) Epistulae ad Brutum (Letters to Brutus)
- (62-43 BC) Epistulae ad Familiares (Letters to his friends)
Modern fiction
Appearances in modern fiction, listed in order of publication:- Julius CaesarJulius Caesar (play)The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
, by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"... - Catiline His Conspiracy, by Ben JonsonBen JonsonBenjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
- Ides of MarchIdes of March (novel)The Ides of March is an epistolary novel by Thornton Wilder that was published in 1948. It is, in the author's words, 'a fantasia on certain events and persons of the last days of the Roman republic... Historical reconstruction is not among the primary aims of this work'...
, (1948) an epistolary novelEpistolary novelAn epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails have also come into use...
by Thornton WilderThornton WilderThornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,... - À rebours, by Joris-Karl HuysmansJoris-Karl HuysmansCharles-Marie-Georges Huysmans was a French novelist who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans . He is most famous for the novel À rebours...
- A Pillar of Iron, a (1965) fictionalized biography, by Taylor CaldwellTaylor CaldwellJanet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell was an Anglo-American novelist and prolific author of popular fiction, also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner, and by her married name of J. Miriam Reback....
- Masters of RomeMasters of RomeMasters of Rome is a series of historical fiction novels by author Colleen McCullough set in ancient Rome during the last days of the old Roman Republic; it primarily chronicles the lives and careers of Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompeius Magnus, Gaius Julius Caesar, and the early...
series, by Colleen McCulloughColleen McCulloughColleen McCullough-Robinson, , is an internationally acclaimed Australian author.-Life:McCullough was born in Wellington, in outback central west New South Wales, in 1937 to James and Laurie McCullough. Her mother was a New Zealander of part-Māori descent. During her childhood, her family moved...
; Cicero first appears as a precocious young boy in The Grass CrownThe Grass Crown (novel)The Grass Crown is the second historical novel in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series.The novel opens shortly after the action of The First Man in Rome... - Roma Sub RosaRoma Sub RosaRoma Sub Rosa is the title of the series of mystery novels by Steven Saylor set in, and populated by, noteworthy denizens of ancient Rome. The series is noted for its historical authenticity. The phrase "Roma Sub Rosa" means, in Latin, "Rome under the rose"...
series, (1991–2005), by Steven SaylorSteven SaylorSteven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics.... - Robert Olen ButlerRobert Olen ButlerRobert Olen Butler is an American fiction writer. His short-story collection A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1993.-Early life:...
imagines Cicero's last thoughts as a short monologue in Severance (2006) - ImperiumImperium (novel)Imperium is a 2006 novel by English author Robert Harris. It is a fictional biography of Cicero, told through the first-person narrator of his secretary Tiro, beginning with the prosecution of Verres....
, a (2006) novel, by Robert HarrisRobert Harris (novelist)Robert Dennis Harris is an English novelist. He is a former journalist and BBC television reporter.-Early life:Born in Nottingham, Harris spent his childhood in a small rented house on a Nottingham council estate. His ambition to become a writer arose at an early age, from visits to the local...
; Imperium is the first of a trilogy on the life of Cicero, with the second book LustrumLustrum (novel)Lustrum is a 2009 novel by British author Robert Harris. It is the sequel to Imperium and the middle volume of a trilogy about the life of Cicero....
(Conspirata in the US) published October 2009.
Film and television
- Imperium: AugustusImperium: AugustusImperium: Augustus is a 2003 joint British-Italian production, and part of the Imperium series. It tells of the life story of Octavian and how he became Augustus...
, a British-Italian film (2003), also shown as Augustus The First Emperor in some countries, where Cicero (played by Gottfried JohnGottfried John-Life and work:During the 1970s and early 1980s, Gottfried John played various roles in films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, notably that of Reinhold in the epic Berlin Alexanderplatz . He is internationally known for his portrayals of General Ourumov in the James Bond film GoldenEye and Julius...
) appears in several vignettes.
- In the 2005 ABC miniseries Empire, Cicero (played by Michael ByrneMichael Byrne (actor)Michael Byrne is an English actor noted for his roles on film and television. He has often been cast in Nazi military roles such as Colonel Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Obergruppenführer Odilo Globocnik in the BBC radio dramatisation of the novel Fatherland by Robert Harris...
