Cicero

(c.106 – 43 B.C.)
 I. Who is he ?

 Orator, Poet, Lawyer, Philosopher

 An idealistic, conservative, Roman thinker

that aspired for the continuation of the
Republic; is known as the “Republic’s
genuine champion”
II. Birth & Family
 Born in Arpinum, Italy on January 3, 106 B.C.
 Family had no senatorial aristocratic
connections
 Cicero’s father was a Roman Knight
 Cicero = “chickpea” in Latin
 Had a disadvantaged ancestry
 Experienced marital hardship and tragedy

when he had a family of his own

 III. Early Life
 Showed a great deal of promise at an early age; prodigy
intelligence
 Attracted attention from all over Rome
 Wrote Poetry (included translations of works by Homer)
 Had great admiration for Greek culture
 Went on to study jurisprudence, rhetoric, and philosophy
 Schooled at Old Academy & New Academy;
descendents from New Academy; a school established
by Plato
 IV. Career
Highlights
 Proved himself to be an an excellent orator, lawyer,
and a shrewd politician
 Elected to each of the principle Roman offices
(quaestor, aedile, praetor, and consul)
 As consul in 63 B.C., responsible for unraveling and
exposing the conspiracy of Catiline
 Between 55 and 51 B.C., wrote 25 works of
philosophy including: Hortensius, On The Orator, On
The Republic, On The Laws, addressed his support
in homosexual lifestyles in The Duties
 IV. Career
Highlights
 80 B.C., takes first major case as a lawyer defending
Roscius for a murder he did not commit. Roscius is
acquitted; Cicero’s reputation rapidly improves. It is
this very case that prompted his office position as
quastor for Sicily in 75 B.C.
 V. Political &
Social Thought
 Cicero’s middle-class background resulted in a
broader outlook, not marred by self-interest.
 Aspired to a Republican system dominated by a
ruling aristocratic class of men, “who so conducted
themselves as to win for their policy the approval of
all good men”
 Aimed at restoring the Republic system by revitalizing
the moral degradation found in the system
 Opposed any personal involvement in military; did not
like war (served for a short time under Sylla)
VI. Downfall of
Cicero
 60 BC: Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus
combined their resources and took control of Roman
politics. Recognizing Cicero’s popularity and talents,
they made several attempts to get Cicero to join
them; Cicero refuses
 58 BC: Coldius (a follower of Caesar) proposes a law
to be applied stating that anyone who killed a Roman
citizen without trial would be stripped of their
citizenship and forced into exile
 49 BC: Caesar ignited a war between himself and
Pompey; event changes political atmosphere in
Rome
 44 BC: Caesar murdered by a group of Senators;
Cicero was not a part of the conspiracy
 Cicero’s Opposition to Mark Antony, Philippics, and
Cicero’s death