Cicero: Politics and Persuasion in Ancient Rome

by Kathryn Tempest

As the greatest Roman orator of his time, Cicero delivered over one hundred speeches in the law courts, in the senate and before the people of Rome. He was also a philosopher, a patriot and a private man. While his published speeches preserve scandalous accounts of the murder, corruption and violence that plagued Rome in the first century BC, his surviving letters give an exceptional glimpse into Cicero's own personality and his reactions to events as they unravelled around him – events, he thought, which threatened to destabilize the system of government he loved and establish a tyranny over Rome. From his rise to power as a self-made man, Cicero's career took him through the years of Sulla, and the civil war between Pompey and Caesar, to his own last fight against Mark Antony.Drawing chiefly on Cicero's speeches and letters, as well as the most recent scholarship, Kathryn Tempest presents a new, highly readable narrative of Cicero's life and times from his rise to prominence until his brutal death. Including helpful features such as detailed chronological tables, a glossary, a guide to Greek and Roman authors and maps, the volume balances background and contextual information with analysis and explanation of Cicero's works. Organized chronologically and according to some of his most famous speeches, Cicero will appeal to anyone with an interest in Roman history, oratory and politics in the ancient world. This accessible yet comprehensive guide provides a thorough introduction to this key ancient figure, his works and influence, and the troubled political times in which he operated.

Genres: Roman History, Biography, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Ancient History

432 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Kathryn Tempest is senior lecturer in Latin literature and Roman history, University of Roehampton, and author of Cicero: Politics and Persuasion in Ancient Rome. She lives in Surrey, UK.

Reviews

[Eoin M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't never not enjoy something about this fella. Would've enjoyed more of a discussion of his legacy (i.e. as a translator, correspondent, political theorist etc) rather than just an account that largely begins and ends with his life.

[Maan Kawas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about Cicero and his time, I highly recommend!!!!

[Mark Hebwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is testimony to Robert Harris' the excellent trilogy on Cicero (Imperium / Lustrum / Dictator) that I did not get much new from this book. Of course, this is not Kathryn's fault, and I think as a standalone work on Cicero, it is informative, well-structured and a good read. Still, I'd say you get as much on Cicero's life from Robert's trilogy, and as it is fiction, his books are an easier read. I'd possibly recommend to read this non-fiction text as a 'prequel' to the Cicero trilogy, for those who have the time.

[Peter Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor old Cicero was an idealist who supported the Republic while many in the Roman establishment had turned their back on it forever in favour of personal ambition, wealth, revenge and greed.

I can't help but think he was essentially an honourable man whose belief in his nation and its place in the world far exceeded what it was able to offer him in return.

In many ways Cicero's story is one of an exceptionally gifted orator, politician, lawyer, thinker and writer whose seemingly infinite potential was continuously curtailed by tragedy both in his personal life and career.

Kathryn Tempest deals with him in a largely sympathetic and sensitive way though does not duck his flaws either. This is important, for Cicero was as human as any of us, and sometimes when reading about someone's life it's reassuring to have that pointed out.

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a man of extraordinary talent and renown in a chaotic, challenging and changing environment in Rome. He was a man of his time who died wearing his heart on his sleeve and I have nothing but admiration for him.

A very well written book indeed and one I'd recommend to anyone who has even a passing interest in the incredible history of ancient Rome. 9/10

[rachel selene · Rating 4 out of 5]

i've been wrangling over this review for a couple of days and still i don't know what to say that i haven't said before!! it's been 2000+ years and cicero still looms so large as a personality in any book written about him. i know that a lot people dislike him for a variety of reasons but i am not one of those people, and i can only walk away feeling very fond of him despite (or maybe because of) his overbearing emotions and his mood swings and his overwhelming despair and his tendency to brag, and more than that his sheer genius. and i think kathyrn tempest GETS that sentiment and it comes across beautifully here. this is really such an excellent biography and i think it also accomplishes something that can be quite difficult, which is situating a personal life within the larger context of politics & society.

[Elly · Rating 4 out of 5]

whilst i already knew quite a bit about cicero (having studied him at a-level), this book was written simply and clearly, yet still with character, and had brilliant structure and composition.

a few of my favourite facts include:

- when cicero was 14, he wrote a poem called "the sea god glaucus"

- verres was killed in the same proscriptions as cicero, and therefore cicero's life ended alongside the man from his first major trial, the case that made his name huge

- cicero's final surviving letter to atticus ends with, "adsum igitur." it means, "i am present."

[Paul Waring · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far and away the best general book I’ve read on Cicero. Sufficiently accessible for a general audience, but backed by footnotes and a bibliography for anyone wishing to dig deeper into the subject.

[Chen Xiong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read Cicero biography. good as a start of knowing how this most talented Roman orator suffered the most chaotic but extremely interesting period of the late republic.

[Adam Levitan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting to learn about the context Cicero gives modern politics and its figures

[Derrick Jeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cicero was "the name of eloquence," at least according to the Roman rhetorician Quintilian. And reading Tempest's book on Cicero you have to agree with Quintilian. Tempest doesn't provide a comprehensive look into Cicero's life, rather she highlights the Roman statesman's and orator's life as it touched primarily on his politics and his career as a public speaker.

For one looking for a simple (but not simplistic) overview of Cicero's life and the history of the Roman republic's fall into imperial tyranny then Tempest's book is a good choice.

[Julian King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if this book adds much to what is already known of Cicero - I can't think of anything I actually learned from it.

But that doesn't mean it isn't a welcome addition to the bibliography: Cicero's life and career are treated along clear lines in accessible language and bite-sized chunks, perfectly suitable for sixth form students.

Anyone studying (or teaching) the AQA AS course on the Life and Times of Cicero will benefit from an acquaintance with this book.

[Michael Baranowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cicero is one of my, well 'heroes' is a bit strong, but I certainly admire him. Kathryn Tempest's biography isn't as compelling as Anthony Everitt's, nor as wonderful to read as Anthony Trollope's (at least if you're a Trollope fan, as I most definitely am) but it's good writing for the general reader coming from an academic - which is more than I can say for most academic writing.

[Jess Grayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Beginners Guide to Cicero + his speeches

[Robert Denecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent written, on of my favourite history books.