Audiobook · read by volunteers
Philippics
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Read by ontheroad · 15 chapters · 9 h 46
About the book
In the last turbulent months of the Roman Republic, Julius Caesar was dead, Mark Antony was seizing power, and the senate was divided and afraid. One man stood up to speak against the danger. Marcus Tullius Cicero, a statesman then nearing the end of his career, delivered a series of fierce speeches attacking Antony, whom he accused of tyranny and betrayal of the state. These speeches, called the Philippics, are among the most celebrated examples of political oratory ever written. They are sharp, angry, sarcastic and sometimes very funny, and they show a great speaker fighting to defend the republic with the only weapon he has: words. Heard in Charles Duke Yonge’s English translation, they bring the Roman forum to life, and they still raise questions about power, liberty and courage.
Introduction
Marcus Tullius Cicero, born in 106 BC, was a lawyer, politician, philosopher and the most famous orator of ancient Rome. His speeches and letters have survived in great number, and they have shaped the study of rhetoric and Latin prose ever since. He was killed in 43 BC, in the aftermath of the very conflict that these speeches describe.
The word philippic comes from the speeches of the Greek orator Demosthenes against Philip of Macedon in the fourth century BC. Cicero consciously imitated that model when he attacked Mark Antony in 44 and 43 BC, and he gave the Latin speeches the same name. The Philippics belong to the final period of his life, when he believed that the republic could still be saved. His efforts did not succeed, yet the speeches have outlived the quarrel which gave rise to them, and they are admired for their energy, their cleverness and their personal courage.
The English translation heard here is by Charles Duke Yonge, a Victorian scholar who translated many classical works, and the edition recorded here is dated 1903. This recording has fifteen sections, runs for nearly ten hours and is read by a single LibriVox volunteer. It is a rewarding listen for anyone interested in ancient history, in rhetoric or in the age-old problem of how a free society defends itself against ambition.
No special knowledge of Roman history is needed. The speeches explain their own circumstances, and Cicero’s rhetorical flourishes, with their insults and appeals, carry across the centuries. Listening to them in sequence, you can feel the tension rise as events move closer to their dramatic conclusion.
Public domain
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text