OCR Classical Civilisation A Level Components 32 and 33
Notes on: - Cicero’s correspondents and his relationship to them, form, structure and style of Roman letter writing, extent to which the letters can be informal or formal in tone, the choices of language and devices which create this, recurring ideas and themes in letters and their relationship t...
- Letter writing illustrated and strengthened the amicitiae between individuals in ancient roman society
and politics
- Cicero’s dedication to his epistolary output reflects the importance he placed om keeping relationships
alive – both formal and friendly
- His oratory and literary skills were his strength – he had no family lineage to rely on for family bonds,
no adequate funds for bribery and had never commanded the loyalty of legions
- Atticus – cicero’s closest friend, privileged to what seems to be the most intimate insights into cicero’s
thoughts and beliefs
They met during cicero’s early school years and remained friends for the rest of cicero’s life
He was an extremely useful supporter of cicero – had a large social circle
Their amicitia was formally cemented by the marriage of cicero’s brother quintus to Atticus’ sister
Pomponia
Cicero loved him deeply and valued his friendship above all others
Form, structure and style
- Contrast of style between cicero’s letters to close friends/relatives compared to letters to
Caesar/Pompey
- Many of the nuances in literary style are lost in translation
- Cicero’s works filled with stylistic flourishes – such as hyperbole, rhetorical questions
- He enjoyed using Greek quotations to express himself or quote another (especially in letters to
Atticus)
- He tended to avoid literary frills when writing serious political letters – expected traditional roman
register was simple clarity
Formal and informal letters
- Letter writing was a system of exchange/communication between 2 people linked by some degree of
amicitia
- Formal letters – people who he had/hoped to have a more formal bond of amicitia
Where we see cicero at his most deliberate and persuasive
- Informal letters – people who he had close personal ties with
- Writes informally to friends to keep the channels of communication open
- Asks and gives support/advice/love
- Correspondence with close friends included rigorous discussion of politics
Shared his political outlook with Atticus on a regular basis
Recurring themes and ideas in cicero’s correspondence
- His political idealism regarding libertas
Used his skill in letter writing to persuade his close friends and powerful people to act towards
the attainment of peace and harmony
- Letters regularly refer to love of Rome and the duty of the individual to the state
Sometimes describes his own patriotism towards Rome
- Wrote a letter philosophising to Atticus about the political dilemmas he was being challenged with –
each question searches for a practical solution to an ethical/political problem thrown up by tyranny
Public and private letters
- Some of his letters were written with the intention of being read by more than 1 person/being
published for broader consumption
Such as cicero’s letter to Julius Caesar in 49
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