) appears as a supporter of Octavius. This portrayal deviates sharply from history, as Cicero survives the civil war to witness Octavius assume the title of princeps.
- The HBOHome Box OfficeHBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
/BBC2 TV series RomeRome (TV series)Rome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
features Marcus Tullius Cicero prominently and is played by David BamberDavid BamberDavid James Bamber is an English actor, known for his television and theatre work. He is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.-Early years:...
. The portrayal broadly adheres to the historical record, reflecting Cicero's political indecision and continued switching of allegiances between the various factions in Rome's civil warCivil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
. A disparity occurs in his assassination, which occurs in an orchard rather than on the road to the sea. The TV series also depicts Cicero's assassination at the hands of the fictionalized Titus PulloTitus Pullo (character of Rome)Titus Pullo is a fictional character from the HBO/BBC original television series Rome, played by Ray Stevenson. He is depicted as a hedonistic, devil-may-care soldier who discovers hidden ideals and integrity within himself...
, though the historical Titus PulloTitus PulloTitus Pullo was one of the two Roman centurions of the 11th Legion mentioned in the writings of Julius Caesar. The other soldier mentioned was Lucius Vorenus; they appear in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, Book 5, Chapter 44....
was not Cicero's actual killer.
See also
|
Tullia Ciceronis Tullia Ciceronis, also Tulliola was the only daughter and first child to Roman orator and politician Marcus Tullius Cicero from his first marriage to Terentia... Lorem ipsum In publishing and graphic design, lorem ipsum[p] is placeholder text commonly used to demonstrate the graphics elements of a document or visual presentation, such as font, typography, and layout... Works by Cicero |
Critical editions and translations
Teubner editions (Bibliotheca Teubneriana), B. G. Teubner, Stuttgart and Leipzig- Epistulae ad Atticum (ed.) D R Shackleton-Bailey
Vol.I: Libri I-VIII (BT 1208, 1987)
Vol.II: Libri IX-XVI (BT 1209, 1987)
- Epistulae ad Familiares libri I-XVI (ed.) D R Shackleton-Bailey (BT 1210, 1988)
- Epistulae ad Quintum fratrem. Epistulae ad M. Brutum. Commentariolum petitionis. Fragmenta epistolarum (ed.) D R Shackleton-Bailey (BT 1211, 1988)
- Cicero, Marcus Tullius, Cicero’s letters to Atticus, Vol, I, II, IV, VI, Cambridge University Press, Great Britain, 1965
- Cicero, Marcus Tullius, Latin extracts of Cicero on Himself, translated by Charles Gordon Cooper , University of Queensland Press, Brisbane, 1963
- Crawford, Jane W:
-- M. Tullius Cicero: The Lost and Unpublished Orations (Hypomnemata Untersuchungen zur Antike und zu Ihrem Nachleben, Heft 80, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen, 1984) ISBN 3-525-25178-5
-- M. Tullius Cicero: The Fragmentary Speeches, an Edition with Commentary, 2nd edition (American Philological Association, American Classical Studies no.37, Scholars Press, Atlanta, 1994) ISBN 0-7885-0076-7
Penguin Classics English translations
- Cicero
-- Selected Political Speeches (Penguin Books, 1969)
-- Selected Works: Against Verres I, Twenty-three letters, The Second Philippic against Antony, On Duties III, On Old Age, by Michael Grant (Penguin Books, 1960)
-- On Government: Against Verres II 5, For Murena, For Balbus, On the State III, V, VI, On Laws III, The Brutus, The Philippics IV, V, X, by Michael Grant (Penguin Books, 1993)
- PlutarchPlutarchPlutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
Fall of the Roman Republic, Six Lives by Plutarch: Marius, Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, by Rex Warner (Penguin Books, 1958; with Introduction and notes by Robin Seager, 1972)
Modern works
- Taylor, H: Cicero: A sketch of his life and works (A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1918)
- Strachan-Davidson, J. L.James Leigh Strachan-DavidsonJames Leigh Strachan-Davidson was an English classical scholar, born at Penrith, Cumbria, northern England.Strachan-Davidson was educated at Leamington College and at Balliol College, Oxford, and from 1907 was Master of Balliol. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the...
