Cato: A Tragedy and Selected Essays

by Joseph Addison

The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars.
Western literary study flows out of eighteenth-century works by Alexander Pope, Daniel Defoe, Henry Fielding, Frances Burney, Denis Diderot, Johann Gottfried Herder, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and others. Experience the birth of the modern novel, or compare the development of language using dictionaries and grammar discourses.
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The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:
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Source Library: Cambridge University Library

ESTCID: T192044

Notes:

Imprint: Aberdeen : printed for, and sold by A. Thomson, 1750. Collation: 62,[2]p. ; 8°

Genres: Classics, Plays, Fiction, Drama, Philosophy, Literature, Poetry

ebook

First published January 1, 1712

About the author

English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician.

Reviews

[Sean OConnor · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does it mean to be a virtuous citizen in a republic?
America’s founding father’s were designing a system of government in reaction to the English Monarchy. They studied political theorists from Aristotle to Locke. And it was the history of the Roman republic, and it’s decline into tyranny, that guided many of the decisions that were made about the framing of our government.
Cato: A Tragedy, by Joseph Addison, was one of the most popular plays during the American Revolution. Ben Franklin copied it out by hand. Patrick Henry adapted portions of the play to form his famous speech – “Give me liberty of give me death.” And George Washington quoted lines from the play to rally troops on the battlefield.
Why did this play command so much mind share?
Virtue.
Cato gave his life in an attempt to save Rome and the Senate from a tyrant – Caesar. He would rather take his own life than see the republic fall. Cato epitomized virtue, he was selfless, never compromising, and devoted to the public. Many political theorists believe that public virtue is the foundational habit of a republic. And in their private letters, both Washington and Hamilton cite Cato’s example as helping them to overcome their shortcomings and set the baseline for how leaders in a republic should act. This play catalyzed the spread, across America’s and England’s middle classes, of a culture of civic responsibility.
In this play the greatest thread to liberty (and the virtuous Cato) is a popular figure who appeals to the masses with bribes, promises, and charisma.
Unsurprisingly, Addison wove in Stoic philosophy throughout his play. Cato exemplifies the Stoic ideal. He is intensely logical, has control over his emotions, and fights for his ideals. Cato has an unwavering commitment to his principles and the standards of the Roman Republic.
Cato isn’t the easiest book to read. The English is antiquated, and I often found myself spending an hour here or there in the wikipedia rabbit hole while I brushed up on my history to gain the historical context for the play.
While I was reading this play I couldn’t help to draw parallels to the current leader of the American Republic. How would our founding father’s judge his virtues? Which of our senators would be willing to stand up and commit suicide (career or otherwise) to defend the sanctity of our government?

[Michael O'Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit on the dry side. Lots of dialogue, not much action. Some of the dialogue, at least to modern ears, seems overwrought and melodramatic ---- which is probably due to 18th Century's plays' need to evince emotion and feeling on stages without sound systems or special effects.

So, why did I bother reading this? Joseph Addison's "Cato" reportedly was one of George Washington's favorite plays. During the Continental Army's stay at Valley Forge, Washington had the play presented for the entertainment of his troops, and, reportedly, they much enjoyed it as well. I wanted to see what Washington liked about it.

And, while I personally could not get engaged in "Cato", by reading it, I do understand much better why Washington liked it. The protagonist, Cato, is the last of the Roman senators remaining, still fighting against Rome's descent into despotism and tyranny under a victorious Julius Caesar, and he is a man who places duty to country above personal gain ---- a value that George Washington cultivated throughout his life, his command, and his Presidency. A man of Roman values, Cato values freedom and rule of law over the cheap trifles and pay-offs of tyrants and rule by force. Given the sentiments of the Founding Fathers, including Washington, they naturally saw an ideal hero in Cato -- a man who, in the play, fought to the bitter end for his beliefs in liberty and democracy.

