Catiline Orations

The author of "First Oration Against Catiline" is Marcus Tullius Cicero, and his entire speech is directed at Lucius Sergius Catilina (known in the piece simply as Catiline). Cicero's orations are a response to Catiline's conspiracy to overthrow Rome, and Cicero is in strong disagreement with this plan. Thus, Cicero's motivation in delivering the oration is the drive to thwart Catiline's plot and prevent future conspiracies in this vein. Cicero's main point in the "First Oration Against Catiline" is that Catiline has committed far too many crimes against the country and must receive a proper punishment: exile. Cicero reports that Catiline has now attacked the whole state openly and called for its destruction, so he must be punished, but he…

The Campaigns of Alexander the Great by Arrian is easily comparable to The Funeral Oration of Pericles by Thucydides since these two primary sources exemplify the maximum power of the pre-Roman leaders in antiquity. Alexander the Great and Pericles both had complete authority and admiration of their men, but both likewise encountered troubling periods amongst their men. In the case of Alexander, his kinsmen were far from home, and were questioning why they persisted to fight under, and with,…

Marcus Tullius Cicero, a consul for the Roman senate, addressed the citizens of Rome promptly following Lucius Catiline’s exile in what is now known as the Second Catilinarian Oration. In this public oration, Cicero attempts to persuade the Roman citizens and the Senators that he is a more favorable leader than Catiline, while threatening those Catiline supporters who cannot be persuaded with words or violence. Through Cicero’s skilled use of rhetoric, Cicero is not only slighting Catiline, but…