Pro Caelio is a speech given by Roman politician and famed orator Marcus Tullius Cicero in defense of his former student and now political rival Caelius. Caelius was charged with political violence in the form of the murder of Dio. Caelius’ defense was structured so that Caelius first spoke in his own defense, following him was Crassus, and finally Cicero. Cicero attempted in his defense to not just refute the accusations brought forward by the prosecutors. Instead, he first demonstrates that Caelius is an upstanding citizen and provides many examples to prove this. He further defends Caelius by swaying the jury in his favor through the employment of comedy. Vice versa he turns the jury against the prosecutors through slander (i.e. he constantly …show more content…
“Whatever distinction a Roman Equestrian can possess—and it can undoubtedly be very great—has always been judged as belonging to Marcus Caelius in the fullest measure, and is still so judged today” (Pro Caelio 3, pg 130). This quote is taken from the early parts of the defense speech and is used by Cicero to build a foundation surrounding the character of Cicero. Cicero states himself that “he must sway the hearts of the audience” that is exactly what he is doing with this statement about the character of Caelius. He is first refuting the assertion made by the prosecution that Caelius is a vagabond of types who does not obtain the traits of a Proper Roman because of his Equestrian ancestry. Cicero utterly deny’s that and instead demonstrates that Caelius is a man above reproach who comes from an esteemed line of Roman Equestrians and that the Equestrian class is not a class to be looked down on. “Being the son of a Roman Equestrian is something that the prosecution should never have used as a slur before these jurors, or before myself as an advocate.” (Pro Caelio 4, pg 130). There is quite a bit of irony in this statement, Cicero is to an affect reprimanding the prosecution for utilizing slander in order to tear down Caelius. This is something that Cicero himself will do later in his speech when he attacks the …show more content…
“If there were some women quite unlike her who made herself available to everyone, who always had some man that she had openly designated as her lover…who even kept young men and made up for their fathers stinginess by paying for them” (Pro Caelio 38, pg 144). Clodia was known throughout Rome for having many sexual relationships outside of wedlock with countless men of Rome. She is even considered by many to be the famed Lesbia, the lover of the famed Roman neoteric poet Catullus. Cicero is setting the stage for his denouncement of Clodia by styling her as a women that is a direct contrast to what a Roman women should be. We are given countless examples of the perfect Roman women: Rhea Sylvia, Lucretia, and Virginia to name a few. While not directly referred to by Cicero the stories of these women would be common knowledge in Rome and the fact that Clodia’s life style contrasts these aforementioned women would be obvious. Cicero then goes even further and accuses Clodia of being not simply a prostitute but a crude person, someone with overt and offensive sexual desires : “her embraces, her kisses, her beach parties, her boating parties, and her dinner parties all declare her to be not simply a prostitute but a lewd and lascivious prostitute at that” (Pro Caelio 49, pg 148). This is Cicero attempting to
Playwright, William Shakespeare, in the play Julius Caesar, utilizes many instances of rhetorical devices through the actions and speech of Caesar's right-hand man, Mark Antony. In the given excerpt, Antony demonstrates several of those rhetorical devices such as verbal irony, sarcasm, logos, ethos, and pathos which allows him to sway the plebeians. The central purpose of Mark Antony’s funeral speech is to persuade his audience into believing that Caesar had no ill intentions while manipulating the plebeians into starting a rebellion against their new enemies, Brutus and the conspirators.
To gain the support of the jurors, Cicero frequently resorts to flattery, addressing them as “gentlemen” (Cicero, p.129) or “wise men” (Cicero, p.139), saying “I have every confidence in your judgement” (Cicero, p.135), or complementing them on their “customary discernment” which allowed them to recognize Caelius’ oratory ability (Cicero, p.146) and he also uses such phrases as “men like yourselves” which imply their superiority (Cicero, p.140). At other times he attempts to entertain them to gain their support. In fact, pervasive throughout the majority of his discourse he assumes a rather flippant and light-hearte...
