The story of Cincinnatus, as Livy records, is a perfect portrayal of the Roman virtue of duty before blood. The Roman senate thrusts nearly unlimited power into his hands, declaring him Dictator in a time of emergency. Instead of maintaining his major social promotion, Cincinnatus steps down once his service is complete. The presence of bundles of palisades is symbolic of Cincinnatus’ obsession with duty, as they would resemble the structural appearance of fasces. Cincinnatus, upon appointment, recognizes the niche he must fulfill in order to defend his city. By organizing the citizens of Rome in a time of crisis to defend the City, Cincinnatus employs his Dictatorial powers to bind the City of Rome into an unbreakable people, just like the …show more content…
Bound together, a bundle of palisades resembles the Roman image of the fasces. Employed together, they protect a city. A Roman by himself provides no protection; he is just one man. Bound together, a legion of Romans is unbreakable. Deployed together, they protect their city. There exists a great importance in the stress Livy places upon the palisades in Cincinnatus’ decree. Livy’s description of Cincinnatus’ orders to his citizens characterize his understanding of civic duty. Cincinnatus assigns “every male citizen of fighting age to gather up and carry twelve palisades.” Logistically speaking, the soldiers would have to bind these individual palisades to facilitate transportation. This action would compel each soldier to look upon their labor as a piece to a greater good; if they fight alongside their neighbor, they will defeat the Sabines. Just as each palisade provides some strength to the bundle, each solider, upon completing his duty, will strengthen the defense of his city. Cincinnatus also understands that his position of authority does not excuse him from his duties as a soldier fighting for the Republic, so he too rides into battle among his men (28). He even recognizes that a dictatorship threatens the integrity of the strength of the unified Rome, so he rescinds his own power with alacrity after the emergency
From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
Cicero’s essay, titled On Duties, presents a practical approach concerning the moral obligations of a political man in the form of correspondence with his young son. Essential to the text, the incentive for Cicero to undertake On Duties emerges from his depleted hope to restore the Republic within his lifetime. Cicero therefore places such aspirations in the hands of his posterity. The foremost purpose of On Duties considers three obstacles, divided into separate Books, when deciding a course of action. Book I prefatorily states, “in the first place, men may be uncertain whether the thing that falls under consideration is an honorable or a dishonorable thing to do” (5). Cicero addresses the ambiguities present under this consideration and codifies a means through which one can reach a justifiable decision. Subsequently, he expounds the four essential virtues—wisdom, justice, magnanimity or greatness of spirit, and seemliness—all of which are necessary to conduct oneself honorably. As a result, the virtues intertwine to create an unassailable foundation upon which one can defend their actions. Cicero’s expatiation of the four virtues, though revolving around justice and political in context, illuminates the need for wisdom among the populace in order to discern a leader’s motivations. This subtly becomes apparent as Cicero, advising his son on how to dictate decision-making, issues caveats regarding the deceptions that occur under the guise of virtue.
...picture, that on the verge of its collapse the Roman Republic, was a society composed of internal flaws. The Republic namely submitted to its own internal divisions, on multiple levels, from the divisions inherent to any society based on a slave economy, to divisions within the proto-democracy of the Senate itself. Inequalities between the haves and the have nots, as well as inequalities and struggles for power and control on the very highest level of Roman society created a general instability of the Republic, thus making its collapse not a miraculous or shocking event, but almost something to the effect of the removal of an illusion. With the collapse of the Republic, the internal tensions and conflict that constituted Roman life on multiple levels merely finalized themselves, taking a new political form that followed the same path as previous the political form.
One of the first occasions presented was the plotting of Caesar’s assassination. Cassius, Casca, Trebonius, Ligarius and the other conspirators all wanted to rid Rome of Caesar. However, not one of them could give the green light.” They needed one who held a high place in the hearts of the people, to support them and to justify their actions. They needed an “honorable” man.
The Roman Way is essentially a collection of letters, poems and essays from some of the most famous literary minds of the ancient Roman culture. Edith Hamilton is attempting to show us a side of Rome that was previously unseen. She uses these stories to try and explain what the ideas, attitudes and beliefs are that make up the “Roman Way.”
Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was one of the most outstanding leaders in history. He was the first ruler of the Romano-Hellenic civilization and achieved his goals with great success throughout his life of 56 years. He was assassinated by the conspirators, who accused him of practicing tyranny. This essay will discuss whether it was right for the conspirators to murder Caesar and what its consequences were. The conspirators were wrong to kill Julius Caesar because he contributed to the upturn and reformation of Rome into an orderly state.
Bibliography1. "Augustus." Encyclopedia Britannica. 1997 2. Grant, Michael. The World of Rome. New York: Mentor books, 19603. Foster, Genevieve. Augustus Caesar's World. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947.