In the play, Cato's last ditch resistance against Caesar is undermined and, ultimately, ruined by the treacherous Syphax; in turn, snuffing out the last remaining embers of Roman republicanism. Ironically, Washington's own resistance via the Continental Army was also very nearly destroyed by none other than Benedict Arnold as well as by Tory sympathizers in New York, New Jersey, and the Carolinas. Fortunately, for America and the world, unlike Cato, Washington did prevail in his fight for freedom, rule of law, and democracy.

[Jazmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

As other reviews have pointed out, this was rather dry. Just a lot of dialogue and plotting and political stuff. It was kind of boring, and I never connected with any of the characters. But I still appreciate it, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

[Jeremy Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

To the extent that one might order and read this text for the same reasons I did, to snatch an unadulterated view of the Cato tragedy that so infused and inspired men of the revolutionary era, I must confess that Cato was the least interesting part of the text. And frankly, if not for the many selected essays that adorn these pages, I might have given Cato itself a two-star rating. The play feels weathered down by an unnecessary love story between melodramatic characters whose focus, under the circumstances of the Caesar-level moment Addison is writing, ought to be less distracted by fickle and fleeting emotions. Nevertheless, Addison’s essays take up far more of this book than the play and are, on their own, a treat of early 18th Century political theory, a chance to read, as it were, a classic Dear Abby column, published for the purpose of encouraging its readers toward politeness and social morality, for the good of all. If the modern reader thinks of Joseph Addison as a playwright, they’ll probably be disappointed and bored, but if they think of him as a once-respected blogger of sorts, someone with a large audience of civil readers, one might better grasp, through his essays, a sense for what really inspired the American Founders, or the King of England himself, since Addison offered reasonable arguments in favor of both sides, long before they were caught up in any kind of revolutionary or rebellious conflict.

[Mary Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read Cato online. I did not read this edition or any other of Joseph Addison's essays, so I cannot review them.

I read Cato for the reason that many do, it was George Washington's favorite play. Apparently he saw it so many times, he quoted much of it verbatim. (Reminds me of youth today quoting favorite movies).

I am so glad I read it. It gives an insight into Washington and his love of freedom, and why he would persevere through a war that at all odds should not have been won. I share this love of freedom. I share Cato's love of freedom. I don't know that I am as valiant or brave as these men, but I hope so. Freedom is more precious than life to me.

Cato and Juba are heroes for the free man, for the cause of liberty. And they were real men. These are lives that actually happened and mattered. I'm grateful that we have these examples to follow.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and powerful, it is easy to see why Cato was especially popular among the founding fathers during the Revolutionary War. The play's recurring themes of freedom, loyalty, and honor, would obviously have carried a lot of weight when actors performing for the Continental Army claimed that even a moment of liberty is worth dying for or what pity it is that we only have one life to give for our country. I think the devotion that Cato had to his honor and country is worth noting, appreciating, and emulating even though more than 300 years have passed since the play was first performed. Definitely would recommend.

[Tony Segreto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to read Cato, as this was likely inspirational in the creation of the United States. Addison's strong prose and additional essays contributed to the formation of such minds as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson. Though in reading through the play, much of it was lost on me due to the stylistic rendition of the story, on top of an already aging parlance of the 1700's. Addison's essays were a bit easier to read (less rhyming!) and had some good nuggets, but still overall struck me as a bit dry. Though the story of Cato is still compelling, it felt less impressive reading it 300 years later.

[Greyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only read Cato, A Tragedy and not closely at that, for the same reason I expect everyone does at this point: while reading about the American Revolution some author (in this case, B. Bobrick) mentions it as a key artistic prelude to Washington's struggle.

Glad to have it checked off for historical merit and a refresher on how to read old text. However at this point I'd rather read the fleshed out writings of the so-called founding fathers instead of an outdated allegory.

[Susan Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Popular during the American revolution. General Washington had the play put on for his soldiers. Cato and his desire for his Rome to be free from Ceasar's Rome were ringing as sympathetic with the rebels and England called them. Interested in reading and studying more after I finishing reading 1776 by David Mccullough.

