Tuesday, 29 March 2022
POTLR essay plans
IDEALS
How did Cicero establish himself as a novus homo
- Studying rhetoric 79-77BC
- Pro Roscio
- Marrying terentia 77BC - Her total dowry was 400,000 sesterces, which was the exact
amount needed for a man to run for senator.
- Quaestor in 75
- Verres trial
- 69BC - Cicero is aedile. Cicero successfully defends his rst senator in court - Marcus
Fonteius - against an accusation of extortion during his recent governorship in Cisalpine
Gaul. Fonteius had worked to protect the equites, so in defending him Cicero grew his
political network of supporters.
- 66BC - support lex gabinia - gains support of pompey
- 66BC - Defended Cluentius in his speech, Pro Cluentio. He won won the support of
Cluentius and his friends, by championing the cause of the equites.
- 65BC - Pro Cornelio case. Cicero managed to defend the ex-tribune who faced strong
opposition from the optimates and was being accused of treason, atter Pompey and
soothe Pompey’s critics.
- Issued his rst speech in the Senate: On the Egyptian Kingdom. Cicero aimed to gain the
trust of the optimates by opposing Crassus’ annexation of Egypt.
How successful was Ciceros consulship
Success
- Gained the support of the elite core of optimates, seen in the outcome of Catilinarian
conspiracy
- Successfully managed to quash Rullus’ agrarian legislation in a rhetorical masterstroke
- Defeating the Catilinarian conspiracy
- Thus bringing temporary stability of the orders to the Republic, evidenced as he was
named “parens patriae”
Failure
- Failing to heed the warnings in the trial of Rabirius in terms of abusing consular
power.
- The bribery law did have some irksome consequences for Cicero as it ended up
with Murena being put on trial
- Failing to heed Caesar’s warnings at the senate meeting after the Catilinarian
conspirators had been captured
- Executing said conspirators without trial
1
fi fi fl
, What were Ciceros beliefs about the governing of provinces
- 51 - 50 BC Cicero’s governorship in Cilicia. He sorted out existing debts and nancial
problems left by his predecessor. He successfully pushed back hostile tribes that
separated Cilicia from Syria and was hailed imperator by his troops.
- Chapter 13 - showing his lack of respect for tradition. · 'No man's property was safe;
even if it had been given to him by his father and grandfather’ · Lack of Mos Maiorum
- Chapter 13 - 'the Sicilians held neither their own laws, nor the decrees of our senate, nor
common rights’ Ascending tricolon
- Extorsion is taking public funds - Chapter 2 - "Gaius Verres has been bought to trial as a
criminal...a man, the embezzler of public funds, the abuser of Asia and Pamphyliae, the
thief of the city's rights, and the shame and ruin of Sicily"
How successfully does Cicero highlight Verres’ failure as a governor?
Successfully
•Showing the effect his actions had directly on the Sicilians ‘the Sicilians held neither
their own laws, nor the decrees of our senate, nor common rights’ Ascending tricolon
•showing his lack of respect for tradition ‘No man’s property was safe; even if it had been
given to him by his father and grandfather’ Lack of Mos Maiorum
•Book 46 - Tension builds as there is a sense that each member of the Senate (including
Cicero himself) is being spied upon and judged. The stakes in the judgement are high and
personal. "But now men are on the watchtowers' - need to act in a respectable way
•Cicero shows himself to be a hero - Chapter 50 - Extremely emotive, Cicero would
rather die than give up as he, an outsider, creates authority for himself by appealing to a
shared code of values of patriotic love and duty Repetitive use of ‘I’
•Verres using bribery Chapter 26 - Verres ensured through bribery that Marcus Caecilius
Metellus should be praetor and president over the extortion court in 69BC, Verres wants
the trial postponed until 69BC when the judges will be more sympathetic to him -
continues to be a threat
•Vilifies verries Chapter 2 - Vilifies Verres as a criminal "acquitted by the magnitude of
his wealth." By convicting him the Senate will be able to save itself from dishonour.
"Gaius Verres has been bought to trial as a criminal...a man, the embezzler of public
funds, the abuser of Asia and Pamphyliae, the thief of the city's rights, and the shame and
ruin of Sicily”
•Rhetorical question Chapter28-“I ask you Metellus, what is perverting the course of
justice if not this?...the most corrupt man”Direct address to Metellus, Cicero reminds us
he always acts with ‘duty and dignity’ and accuses Metellus here of not considering this
in his own actions.
