The authority of the dead among the living in Republican Rome : a rhetorical analysis of Cicero's oratory
This dissertation focuses upon the role of ancestors and of the dead in the speeches of Cicero, in order to explore the ways in which Romeâs past could be made central to public discourse, and could be manipulated in order to guarantee or provide for a particular outcome in legal or political situations. The object of this study is to fill a niche in the current state of research relating to Roman treatments of their cityâs history, and the ways that history might maintain or be made to play a role in political and social life. Chapter 1 provides a Ciceronian definition of the term <i>maiores / mos maiorum</i> and its varying connotations, examining the evidence of the speeches as to its chronological and ideological applicability. Chapter 2 offers a âstandard narrativeâ of ancestry as a rhetorical device in Cicero, working from two early speeches to demonstrate its pervasiveness and isolate its recurring features. Alongside this, Chapter 3 provides an account of how the dead are made to appear in court through Ciceroâs employment of the concept <i>evocatio ab inferis</i>, and the repeated features of this parallel device. This leads into a fourth chapter on the complexities of using both ancestry
Brooke, E. G.
The authority of the dead among the living in Republican Rome : a rhetorical analysis of Cicero's oratory. This dissertation focuses upon the role of ancestors and of the dead in the speeches of Cicero, in order to explore the ways in which Romeâs past could be made central to public discourse, and could be manipulated in order to guarantee or provide for a particular outcome in legal or political situations. The object of this study is to fill a niche in the current state of research relating to Roman treatments of their cityâs history, and the ways that history might maintain or be made to play a role in political and social life. Chapter 1 provides a Ciceronian definition of the term <i>maiores / mos maiorum</i> and its varying connotations, examining the evidence of the speeches as to its chronological and ideological applicability. Chapter 2 offers a âstandard narrativeâ of ancestry as a rhetorical device in Cicero, working from two early speeches to demonstrate its pervasiveness and isolate its recurring features. Alongside this, Chapter 3 provides an account of how the dead are made to appear in court through Ciceroâs employment of the concept <i>evocatio ab inferis</i>, and the repeated features of this parallel device. This leads into a fourth chapter on the complexities of using both ancestry
authority dead among living republican_rome rhetorical_analysis cicero oratory focus_upon role ancestor dead speech cicero order_explore way rome past could_make central public_discourse could manipulate order guarantee provide particular outcome legal political_situation object study fill niche current_state relating roman city history way history might maintain make play_role political_social life provide definition_term vary connotation examine evidence speech chronological ideological applicability offer standard narrative ancestry rhetorical_device cicero work early speech pervasiveness isolate recur feature alongside provide_account dead make appear court cicero employment concept repeat feature parallel device lead fourth complexity use ancestry