[Nick Katenkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cato is a very brief drama, but effective. It's easy to see why the American founding fathers cherished Addison's play as it extols the virtue of dying for a just cause, laying down life for country, and opposing tyranny. Addison isn't Shakespeare, but there are some good quotes in the text. I enjoyed the play and was able to finish it easily in one day.

[Chancellor Fangirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The things I'll do to research a fanfic I'm planning to write...
Anyhow, this is actually an interesting play, good in its own right with some fantastic speeches, but also interesting historically as the favorite play of George Washington and the other American revolutionaries.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An over the top drama extravaganza filled with stoics, armies, love and death.

[Salomé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pope's Prologue. Wow.

[Anna Sobczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book to read in class. Very easy to see why this play was so favored by the first president and how it influenced his ideas of government.

[Aaron Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love and Freedom.

[Laurie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come to understand George Washington and his peers by reading this popular 18th century play. Roman Senator Cato exemplifies Patriotic heroism in the midst of Julius Caesar's rein of tyranny.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

rip in peace cato :(

[Loki Diakiw · Rating 2 out of 5]

the epilogue??? what the fuck

[Nolan]

Cato: 4 stars

[molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this in the library, facing a large window, on a rainy fall day, while listening to the succession soundtrack. so like overall an enjoyable experience.

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph Addison's 'Cato: A Tragedy" written in 1712 was very popular in its day and in particular with America's Founding Fathers who identified with the honour and dignity they perceived in Cato a Roman senator who would rather die than submit to what he viewed as the tyranny of Julius Caesar and the rise of the emperors.

George Washington the incorruptible general of the American Revolution, who was thought of as the father of his nation was obsessed with the play, able to quote it at length, naturally raised the status of the play with his soldiers, fellow revolutionaries, and the American public.

Cato's unquestioning principles of loyalty to the Roman Republic and his utter willingness to fight against the coming tyranny of Julius Caesar and the emperors makes him an attractive hero to American republicanism. When Cato says, "what Pity is it. That we can die but once to serve our Country! Thy Life is not thy own, where Rome demands it." you can hear John Adams proclaiming the honour of serving and willing to die for his "country", Massachusetts in the 1770s. According to historians Patrick Henry's famous line, "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!" taken from a speech in 1775 was inspired by Cato's utterance, "But Chains, or Conquest; Liberty, or Death." as he ponders the dictatorship of Julius Caesar.

Cato the role model, many of the founding generation used high spirited language such as is found in Addison's play when chastising British rule...

" So shall we gain still one Day's Liberty;
And let me perish, but, in Cato's Judgement,
A Day, an Hour of virtuous Liberty,
Is worth a whole Eternity in Bondage."

Cato the model for the noble American patriot who sacrifices for the future of his country...

"The firm Patriot there
(Who made the Welfare of Mankind's Care)
Tho' still, by Faction, Vice, and Fortune, crost,
Shall find the gen'rous Labour was not lost....
O Liberty! O Virtue! O my Country!"

Although Joseph Addison's 'Cato: A Tragedy' is steeped in heady virtuous republicanisms and it is quite clear to see why so many of the American revolutionaries embraced its sentiments it does not stand the test of time as to the modern reader the noble sentiments do come across as rather ridiculous today. That said, if you are interested in the influences of literary works played on the founding generation of Americans it is an insightful look into what inspired them and what they enjoyed, it is a worthwhile read.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cato: A Tragedy by Joseph Addison is a play from the early eighteenth century that bridges the gap between the era of classical drama and the coming era of Romanticism. Featuring an archetypal ideal hero in Cato (the younger) who is faced with the responsibility of leading the opposition to Julius Caesar. Caesar had been methodically defeating his foes; those who blocked his path to sole leadership of the Roman Republic. Trapped at Utica in Northern Africa near Carthage, Cato with the help of his sons and a very few friends must decide what to do. The drama is not suspenseful for anyone who knows his Roman History is aware of how it ends, but it does provide a platform for delineating the character of Cato and in doing so shed light on the culture of Rome.
The defining characteristic of Cato's character is virtue. That is virtue in the classical sense, true goodness and beauty and courage, that can be found in the works of Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero. It is the sort of virtue that leads his friend, Juba, to comment in the second act:
"I'll hence, and try to find
Some blest occasion that may set me right
In Cato's thoughts. I'd rather have that man
Approve my deeds, than worlds for my admirers."

