Marcus Tullius Cicero

830 Words2 Pages

Marcus Tullius Cicero

"We are in bondage to the law in order that we may be set free"

Marcus Tullius Cicero came into philosophical fame during the Roman Republic era. At a very young age, Cicero, who came from a modest home, made it his ambition to hold a high political position in Rome. Unfortunately, his middle class ancestry restricted his ability in achieving his goals. As a result he sought a military position to gain authority. Cicero proved to be an ineffective soldier, which gradually lead him to select a career in law. In 63 B.C. he moved up in the Roman oligarchy by acquainting himself with many politicians who aided him in obtaining the title of "consul", the highest Roman office. In three years an effective rebel occurred against the Republic from the First Triumvirate of Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus. They seized control of the Senate and enforced the ideals of the Roman Empire. Cicero was meant to be included because of his influence, but he clung to the old Republic ideals, which lead to his exile, and he was forbidden to take part in politics. During his exile, Cicero furthered his studies in philosophy for a year. Cicero still dreamed of the reincarnation of the old Republic, and wrote about the republic and on laws. During this time, it is most likely that the above quote was uttered.

Philosophy and jurisprudence were directly related in Cicero's studies. His studies included his despise of the Roman lifestyle, which consisted of low morals and disrespect for life. This lifestyle built the foundation for the laws that were set to keep Rome in order. Cicero's quote that in order to be truly content and limitless to the world, citizens must abide by the laws made by the Senate. "We are in bondage to the law..." suggests that as a group, the citizens of Rome were slaves to a greater influence, the laws that made Rome an exceptional kingdom. The laws made by the Senate were made to respect and protect the foundation of Rome and the interests of its people, "...in order that we may be set free." Cicero implies that, if the citizens of Rome follow the laws, they will be able to live their lives without being looked down upon by the rest of the citizens who follow the laws. In Cicero's political career, he held an important position in the Senate and was greatly respected.

Show More
Related

  • Marcus Brutus: An Honorable Man

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brutus, Honorable Man Brutus, an honorable conspirator? Honorable is defined as genuine, truthful and displaying integrity, while a conspirator is defined as one that engages in an agreement to commit an illegal or wrongful act. Anyone can clearly see that these two words do not belong together. There are also other reasons why Brutus should not be considered honorable. In the play, three distinct acts can be recalled.

    Read More

  • Obama the Marxist

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    To achieve these goals a good Marxist builds a totalitarian government using his strongest pillar, class warfare. Obama spends every waking moment in and out of the Oval Office injecting another dose of collectivism and government dependency. Not a day passes and not a speech airs that the President fails to spew his poisonous hatred toward the successful, financially secure members of American society. It is unimportant to Obama these people create the jobs that support the nation and the gove...

    Read More

  • Brutus is a Good Leader in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

    332 Words  | 1 Pages

    Caesar presently had. Brutus is a supporter of the republic government. Brutus says, " We

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Julis Caesar by William Shakespeare

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...r, despite the ridicule, the plebeians continue to celebrate Caesar, supporting his ultimate rise to power. This suggests that although powerful roman citizens may disagree, the common peoples’ opinion outweighs all. Another instance when power of speech is portrayed is during Brutus and Mark Antony’s speeches after Caesar’s death. After Brutus’ speech, a citizen yells, “Let him be Caesar” (3.2. 20-2), which could of swayed other plebeians to back behind Brutus. The words of one citizen could influence other’s opinions.

    Read More

  • The Roman Emperor Tiberius

    1977 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the early first century AD, the Roman Empire was subject to autocratic rule and the old Republic was long dead. Augustus had been ruling for forty years and most of that time he was loved and praised by the Senate and the people of Rome. Throughout his reign, Augustus had the one lingering problem of finding a successor to take over the role of Emperor. He had chosen 3 different heirs in his time of rule; however, they all passed before they had the chance to inherit Augustus’ esteemed power. His fourth choice, Tiberius, was the one to succeed Augustus. He was often referred to, by Augustus, as an outstanding general and the only one capable of defending Rome against her enemies. The statement, ‘Tiberius is condemned by many ancient historians (including Tacitus), and his reign is often portrayed as being detrimental to the welfare of the Roman Empire’ is invalid as he treated the senate fairly, created strong economics and security in the state and boosted the empire into an unprecedented state of prosperity. This hypothesis will be proven through this essay by analyzing factors such as Tiberius’ administration of the Empire, his relationship with the senate, his financial control, the effect of Sejanus over his rule and why were his last years as Emperor referred to as a ‘reign of terror’ by Tacitus.

    Read More

  • Worldviews In Conflict Pearcey

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy's essay, "Worldviews in Conflict," the authors evaluate the shifting culture context of today's society and how Christianity fits into this situation. The essay compares the differing views between Christianity and today's worldview, and informs the reader on how to engage today's culture. "Worldviews in Conflict" is a reliable source because its authors, audience, publication, and purpose make it

    Read More

  • Fighting For a Voice

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tired of being America’s second class citizens women throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries joined in the fight to demand increased government involvement that would give women more rights. By being the radical voice of prohibition, Francis Willard propelled this fight onward by pushing women’s issues into the political arena. Organizations such as the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) were influential forces fighting for improved working conditions of women by letting America know that unfavorable working conditions were faced not only by men but also by women. The battle for suffrage was long and strenuous, but women never gave up because as Susan B. Anthony said in 1906, “failure is impossible.” As people and ideas poured into the United States, women formed cross ethnic and class organizations to improve their rights by fighting for prohibition, labor reform, and suffrage which led to a more responsive and powerful government.

