Cicero as an orator/correspondent Flashcards
(60 cards)
In what year was Cicero’s trial against Verres, and what did it establish about him?
The trial was in 70 BC and it established Cicero as the greatest orator.
What ideals did Cicero aim to showcase during the trial of Verres?
He aimed to show himself as the ultimate Roman patriot, dedicated to concordia ordinum and rooting out un-Roman behaviour.
Who was the accused, the judge, and the defence orator in the trial against Verres?
The accused was Verres, the judge was Glabrio, and Hortensius defended Verres.
What was Verres accused of, and what was the outcome of the trial?
Verres was accused of extorting 400,000 sesterces from the province during his governorship between 73-71 BC. He was found guilty but fled Rome before the trial concluded and lived in exile.
What was the composition of the jury during Verres’ trial and why?
The jury was exclusively senators because Sulla had removed the right for equites to be jurors.
What social class did Verres belong to, and what was Cicero’s background?
Verres was a member of the nobiles; Cicero was a novus homo with no significant political network.
What effect did Cicero’s first speech have on Hortensius and Verres?
Hortensius advised Verres to flee Rome after the first speech; Cicero won the case without delivering the remaining speeches.
How did winning the Verres case elevate Cicero’s status?
Cicero’s prestige increased; he defeated Rome’s greatest orator, gained dignitas, and extended his amicitial. He was also called upon earlier in Senate debates.
Why did Cicero publish speeches he never actually gave in the Verres trial?
It demonstrated the importance he attached to them and his pride in his success.
Why was success in public speaking essential in Roman public life?
The ability to persuade translated directly into power.
Besides being an orator, what else did Cicero contribute to Roman rhetoric?
He wrote about the art of writing and delivering speeches, for example in De Inventione.
What made Roman legal oratory more than just writing speeches?
It involved dramatic public delivery that attracted large audiences.
Define Rhetoric in the Roman context.
Rhetoric is the language of persuasion, studied in great detail.
Name 10 rhetorical commonplaces used by Roman orators.
Appeal to authority (senate, gods, ancestors), sympathy for victims, deterrence, preventing recurrence, finality of judgement, predetermination by accused, nature of crime, uniqueness of crime, scale of crime, vivid description.
How did Cicero frame the opening of the Verrine speech?
As a national crisis, where societal decline and corruption endangered the state.
What rhetorical technique is ‘apostrophe’ and how did Cicero use it?
Direct address to the jury, demanding attention.
How did Cicero use hyperbole in the Verrine speeches?
He exaggerated the problem as becoming international—e.g. rumours spreading even among foreign nations.
How did Cicero present himself in relation to the state during the trial?
As a defender of the state, sharing the jury’s fate and status, appealing to shared patriotic duty.
Why did Cicero flatter the jury and how did it affect them?
He pressured them by calling them ‘the best panel’ so they had to act justly, otherwise it discredited the senatorial order.
What are anaphora, tricolon, asyndeton, and polysyndeton?
Anaphora: Repetition at the start of sentences. Tricolon: A set of three (ascending: e.g., I came, I saw, I conquered). Asyndeton: Lack of conjunctions for intensity. Polysyndeton: Excessive conjunctions (e.g., many ‘ands’).
How did Cicero portray Verres’ crimes beyond just theft?
He focused on Verres’ corrupt character, history of crimes, betrayal, destruction of temples, public works, and more.
What crimes did Cicero allege Verres committed in Sicily?
Cancelling inheritances, robbing farmers, not punishing criminals, convicting innocent men, leaving cities undefended, and starving civilians.
What implication did Cicero make about Verres’ sexual crimes?
He vaguely alluded to them as too indecent to name, implying severe wrongdoing and leveraging the audience’s imagination.
How did Cicero claim Verres attempted to corrupt the trial process?
Bribed the jury, manipulated elections, delayed the court date, and offered bribes to sabotage Cicero’s election.
