At the 'Intermission' - The story of Cicero

I am in the middle of reading about Cicero who was a major figure at the end of the Roman Republic and a contemporary of Julius Caesar.  I'm really savoring the saga through a Robert Harris fictional trilogy on him.  Robert Harris is quite well know for his novels Enigma, Pompeii among others.  He is a former BBC journalist and perfectly equipped to tell a riveting story, working off very rich source material (no kidding).

I am at the middle of the second book of the trilogy - 'the intermission,' in theatre or cinema terms.  So I thought I would pause and write this note as I delve into the second half of Cicero's story.  Indeed, as my favorite medium for consuming books these days, I am listening to this read on Audible.

About Cicero

In my estimation Cicero was the other side of the same coin to Caesar.  Some would argue that it was Cato and others that it was Pompey who were Caesar's primary antagonists.  But I think it was Cicero.

However, I am still mulling through that hypothesis.

I did not know this before, but it turns out that Cicero's words and works sparked the European renaissance 1500 years after his death.  It is remarked that his influence on the Latin language was so immense that the subsequent history of prose, not only in Latin but in European languages up to the 19th century, was said to be either a reaction against or a return to his style.

Cicero in the HBO series "Rome"

According to historian Michael Grant, "the influence of Cicero upon the history of European literature and ideas greatly exceeds that of any other prose writer in any language". Cicero introduced the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary (with neologisms such as evidentia, humanitas, qualitas, quantitas, and essentia) distinguishing himself as a translator and philosopher.

There is also a note that the peak of Cicero's authority and prestige came during the 18th-century Enlightenment, and his impact on leading Enlightenment thinkers and political theorists such as John Locke, David Hume, Montesquieu and Edmund Burke was substantial. His works rank among the most influential in European culture, and today still constitute one of the most important bodies of primary material for the writing and revision of Roman history, especially the last days of the Roman Republic.  Thus hundreds of years after the Renaissance, he also ended up inspiring Thomas Jefferson and the language found in the US Declaration of Independence.

Rahul's Quiz

My son Rahul who enjoys Roman History a lot, from the time of Augustus onwards till its end in the Byzantine empire; but not the prior Roman Republican history that much.  You might recall that he wrote a review of Gibbon's work.

He told me that in his recent Latin exam he was given a paragraph of Cato's speech in the Roman Senate and asked to translate it and interpret it.  It was a fun anecdote, since I knew exactly what this speech was about.  He promised to dig it up for me and read it in the original.

A critical balance in politics

I'm now taking breaks after every chapter or two to read and review the characters, context and setting around the events narrated.  Equally I'm trying to think about relevance, similarities and differences to both contemporary history and current affairs.

In thinking about all of the above, I visualize a triangle with three modes of any citizenry's impulses.

One triangle apex is the institutional instinct (also called "conservative").

The second would be populist (think of the Brexit referendum) and

A third apex of the triangle would be the reformist impulse (think of abolishment of feudal practices).

It seems to me that there is a constant tension between these three impulses.

"Beware the ides of March..."

In thinking about the time period of the end of the Roman Republic when this delicate balance between the three fell apart and applying my model above, it seems to me that:

Caesar represented the populist/reformist leg of the triangle.

Cicero represented the institutional/ reformist leg of the triangle.

And Pompey represented the third leg of that tension - I.e the populist / institutionalist leg of the triangle (i.e. Not interested in reforms, yet wanting to be popular!)

Thus the delicate balance of power between the three maintained Republican traditions for a while longer.

The Roman Republic ended when the Marc Antony shattered the balance between three nodes of the triangle.  That is, he and Augustus (Caesar's step-son) could have easily formed the third triumvirate, thus keeping the triangle intact - but Antony was very foolish in his choices (dalliance with Cleopatra, killing Cicero, etc).

Onwards with my reading

The trilogy - just fabulous!

I am only in the second half of the second book in the trilogy; and I have slowed down my reading!  The characters are too fascinating, the events too dramatic, the relevance to our times too resonant, for me to rush through this.

The story until intermission was Cicero's rise through sheer merit to the very top, and in a historical achievement saved the republic against a major conspiracy.  So far so good ...

In only listening to half a dozen paragraphs post-'intermission' the story has taken a dramatic turn in a direction I did not anticipate at all.

This could be due to Robert Harris' story telling skills and due to events that were epochal.

One fact is true - this is really fantastic history!

I thought I would share this with you with the idea of tempting you to jump into this as well, if you have not already.

Looking forward to writing again after the saga is complete.


Earlier Note

My earlier note on the Roman Empire from its founding post-Republic, starting with Emperor Augustus:  As Bad As It Gets