OCR Classical Civilisation A Level Components 32 and 33
Notes on: - courtroom setting, partial delivery & subsequent publication of Verrine speeches, form, structure and style of Roman legal oratory - including devices such as anaphora, apostrophe, tricolon and hyperbole, ways in which the speech is typical of Roman rhetorical practice, themes of corrup...
- 70 BC
- Forensic legal oratory
- Judge – Manius Acilius Glabrio
- Prosecution lawyer – Marcus Tullius cicero
- Defence lawyer – quintus Hortensius hortalus
- Accused – Gaius Verres
- Alleged crime – extortion of 400,000 sesterces from province of Sicily during his governship from 73-
71
- Location – extortion court, Rome
- Outcome – Verres found guilty but fled Rome before trial was concluded and lived out his life in exile
- Only 1st two speeches delivered
- Focus – responsibility of jury, details Verres’ early crimes before and during his office as governor
Reveals ways Verres and his supporters had tried to pervert the course of justice
- Significance – cicero establishes his fame in Rome by successfully prosecuting an extremely wealthy
member of the nobiles who is defended by the leading orator of the time
Setting, delivery and publication – in verrem 1
- Cicero had established a name for himself in the pro roscio amerino trial in 80
Successfully defended Roscius against a charge of parricide
- Had since married and acquired some wealth, elected as questor
- Served quaestorship in Sicily – earned reputation for fairness and thoroughness
- Sicilians sent embassies to Rome to ask cicero to plead their case against Verres and his
maladministration of the province
- Was to be delivered in the permanent court in Rome specifically for cases of extortion
- Verres’ fame and his defence counsel – guaranteed to draw a large crowd of public spectators
- Around same time as public festival to celebrate Pompey’s military success in the east
Perfect place for cicero to showcase his oratorical and rhetorical talent and further raise his
profile
- Cicero was a novus homo and had no significant political network
Would be reliant on oratorical skills of persuasion to sway jury and judge on day of delivery of
speech
- Verres created setbacks deliberately against cicero
- Cicero acquired an overwhelming amount of evidence and witnesses – devastating effect for Verres
- Hortensius – advised Verres to leave Rome in voluntary exile immediately
He did & case was won by cicero without giving the rest of the speeches he had prepared
- Achieved a number of personal aims
Oratorical prestige became acclaimed
Within senate – cicero’s views were now to be called upon earlier in debates
Had significantly extended his client base
Notably elevated his dignitas in public life in Rome
- Married his personal ambition with his political ideals
Cicero clearly states his political position, fights for the status quo and traditional roman values,
elevates optimates and senate back to stats he felt they both had rights to and responsibilities
from
- Decision to publish speeches was not unusual – demonstrates importance he attached to them and
pride at his success
- Written version – words would be monumentalised and his status solidified in the roman public eye
- Evidence of corruption of an individual member of senate revealed and punished – gained him
political capital and credentials
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