While in the final act Cato's son, Marcus, says:
"He is all goodness, Lucia, always mild,
Compassionate, and gentle to his friends."

As he nears his death Cato turns to the Phaedo of Plato, meditating on the death of Socrates and the possibility of the immortality of the soul. Addison's play is as inspirational today as it was in eighteenth century America when the leaders of the Revolutionary War read it and shared the ideal of virtue embodied in this drama.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Addison's Cato sucks. This is one of those where audiences of the day knew the ending before the play began, and Addison adds so much stoicism to it that it is almost utterly lacking in any real emotional depth. And even though I knew how this play was going to end, I still would like to rewrite after the style of Hamlet.

That being said, Addison's essay are pretty well spot on. For the class I read this for we are looking at writing that led to the 1st Amendment. Addison foresaw every. single. problem America is facing right now. Every. Single. One. He predicted the problems we are having with a two-party system. He talks about how man becomes a tyrant and how a tyrant acts. By the time I finished the essays I was assigned, I was convinced that Addison was a prophet. Skip the crappy play, read the essays (I can't believe I just typed a recommendation for essays).

[Spectre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of writings by Englishman Joseph Addison (1672-1719) were penned at a time of upheaval in England as he sought civil solutions through personal honor, integrity and Christian conduct. His writings obviously influenced America's founders as his views appear in the United States' Declaration of Independence and Constitution and, for the modern reader interested in the development of our republic government, seems to be a nice supplement to The Federalist Papers. As for the play Cato, which General Washington had his troops perform during their winter at Valley Forge, it was the perfect medium for entertainment, morale, and civic instruction. (I can only imagine the catcalls and jests leveled at the young soldiers assigned to play the roles of Marcia and Lucia). Obviously, this is not a "fast" read but it is one that all elected officials should try to live by no matter their political orientation.

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1983:]. Not sure which edition I read. I found this more sympathetic and more genuinely dramatic than I had expected. Although Cato's stoic virtues, insistence on public over private duties, and somewhat wilful suicide are scarcely likely to appeal to any woman, yet the "private" scenes were handles with considerable skill; each of the young ladies had two male admirers, one of whom had to be despatched; and there was a "treason" plot to give some life to Cato's otherwise rather wooden virtue. In language, metre, etc. the play was very reminiscent of the Shakespearian Roman plays, although without the looser, vernacular scenes which provide such necessary relief. (It's also much shorter).

[Patricia Welker]

George Washington's favorite author, Joseph Addison allowed me to start to understand the highly self-sacrificing aspect of George Washington's life. As an old person I can see that the authors and artists that fueled our youthful passions determined which forks in the path we pursued. I found out about Joseph Addison from "Martha Washington" at Mount Vernon. She deserves a PBS special.

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cato is an interesting play, but the critical work on it really opens the play up to a whole new level. When considered in the context of Republicanism versus Liberalism and a British view compared to an American view there are a whole host of things to discuss.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting tragedy showing how a human being can be so stubborn that he would rather die than oblige to a few concessions by his benevolent enemies. Another depiction of human pride and futility.

[Forrest Scott Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever Cato is giving a crusty speech it's pretty cracking. Otherwise lots of confusing romantic subplots that don't really gel or ever deign to give the appearance of being relevant to anything really.

[Aaron Crofut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play gets three stars for being historically important and for being a compendium of amazing quotes. It does prove that a story is more than the summation of one liners, however. Not much of an arc. Still, I wouldn't turn people away from this short work.