Cicero's Speeches

In Catilinam Paper

Cicero, the masterful orator and lawyer, gave a tremendous speech against a wicked minded senator named Catiline who was planning to overthrow the government. Within the Temple of Jupiter, Cicero used many tactics to stir the senators such as reminding the senators of similar situations in the past; making them fear Catiline, connecting their situation to real life examples, and making it seem that his plans are known by everyone. With these tactics and others, Cicero effectively tries to stir the members of the senate against Catiline.

Cicero opens his speech by reminding the senators of what other high officials have done in the past. He begins with,

"What? Did not that most illustrious man, Publius Scipio, the Pontifex Maximus, in his capacity of a private citizen, put to death Tiberius Gracchus, though but slightly undermining the constitution? And shall we, who are the consuls, tolerate Catiline openly desirous to destroy the whole world with fire and slaughter?"[3]

This most powerful example illustrates the patience that Cicero has concerning Catiline's punishment. He means to say here that Tiberius Gracchus, an important private citizen, was immediately put to death by the Pontifex Maximus for only slightly breaking the law. Because of that, Cicero, a dictator, questions the senators if there is any reason that Catiline should not be killed. If a man is punished by death by the Pontifex Maximus for barely breaking the law, why should a man who desires to destroy the whole world with fire and slaughter not be killed by a dictator who is supposed to protect the government? He then explains himself when he says, "Caius Servilius Ahala with his own hand slew Spurius Maelius when plotting a revolution in the state."[3] This quote is asking the senators, "Is this not what Catiline has done? Why should he be treated any differently than our ancestors? Why not just kill him now?" With the senators now asking themselves these questions, he moves on to his next tactic.

When the senators begin to ask themselves these questions, that is not enough for Cicero. He needs a way to make the senators do something about it. He needs some way to get the senators to take action. He accomplishes this task by using fear. He states,

"A camp is pitched in Italy at the entrance of Eturia, is hostility to the republic; the number of the enemy increases every day; and yet the general of the camp, the leaders of those enemies, we see within the wallsÐ'--yes, and even in the senate,--planning some internal injury to the republic."[6]

This is yet another brilliant yet deceiving quote, no doubt putting fear into the senator's eyes. He begins by making the senators think that there is an enemy right on their doorstep by saying that they are at the, "entrance of Eturia." The senators in this case believe that Cicero is referring to the entrance right outside of Rome, but in fact, Cicero is referring to the entrance on the other side of Eturia (quite a distance from Rome). If having a huge army outside their gate isn't enough for the senators, Cicero tells them that their number increases each day. This warning has to make the senators more fearful and anxious to get rid of Catiline, for the longer they wait, the greater the enemy becomes. Then Cicero, almost not needing to place more fear in the senators, makes them fear even more. He tells the senators that it is bad enough that there is an army right "outside" the gates, but when their leader is in the interior, gathering inside information, something must be done. The senators begin to ask themselves, "What if he has our war plans? What is he knows our weaknesses?"

Cicero then tries to unite the senators, and makes Catiline believe that the senators are all "in the know" about his plans. Though most of the senators do not know exactly what his plans were, he begins by saying, "You are hemmed in on all sides; all your plans are clearer than the day to us."[7] Here Cicero makes Catiline more fearful of the senators because since the senators are not talking, be believes that they actually do know what his plans were. Also, every senator goes along with this statement because they do not know exactly how many senators, if not all the other senators, are "in the know." They follow along with what Cicero says because they do not want to be humiliated for not knowing what Catiline's plans were, like "everyone else" Cicero, being the clever man that he is, tells the senators anyway exactly what his plans were. He tells them,

"Ð'...you divided Italy into sections; you settled where every one was to go; you fixed whom you were to leave at Rome, whom you were to take with you; you portioned out the divisions of the city for conflagration; you undertook the you yourself would at once leave the city, and said that there was then only this to delay you, that I was still alive. Two Roman KnightsÐ'...to slay me in my bed" [9]

This quote proves to the senators everything that he has told them before, while also letting them