Cicero letters Flashcards
(12 cards)
To His Friends 5.7: To Pompey summary and facts
From: Rome
Tone: Formal
Date: 62BC
- Summary: Cicero appeals to Pompey to strengthen their friendship
To His Friends 5.7: To Pompey
context and themes
- year following Cicero’s consulship and Catiline Conspiracy
- Cicero is flattering Pompey who has acquired Asia Minor, Syria and Crete.
- Cicero wishes that he had received more congratulations from Pompey after Catilinarian conspiracy and rejecting the Rullan land reform (which would have been good for Pompey).
- Pompey has aquired huge swathes of teritory for Rome- Asia Minor, Syria and Crete
- cicero-pompey relationship
- appeal to shared love of Rome
To His Friends 5.7: To Pompey quote
Quotes: ‘I did expect some congratulation in your letter on my achievements’,
‘salvation of the country
approved by … the whole world’(hyperbole, justifying actions).
To His Friends 2.18: To Atticus summary and facts
Date: 59 BC
Tone: Informal, personal
From: Rome
To: Atticus on his way to Epirus
- Cicero explains how, at the time of the establishment of the 1st triumvirate, Caesar Pompey and Crassus, he had been approached by Caesar to join them but turned them down
To His Friends 2.18: To Atticus context
- Themes: 1)Disempowerment of the Senate and the people. 2) Libertas (freedom). 3)Struggle for Cicero to match his political ideals to practice. 4) Cicero-Atticus relationship.
- Cicero is stating how at this time it is worse to live in this society than it is to die.
- Mention of Caesar’s Campanian Law (20,000 Roman citizens would get public land). Cicero seems quite vulnerable.
- Repetition of ‘I’ verbs make it more personal.
To His Friends 2.18: To Atticus quote
Quotes: ‘I don’t like running away; I am longing to fight.’
‘we are held down on all sides.’
To His Friends 2.4: To Curio summary and facts
Tone: Informal
From: Cicero in Rome
- Meta letter (letter about writing letters).
- Cicero mentions three types of letter. 1) Inform those absent, 2) familiar and funny 3)serious and grave.
- Cicero is afraid that the content of letters could be found, limit of freedom of speech. However, he wants to be true to himself.
- writes about having nothing to write about
- political situation makes freedom of speech impossible
To His Friends 2.4: To Curio
context and themes
53
Themes: 1)Art of letter writing. 2) Libertas (Freedom of speech)- stifled due to political situation
- no consular elections
- crassus killed
To His Friends 2.4: To Curio
quote
Quotes: **‘I do not dare to write what I feel, **and I do not wish to write what I don’t feel.’ ‘it is not to inflame your ambitions, but to
demonstrate my love for you.’
**‘I do not dare to write what I feel, **
To His Friends 2.11: To Caelius summary and facts
Date: 50 BC
From: Cicero in Laodicea, Cicilia
Tone: Informal
- Cicero, in Cilicia as governor, writes in friendly terms to Caelius, refusing to send Caelius some free exotic beasts for his spectacles to boost his political profile with the electorate in his campaign for aedileship
To His Friends 2.11: To Caelius context and themes
- Cicero was in Laodicea, Cilicia in 50 BC because he was serving as the governor of the province of Cilicia.
- Significance: 1) Desperate to hear from Rome. 2) State of his province.
- Cicero talks about how his province bores him using a tricolon.
- He mentions a great war referring to the war against the Parthians.
- He tells Caelius how he might not be able to get him Panthers but will try. Seems as though he doesn’t really want to give them to him.
To His Friends 2.11: To Caelius quotes
Quotes: ‘only living creatures for whom traps are set.’
‘Would you have ever thought it possible that my words would fail me’?