... psychology, saying one thing while meaning the opposite. He continuously refers to Brutus as “an honorable man,” all the while implying he is not. He says he is “not an orator,” when clearly he is. He tells the crowd “not to seek vengeance,” all the while knowing they will. He disproves the idea that Caesar was ambitious by reminding them that he refused the crown three times and reading the will which left Caesar’s property to the citizens. In this way, if the conspirators confront him for inciting the riot, he can truthfully say “I told them not to seek vengeance and I told them you were honorable.” It absolves him of responsibility for the riot, when everyone knows his sarcasm is the very thing that sparked it.
Then she presents the text that when Cicero force Catiline’s companion, a Roman citizen, to split out the conspiracy which becomes evidence for testifying Catiline, which is essentially allowing homeland security to be above civil liberties. She then states that the conflict between homeland security or civil liberties still exists even now descending from the ancient Rome; she also argues that modern politicians should learn from the Roman politicians as to how Catiline uses the strategy of assassination to get rid of his political opponent and how fast reacts and political sensitive Cicero is. In chapter 1, the author wrote: “the clash between Cicero and Catiline has offered a template for political conflict ever since... presumably a lesson was intended for the modern senators. And over the centuries the rights and wrongs of the ‘conspiracy’, the respective faults and virtues of Catiline and Cicero, and the conflicts between homeland security and civil liberties have been fiercely debated, and not only among historians.”(Bread, 31) The conflict between opposite political sides have each politician stands with what they believed and fights
Cicero starts the speech with a direct address towards the Senators. This establishes who his audience is. Throughout the speech his tone is one of persuasion. His first goal, in giving this speech, is to persuade the Senators that his view and opinions are legitimate by proving his credibility. He shows his concern for justice by stressing what he has done to serve the country and giving a testimony of devotion. “I made no journeys…I did all that was within my power to lay the foundations of peace. I reminded members of the ancient precedent created by the Athenians making use of my oration…and I moved that every memory of our internal discords should be effaced in everlasting oblivion.'; He assures the Senate that he is a dedicated consul and Senator wi...
Cicero was a man that was destined to stand out in the Roman world as a figure of great importance. His life was one of service to his country in a time full of obstacles in which he was cast into the middle of. He gave his life in an effort to further the Roman Republic. His letters are a snapshot into the times surrounding the events of the day, and gives us a glimpse into what the Romans were struggling for, and what they did achieve during this time
Gaius Julius Caesar better known as called Julius Caesar, was born on July 13, 100 B.C into a patrician family, Suddenly in 85 B.C Julius' father passed on which made Caesar reign in power at 16 years old. Caesar then progressed toward becoming priest of Jupiter. To be a priest he married a patrician by the name of Cornelia. At the point when Sulla roman ruler progressed toward becoming dictator, he stripped Caesar of his position of royalty. Caesar left Rome and joined the army in Rome he eventually ended up being general, sailed for Spain and ended up noticeably broad of Hispania.
to name a few. Through friendships, that were both personal and strategic, and even disdain, Cicero’s role and his position in Roman society were neither static nor steady. The correspondence Cicero shared with some of Rome’s more prominent figures between 68 and 43 B.C serve as evidence of Rome’s political climate and the key leaders involved. Cicero’s letters are more than simple social interactions among comrades. Rather there is a strategy in whom, how and why these letters are addressed and written the way they are.
The central theme of Act III, Scene ii of “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare is the power of rhetoric because it shows the effect of two funeral orators’ on the crowd. In this scene, Antony and Brutus have similar purpose in talking to the public, which is to gain the support of the Plebeians according to their conflicting views about Caesar’s assassination. This essay focuses on comparing the orations of the two speakers in this part of the play according to Aristotle’s rhetoric system. According to Aristotle’s writings, Antony’s speech is more persuasive than Brutus’ speech, because he is able to provide logical, emotional and ethical appeals to his audience. Firstly, in comparison to Brutus’ logic, Antony provides more evidence to prove that Caesar was not ambitious. Secondly, Antony’s emotional acts and speech moved his audience more than Brutus. Finally, Antony acts more noble than Brutus does.
