Failure of the Plot

Background Research:

• The equites, or "horsemen" in Latin, were the original Roman army calvary. They were selected from the senatorial class based on how wealthy they were. In 123 B.C, Caius Sempronius Gracchus gave the judicial power of the Senate to the equites, and they were placed below the patrician class. The equites were the only nobles allowed to trade, and they eventually became the business class in Ancient Rome. However, Sulla took away the power they had gained. When Augustus reigned they lost all of their political power.

• The Seven Hills of Rome were east of the Tiber River and they protected the Roman people. The Seven Hills consists of Aventine Hill, Caelian Hill, Capitoline Hill, Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Quirinal Hill, and Viminal hill. The city was believed to be founded by Romulus on Palatine Hill. At first the hills were occupied by small settlements, but over time they became populated with monuments, buildings and parks. Capitoline Hill is where Rome's city hall is now located. During the Roman Republic, many elite Romans lived on Caelian Hill.

                                     

Failure of the Plot:

• Cicero begins with three rhetorical questions, asking the immortal gods where they are, questioning what kind of republic Rome has, and which city do the Roman people live in.(O di immortales! Ubinam gentium sumus? Quam rem publicam habemus? In qua urbe vivimus?). By asking these questions, Cicero is showing shock and he is appalled by the city and people that surround him because they let this conspiracy get so out of hand.
• He states that Rome has many senators who make up their sacred consul, and that they have the power of whether or no to execute someone, yet they aren't using this power(in hoc orbis terraw santissimo gravissimoque consilio).
• However, Cicero claims that he sees the consul and that he received opinions from the republic regarding the people who should have been executed long ago. Cicero can't believe that these people, including Catiline, are still alive!(ego video consul et se re publica...et quos ferro trucidari oportebat.)
• Cicero continues the oration by revealing that he knew Catiline would be with the other chief conspirators at Marcus Laeca's house, and he knew where certain people were ordered to go, who was going to be left behind in Rome, and who Catiline intended to kill.(Fuisti igitur apud Laecam illa nocte,Catilina...), and also which parts of the city were going to be burned down (discrisisti urbis partis ad incendia)
• Lastly, Cicero discovers that two Roman horsemen would free Catiline from the concern that he(Cicero) was still alive by killing him in his bed a little before daylight.(Reperti sunt duo equites Romani qui te ista cura liberarent...) These two horsemen were C. Cornelius and L. Vargunteius. L. Vargunteius was a senator and one of Catiline's conspirators. He undertook one of Catiline's orders, along with C. Cornelius, to kill Cicero in 63 B.C. However, their plan failed when information about the murder plot was brought to Cicero through Fulvia. In the end, L. Vargunteius went to trial with no one there to defend him.

                               


                      

Why Not Put Catiline to Death?

Background Research

 



The senatus consultum, or the decree of the senate, had the force of law in order to consult with the senate instead of the people. Patres Conscripti was The Conscript Fathers or the Roman Senate. Catiline's camp at Faesulae, Etruria was run by Gaius Manlius, who was a centurion or professional officer, from Sulla's old army. Here at Etruria he assembled an army for Catiline.

 

 

Why Not Put Catiline to Death?



 

 In this oration, Cicero continues to speak against Catiline. Cicero begins by comparing the decree of the senate to a sharp edge of authority that has been growing dull for 20 days(patimur habescere aciem horum auctoritatis). He then says the decree is enclosed in the records, like it was put away in a sheath(tamquam in vagina reconditum). This means that the power of the senate to kill Catiline has been decreasing over time just like their "sharp authority" was put away in a "sheath" or a cover for a sword. Cicero states that Catiline lives to increase audacity(vivis non ad depondemdam sed ad confirmandam audaciam). Lastly, in II.4, Cicero tells the conscript fathers that he desires to be merciful, but he doesn't want to be negligent to the danger of the state(me esse clementem, cupio in tantis rei publicae periculis non dissolutum...).

 

 

In II.5, Cicero mentions that Catiline established camp in Italy against the Roman population in Etruria(Castra sunt in Italia contra populum...), and it is dangerous because the number of enemies is growing(in dies singulos hostium numerus). The leader of the camp, Manlius, also is able to see the enemies within the camp walls(castrorum imperatorem ducemque hostium intra moenia). Next, Cicero justifies taking a lot of time in proving Catiline's guilt by saying that good people wouldn't worry about his timing, but random people who don't know him will think he is acting too cruelly(erit verendum mihi ne non potius omnes boni serius...).

 

In II.6, Cicero says that as long as someone is defending Catiline, he will live. However, he would live just as he is living now, being surrounded by Cicero's bodyguards so he wouldn't be able to rise against the republic(defendere audeat, vives, et vives ita ut nunc vivi, multis meis et frimis praesidiis...contra rem publicam). Cicero would also be able to send anyone in order to watch Catiline's actions.

 

Rhetorical Devices

 

Anaphora: the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more sucessive clauses or sentences

           ex. Nihilne te...nihil urbis...nihil timor...nihil concursus...nihil hic...nihil horum: Cicero uses this to repeatedly asks Catline whether or not he realized certain things

 

Hendiadys: a figure of speech in which 2 nouns are joined by a conjugation so one noun stands as an adjective to another

           ex. "ora vultusque": the looks on the faces or the facial expressions

 

Praeteritio: a figure of speech in which one pretends to ignore something by mentioning it

           ex. ...antiqua praetereo... Cicero isn't going to bring up what happended in the past, but he brings up C. Servilius ahala and Sp. Maelium.

 

Irony: use of words to express the opposite of the literal meaning

           ex. fortes viri: it shows a difference in tim "the brave men"; "that brave men"

 

Twos and Threes: "why give one question, when you could give more"

           ex. Quo usque... Quam diu...Quem ad finem?: Instead of asking one question, Cicero builds on the previous one by asking more questions.

 

Chiasmus: (comes from Greek chi) it interlocks word order

           ex. Castrorum imperatorem(gen.) ducemque hostium

                 inclusum(PPP) in tabulis(abl. pw)... in vagina reconditum

Metaphor: a comparison that doesn't use like/as

           ex. patimur hebescere aciem horum auctoritatis: the sharp edge of authority

 

Simile: a comparison using like/as

           ex. tamquam in vagina reconditum: just as if it(the sharp edge) was put away in sheath