, Cicero and the Fall of the Roman Republic, University of Oxford Press, London, 1936 - Cowell, Cicero and the Roman Republic, Penguin Books Ltd, Great Britain, 1973
- Haskell, H.J.: (1946) This was Cicero, Fawcett publications, Inc. Greenwich, Conn. USA
- Smith, R E: Cicero the Statesman (Cambridge University Press, 1966)
- PlutarchPlutarchPlutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, Fall of the Roman Republic, Penguin Books Ltd, Great Britain, 1972
- Gruen, Erich S: The last Generation of the Roman Republic (University of California Press, 1974)
- Rawson, ElizabethElizabeth RawsonElizabeth Donata Rawson was a classical scholar known primarily for her work in the intellectual history of the Roman Republic and her biography of Cicero.-Early life:...
: Cicero, A portrait (Allen Lane, Penguin Books, 1975) ISBN 0-7139-0864-5 - Kinsey, T E: "Cicero's case against Magnus, Capito and Chrysogonus in the pro Sex. Roscio Amerino and its use for the historian", L'Ant.Classique 49 (1980), 173-190
- Frier, Bruce W: The Rise of the Roman Jurists: Studies in Cicero's Pro Caecina, (Princeton University Press, 1985) ISBN 0-691-03578-4
- March, Duane A: "Cicero and the 'Gang of Five'", Classical World 82 (1989), 225-234
- Shackleton-Bailey, D R: Onomasticon to Cicero's Speeches, 2nd edition (Teubner, Stuttgart & Leipzig, 1992)
- Gotoff, Harold C: Cicero's Caesarian Speeches: A Stylistic Commentary (The University of North Carolina Press, 1993) ISBN 0-8078-4407-1
- Everitt, Anthony: Cicero: the life and times of Rome's greatest politician (Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, 2001) hardback, 359 pages, ISBN 0-375-50746-9 - Manuwald, Gesine: "Performance and Rhetoric in Cicero's Philippics", Antichthon 38 (2004[2006]), 51-69
Further reading
- Francis A. Yates (1974). The Art of MemoryThe Art of MemoryThe Art of Memory is a 1966 non-fiction book by British historian Frances A. Yates. The book follows the history of mnemonic systems from the classical period of Simonides of Ceos in Ancient Greece to the Renaissance era of Giordano Bruno, ending with Gottfried Leibniz and the early emergence of...
, University of Chicago Press, 448 pages, Reprint: ISBN 0-226-95001-8 - Taylor CaldwellTaylor CaldwellJanet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell was an Anglo-American novelist and prolific author of popular fiction, also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner, and by her married name of J. Miriam Reback....
(1965), A Pillar of Iron, Doubleday & Company, Reprint: ISBN 0-385-05303-7
External links
- General:
- Quotes with Cicero's teachings on oratory
- Links to Cicero resources
- University of Texas Cicero Homepage
- "Cicero" article by Edward Clayton in the Internet Encyclopedia of PhilosophyInternet Encyclopedia of PhilosophyThe Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a free online encyclopedia on philosophical topics and philosophers founded by James Fieser in 1995. The current general editors are James Fieser and Bradley Dowden...
- Works by Cicero:
- List of online translations of Cicero's works
- Online Library of Liberty
- Perseus ProjectPerseus ProjectThe Perseus Project is a digital library project of Tufts University that assembles digital collections of humanities resources. It is hosted by the Department of Classics. It has suffered at times from computer hardware problems, and its resources are occasionally unavailable...
(Latin and English): Classics Collection (see: M. Tullius Cicero) - Works of Cicero, The Latin Library
- UAH (Latin, with translation notes): Cicero Page
- De Officiis, translated by Walter Miller
- Cicero's works: text, concordances and frequency list
- Critical Editions and Translations of the Philosophical Works of Cicero
- Biographies and descriptions of Cicero's time:
- At Project Gutenberg
- PlutarchPlutarchPlutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
's biography of Cicero contained in the Parallel Lives - Life of Cicero by Anthony Trollope, Volume I – Volume II
- Cicero by Rev. W. Lucas Collins (Ancient Classics for English Readers)
- Roman life in the days of Cicero by Rev. Alfred J. Church
- Social life at Rome in the Age of Cicero by W. Warde Fowler
- Plutarch
- At Heraklia website
- Dryden's translation of Cicero from Plutarch's Parallel Lives
- At Middlebury College website
- At Project Gutenberg
- SORGLL: Cicero, In Catilinam I; I,1-3, read by Robert Sonkowsky