While reading the play “Julius Caesar”, deception, betrayal, and exaggeration were perceived throughout. Cassius was the character that fit these qualities the most. He can be compared to the former president, Richard Nixon. He was the United States 37th President of the United States. He was voted into office receiving great admiration for his speeches, and work he had previously done. When he was elected, it was the time during the Vietnam War. His goal as president was to have reconciliation (Sidey and Freidel). He gave great speeches by using rhetoric; a famous speech is 425 - Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam, November 3, 1969 rhetorical devices that he used in that speech was by saying “Good evening, my fellow Americans” (Peters) it gave the audience a sense of familiarity within the audience, and Nixon (Zielenski). In Nixon’s “Checker’s Speech” he tells his side of the story and his role in the Watergate Scandal. In his speech he uses rhetorical devices including repetition and anaphora, “I say that it was morally wrong if any of that $18,000 went to Senator Nixon, for my personal use. I say that it was morally wrong if it was secretly given and secretly handled. And I say that it was morally wrong if any of the contributors got special favors for the contributions that they made” (The History Place ). In the same speech, he uses the rhetorical question, “Well, how do you pay for these and how can you do it legally?” (The History Place ). Lastly, in the “Checker’s Speech” he uses irony when he states “I have a theory, too, that the best and only answer to a smear or an honest misunderstanding of the facts is to tell the truth. And that is why I am here tonight. I want to tell you my side of the case. This is a us...
Cicero, was truly a man of the state. His writings also show us he was equally a man of
Rhetoric is the art for when the writer tries to inform, persuade, or motivate it’s readers. The goal is to change the others point of view or to make others take action. Plato once stated,” Rhetoric, it seems, is a producer of persuasion for belief, not for instruction in the matter of right and wrong.” Therefore, rhetoric could also be using direct language in a specific way for effective communication. Aristotle became the first person to use a form of rhetoric in his works and writing. Aristotle created the three known elements of rhetoric; logos, ethos, pathos. Logos means to use some form of logic, or the facts, based on evidence and reason. Ethos means to use a form of ethics, image, and being based on someone's character and credibility.
In William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, two speeches are given to the people of Rome about Caesar's death. In Act 3, Scene 2 of this play Brutus and Antony both try to sway the minds of the Romans toward their views. Brutus tried to make the people believe he killed Caesar for a noble cause. Antony tried to persuade the people that the conspirators committed an act of brutality toward Caesar and were traitors. The effectiveness and ineffectiveness of both Antony's and Brutus's speech to the people are conveyed through tone and rhetorical devices.
The speech made by Marcus Antonius, called Antony, in Act Three, Scene Two of Julius Caesar shows that despite being considered a sportsman above all else, he is highly skilled with the art of oratory as well. In the play by William Shakespeare, this speech is made at the funeral of Caesar after he is killed by Brutus and the other conspirators. Brutus claimed earlier, in his own funeral speech, that the killing of Caesar was justified. He felt that Caesar was a threat, and too ambitious to be allowed as ruler. Much of this sentiment, however, was developed by the treacherous Cassius. Antony, on the other hand, felt that the conspirators were traitors to Rome and should be dealt with. This speech used a variety of methods to gradually bring the crowd to his side, yet maintain his side of the deal with Brutus. This deal was that he, “shall not in your funeral speech blame us...” (3.1.245) for the death of Caesar. Antony holds his end of the deal for the majority of the speech, yet by doing so convinces the crowd of Brutus' and the others' disloyalty. In many ways, this speech can be seen as the ultimate rhetoric, and it includes all three of Aristotle's methods of persuasion. This are the appeal to credibility, called ethos, the appeal to emotions, called pathos, and the appeal to logic, called logos. All three of these devices are used to great effect during the speech of Marcus Antonius.
Marcus Brutus was the main character in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. His participation in the conspiracy against Caesar was essential for the plot to work. Cassius knew this, therefore, he tried very hard to convince him to murder Caesar and save Rome. The reason why the conspirators wanted Brutus on their side was because he was an honorable man whom Rome loved. Cassius is the one who declares this, "Brutus shall lead the way, and we will grace his heels with the most boldest and best hearts of Rome. "(act 3, scene 1, ll.135-136). Brutus then becomes inspired b...