Calpurnia attempts to scare Caesar into staying at the house instead of going to the Capitol. She begins with ethos to establish her credibility and justify her concerns. Calpurnia “never stood on ceremonies”, but now they “fright her,” juxtaposing that the omens never scared her, but are frightening enough that she now is attentive to them. Because women were not as powerful in Rome, Calpurnia further credits her argument by including the “watch.” Using selection of detail, Calpurnia Even the guards, who are men, have seen the strange events, and they are scared. Since even men are scared, it should implicate to Caesar that he should be scared as well. Calpurnia sees a lioness, an image, normally associated with strength and courage, “whelp[ing] in the streets.” The lioness is essentially crying, scared of something. Caesar is also strong, but should be scared as well. When ethos fails to impact Caesar, Calpurnia switches to using pathos to try and scare Caesar. “Fierce fiery warriors [fighting] upon the clouds,” is an image that connotes war. In war, there is death and Caesar should be afraid of death. Calpurnia uses the image of “drizzled blood upon the Capitol,” connoting death, scaring Caesar of what is to come if he chooses to go to th...
Julius Caesar's increasing power is perceived as a threat to the Republic of Rome and its people, and his strong desire for success evokes government officials to abhor Caesar as well as to attempt to limit his control over Rome, proving the theme great political ambition breeds great political enmity. For example, Marullus and Flavius, followers of Pompey, are disgusted at the crowd of commoners "rejoic[ing] in [Caesar's] triumph" (JC.1.1.32). The capricious crowd diverts from being devoted to Pompey, the rival of Caesar, to commemorating Caesar’s success, causing Marullus and Flavius to become agitated at the crowd and also at Caesar. Marullus and Flavius fear Caesar’s rising power, and his ambition, which is perceived as power-hungry, causes the duo to become furious at Caesar because they do not want Pompey's adversary to become successful politically. The pair, loyal to Pompey, despise and mistrust Caesar for being ambitious, and for having an ability to sway the citizens of Rome to favor him. Therefore, they try to hinder him from being too powerful. The fickle nature of ...
Alvin B. Kernan. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009. Print.
4)Rosenstein, Nathan Stewart., and Robert Morstein-Marx. A Companion to the Roman Republic. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2006. Print.
The primary function of monumental portraits in Ancient Rome was to honor political figures of power through repeating social and political themes. The Romans expressed these themes through a form of “realism”. Relics of this era were found depicting the elderly conservative nobility that lived through civil disruptions and war, elaborately individualized through detail of the face expression. Through the features of grimacing heaviness, wrinkles, and effects of old age, the Romans were able to express the reality of their political situation felt by the people whose faces were sculptured into stone. Furthermore, Nodelman discusses the use of sculpture portraits to depict the ideology behind Roman conservative aristocracy. Artists would portray the virtues of gravitas, dignities, and fides, through the use to physical expression and symbolic meaning, rather than through words. A statue of Augustus, for instance, displays the militaristic, powerful, godly perception of the conservative ideology through the use of symbolic detail. The decorative, rich, military outfit on Augustus, represents the power of the military and Augustus’s role as imperator in it. The freely held masculine arm and pointing gesture towards the horizon are Rome’s expanding dreams, clashing with the overall powerful and sturdy stance of the body. The bare feet bring about the impression
Julius Caesar was a strong leader of the Romans who changed the course of the history for the Roman world decisively and irreversibly. With his courage and strength, he created a strong empire and guided the empire for almost 20 years. His life was short, but had many adventures. I will tell of some of this man’s remarkable life. He did many things, therefore, I will only discuss a few. His name, part of his reign, one of his greatest battles, and his death will be told.
The river tore through the earth like a hungry worm, ripping its way to the ocean. Along the shore of the river stood an army’s camp, the war tents and gathering tents stood well-kept, but empty. Not a soul could be found in the camp, even the lowly camp followers had left. The men who inhabited the camp stood on a small hill nearby, they encircled the base of the hill as a man on top read a letter. “The Senate and People of Rome address you, Gaius Julius, and the men under your service.
He is so motivated by ambition that he decides to kill Caesar, the leader of Rome. Although dedication can be a good quality, in Cassius, it blinds him to all other things and makes him ruthless in his quest to rule Rome. Cassius’s desire for power is evident when he states, "Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings" (1.2.146-148). Cassius’ ambition leads him to go as far as to convince a dear friend with manipulation and false notes to help him plot to kill Caesar. His ambition makes him power hungry and he lacks the honor to back up his overzealous behavior. Cassius envies Caesar and because of this he resorts to bribery, assassinations, and imposing taxes for personal