Life of Cicero
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Plutarch has always been one of the most popular Classical authors. Diversity and importance of theme, flexibility and richness of style, descriptive and narrative flair, intellectual breadth and penetration, moral seriousness allied to warmth and humanity these are some of the many sources of his appeal. His Life of Cicero is one of his greatest works. It is a valuable historical document, largely based on contemporary sources, and it preserves important information about events in 63 and 43 B.C.; it also gives a perceptive analysis of Cicero's character and psychology and achieves tragic depth and grandeur. This new edition is addressed to a wide audience, from first-time readers to specialists. A full introduction explores the many different facets of Plutarch's art. The translation maintains the word patterns of the original, thus bringing the Greekless reader closer than ever before to the essential qualities of Classical literature. The commentary combines historical documentation with literary and philosophical discussion. Greek text with facing translation, commentary and notes.
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The Life of Cicero by Plutarch
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I read this for the Online Great Books program.
Cicero has held a conflicted position throughout history. He was a gifted orator, writer, and thinker. His lost text, Hortensius turned St. Augustine towards the direction of philosophy. His philosophical writing have inspired generations. Yet, Mortimer Adler left his writings completely out of the Great Books. Cicero was close, but didn't make the cut.
Cicero's life in Rome was like that. Cicero was another prodigy of the terminal stage of the Roman Republic. He was the advocate people went to when it mattered. Cicero was an outsider - a new man - who made his way up the slippery ladder of Roman offices to the position of consul. Cicero's time as consul coincided with the Catiline conspiracy. The Catiline Conspiracy was like January 6, but real, or maybe it was as real as January 6, according to some takes on the issue. Plutarch does not seem to think that the Catiline Conspiracy was anything other than a real threat to the Roman Republic. Forces within Rome planned on murdering the Consuls and members of the Senate at the same time that Rome was threatened by a Roman-led military force. Cicero used all of his powers of persuasion to protect the Roman Republic for one last moment. For his efforts, at the behest of Cato, Cicero was named “father of his country.”
After that moment of glory, Cicero's quest for glory made him something of a joke. All factions wanted him on their side, but he would give himself to no faction. He would side with Pompey and then Caesar. One side or the other was going to win, but all Cicero got out of the situation was a reputation for being irrelevant and indecisive.
At the end, his fate was determined by the fact that his indecision had made him irrelevant. When Antony and Octavian got around to the serious business of proscription lists, Antony wanted the head and hands of the orator who had so viciously denounced him. Octavian initially defended Cicero, but ultimately gave Cicero up in a petty trade.
