Cicero

De Officiis (Moral Duties)

In this series, Prof. Noe looks at De Officiis (Moral Duties), an essay by Marcus Tullius Cicero. Cicero was a politician, lawyer, and an incredibly accomplished orator and author who was active in the 1st century B.C.

“De Officiis” was written as a letter to his son, and discusses how to live justly and honourably.

De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum III (Boundaries of Good and Evil)

“De Finibus” is an extended discussion on the schools of Helenistic philosophy – Academism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism as they relate to Roman history and culture.

Epistulae Ad Atticum (Letters to Atticus)

In this series, Prof. Noe looks at Epistulae Ad Atticum (Letters to Atticus). These letters show a very different side of the public figure. Here Cicero is talking about private matters in a breezy, highly idiomatic Latin.

Although these are presented as off-the-cuff correspondence, and sometimes are, many of the letters show a high degree of polish and reworking, because Cicero is writing with posterity in mind. The letters were gathered and published by his secretary Tiro after Cicero’s death December 7, 43.

In Catilinam (Against Catiline)

In this series, Prof. Noe looks at In Catilinam (Against Catiline), Cicero was a politician, lawyer, and an incredibly accomplished orator and author who was active in the 1st century B.C.

In M. Antonium  

This series studies Cicero’s “In Marcum Antonium,” a set of 14 speeches against Marc Antony. Cicero was a 1st century B.C. politician, lawyer, and an incredibly accomplished orator and author.

Cicero gave these speeches in the Senate to turn opinion against Antony, who was scheming to fill the power vacuum in the wake of Julius Caesar’s assassination. They are also called “Philippics”, since they were immediately compared to Demosthenes’ speeches against Philip II, father of Alexander the Great.