Cicero: a Writer, Statesman, Orator and Philosopher

Born Marcus Tullius Cicero in Arpinum (Italy) in 106 BC, he became a writer, statesman, orator and philosopher. He loved politics and he wrote only when he could not participate in government. He had a motto which he constantly strived for: to always be the best and over top the rest.


Cicero had a high political career in Rome for that time as winning elections were almost always exclusively controlled by a group of wealthy aristocratic families. Cicero’s family was not one of them. Lacking this advantage there were essentially only two career options open to him; a military career, he was no soldier and hated war, or a career in law. He prepared for this by studying jurisprudence, rhetoric and philosophy. Then he began taking part in legal cases could lead to a career in law and did lead to political success.


He proved to be excellent orator and lawyer and a shrewd politician. He was elected to each of the principal Roman offices on his first try at the earliest legal age and was now a member of the Roman senate but could only offer advice. Advice that would almost always be followed. But the Roman government was not a democracy but more of an oligarchy with only a few men wielding all economic and political power.


During his term as consul in 63BC he was responsible for exposing the conspiracy of Catiline. Catiline was a plan to take over the Roman state by force. Cicero had the five conspirators put to death without trial. He became proud of this as well as other events, he claimed that he single-handedly saved the commonwealth. He enjoyed his wide spread popularity, but this popularity and the events over the Catiline conspiracy had also made him many enemies which began a new trial. This trial included a propose of a law which was applied immediately. It stated that anyone who killed a Roman citizen without trial would be striped of their citizenship and forced to exile. This began attacks and riots on Cicero who fled the city. Cicero was...