2
fi
POTLR essay plans
IDEALS
How did Cicero establish himself as a novus homo
- Studying rhetoric 79-77BC
- Pro Roscio
- Marrying terentia 77BC - Her total dowry was 400,000 sesterces, which was the exact
amount needed for a man to run for senator.
- Quaestor in 75
- Verres trial
- 69BC - Cicero is aedile. Cicero successfully defends his rst senator in court - Marcus
Fonteius - against an accusation of extortion during his recent governorship in Cisalpine
Gaul. Fonteius had worked to protect the equites, so in defending him Cicero grew his
political network of supporters.
- 66BC - support lex gabinia - gains support of pompey
- 66BC - Defended Cluentius in his speech, Pro Cluentio. He won won the support of
Cluentius and his friends, by championing the cause of the equites.
- 65BC - Pro Cornelio case. Cicero managed to defend the ex-tribune who faced strong
opposition from the optimates and was being accused of treason, atter Pompey and
soothe Pompey’s critics.
- Issued his rst speech in the Senate: On the Egyptian Kingdom. Cicero aimed to gain the
trust of the optimates by opposing Crassus’ annexation of Egypt.
How successful was Ciceros consulship
Success
- Gained the support of the elite core of optimates, seen in the outcome of Catilinarian
conspiracy
- Successfully managed to quash Rullus’ agrarian legislation in a rhetorical masterstroke
- Defeating the Catilinarian conspiracy
- Thus bringing temporary stability of the orders to the Republic, evidenced as he was
named “parens patriae”
Failure
- Failing to heed the warnings in the trial of Rabirius in terms of abusing consular
power.
- The bribery law did have some irksome consequences for Cicero as it ended up
with Murena being put on trial
- Failing to heed Caesar’s warnings at the senate meeting after the Catilinarian
conspirators had been captured
- Executing said conspirators without trial
1
fi fi fl
, What were Ciceros beliefs about the governing of provinces
- 51 - 50 BC Cicero’s governorship in Cilicia. He sorted out existing debts and nancial
problems left by his predecessor. He successfully pushed back hostile tribes that
separated Cilicia from Syria and was hailed imperator by his troops.
- Chapter 13 - showing his lack of respect for tradition. · 'No man's property was safe;
even if it had been given to him by his father and grandfather’ · Lack of Mos Maiorum
- Chapter 13 - 'the Sicilians held neither their own laws, nor the decrees of our senate, nor
common rights’ Ascending tricolon
- Extorsion is taking public funds - Chapter 2 - "Gaius Verres has been bought to trial as a
criminal...a man, the embezzler of public funds, the abuser of Asia and Pamphyliae, the
thief of the city's rights, and the shame and ruin of Sicily"
How successfully does Cicero highlight Verres’ failure as a governor?
Successfully
•Showing the effect his actions had directly on the Sicilians ‘the Sicilians held neither
their own laws, nor the decrees of our senate, nor common rights’ Ascending tricolon
•showing his lack of respect for tradition ‘No man’s property was safe; even if it had been
given to him by his father and grandfather’ Lack of Mos Maiorum
•Book 46 - Tension builds as there is a sense that each member of the Senate (including
Cicero himself) is being spied upon and judged. The stakes in the judgement are high and
personal. "But now men are on the watchtowers' - need to act in a respectable way
•Cicero shows himself to be a hero - Chapter 50 - Extremely emotive, Cicero would
rather die than give up as he, an outsider, creates authority for himself by appealing to a
shared code of values of patriotic love and duty Repetitive use of ‘I’
•Verres using bribery Chapter 26 - Verres ensured through bribery that Marcus Caecilius
Metellus should be praetor and president over the extortion court in 69BC, Verres wants
the trial postponed until 69BC when the judges will be more sympathetic to him -
continues to be a threat
•Vilifies verries Chapter 2 - Vilifies Verres as a criminal "acquitted by the magnitude of
his wealth." By convicting him the Senate will be able to save itself from dishonour.
"Gaius Verres has been bought to trial as a criminal...a man, the embezzler of public
funds, the abuser of Asia and Pamphyliae, the thief of the city's rights, and the shame and
ruin of Sicily”
•Rhetorical question Chapter28-“I ask you Metellus, what is perverting the course of
justice if not this?...the most corrupt man”Direct address to Metellus, Cicero reminds us
he always acts with ‘duty and dignity’ and accuses Metellus here of not considering this
in his own actions.
2
fi
