Roman Oratory

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Rhetoric was at the heart of Roman political culture. In this course, we will study the literary techniques and strategies of Roman oratory. In a richly imagined dialogue (On the Orator), Cicero offered the definitive account of the purpose of persuasive speech and the ideal attributes of the Roman orator. A century and a half later, Tacitus’ Dialogue on Oratory closely emulated Ciceronian style, while raising urgent questions about cultural decline and the impact of politics on the written word. By investigating how and why Tacitus looked to Cicero as his model, students in this course will develop a critical understanding of how Cicero became such a towering figure in the history of Latin prose literature.