    Read More

  • The History and Identity of Christianity

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    Today, the non-Western world boasts the majority – more than 60 percent – of the globe's Christian population. Whilst some have heralded this as the beginning of Christianity’s transformation from a primarily European religion to a truly global religion, others have noted that it is actually a reflection of the earlier demographic situation: Christians of the Global South were in the majority for the first 900 years of Christian history. “Christianity was born in Africa and Asia, and in our lifetimes, it is going home.”

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Agriculture On The Human Race

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is easy to respond to Diamond 's argument that the agricultural revolution was "the worst mistake in the history of the human race" with a defensive attitude based on what diamond calls the "progressivist perspective." This perspective counters with the idea that agriculture was an essential development in the history of the human race. The "progressivist perspective" is what modern American 's have been taught and conditioned to believe in order to support and defend our current way of life; making it the default argument. The basic problem with both of these theories is they are both absolutes and adopting strictly one or the other leads to polarization, and fails to acknowledge the multiple variables that led to the institution of agriculture, but also the variables contributed to the consequences attributed to the adoption of agriculture. Both theories also superficially suggest that agriculture was a direct conscious choice independent of evolution and the changing environment. When considering the impact of agriculture on the human race, as with most things, the answer likely lies somewhere in the middle and must be considered in relation to the changing environment. There is a benefit and a cost to every choice. Choices are complex responses made to people, places, circumstances, and conditions. Considering these facts, the agricultural revolution can neither be considered completely good or completely bad, but rather both and detrimental to its development.

    Read More

  • Neolithic Revolution

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before the land of what we no class Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and other countries in the middle east grains, such as wheat and wild barley, could be seen growing in the wild without human hand to cultivate and nurture it (Authors 2007). Over time, humans began to recognize the benefit of the plants and began the first signs of human agriculture. The skill of farming took time and trial and error, but along the way, humans began to settle down to tend to their crops. Though the first crops were nothing more than seed s thrown about without rhyme or reason to the process we know today such as fields having, rows and sorting out the seeds to create a higher yield each harvest (Authors 2007). Because of the trial and error process, agriculture of plants did not take place of a short period but took many, many years to evolve to what we know today as agriculture; the new fa...

    Read More

  • Free Antigone Essays: The Human Condition

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I did not intend to pay, before the gods,/for breaking these laws/because of my fear of one man and his principles.”

    Read More

  • Chapter 12: The Christian Church

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lynn Malone, is currently the senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Monroe, Louisiana. On June 13, 2008, Malone gave a homily that entailed a very key component of the Christian faith, the church. In this homily, the main concept of the homily is the church as being one whole entity. Throughout the homily, numerous examples are given that exemplify this concept. I will be discussing two themes more in depth throughout this paper, the Christian Church as one entity, and the universality of Christianity and Christ’s teachings.

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, the story revolves around the various individuals who would vie for control of the Roman Empire. All of these individuals exhibit various attributes, values, and techniques in order to facilitate this goal, from Cassius’ intelligence, Brutus’ charm and honor, to Antony’s gift to drive a crowd. And although all three desire to become the new strongman leader of Rome, it is Antony who succeeds gaining the most control through his own specific talents, most specifically noted at Caesar’s funeral. At the funeral scene, Antony exhibits several qualities beneficial to a Roman leader, such as oratory and appeasement skills. The dialogue depicted in Act III, scene ii provides a valuable and insightful perspective on how these values were desirable for leadership in the late Roman Republic.

    Read More

  • The Impact of Video Games

    1637 Words  | 4 Pages

    Video games are a popular form of entertainment in today’s society. People of every age play video games during their spare time, whether it is on console or computer. Video games now come in the form of millions of different categories and titles. Video game companies will do anything possible so that each game appeals to its audience. This makes a strong connection between people and video games. Video games are known to be time consuming and addicting. Games are also designed to be enjoyable for hours and have some sort of replay value. It causes people to excessively play video games and result in negative side effects. Excessively playing video games cause people to be socially inept, have aggressive behavior, and develop personality issues.

    Read More

  • The Neolithic Agrarian Revolution

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Neolithic Agrarian Revolution was the world’s first historically confirmable revolution in agriculture. It was the progression of many human cultures from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement, which was supported with a big increasing population. This agriculture involved the domestication of plants and animals, which developed around 9,500 B.C. During this age various types of plants and animals derived in different locations all over the world. It converted the small groups of hunters and gatherers into more intelligent agricultural people. Those groups then formed into sedentary societies that built towns and villages, while they also altered they natural environment around them by food-crop fertilization. Therefore, allowing them to have an abundance for their food production. Just these few developments have provided high population density settlements, complex labor diversification, trading economics, the development of portable art, architecture, culture, centralized administrations and political structures, hierarchical ideologies, and systems of knowledge.

    Read More

More about Marcus Tullius Cicero

Open Document