Cicero A Very Short Introduction

<b>Very Short Introductions<b>: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring </b>Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE) was one of the most influential figures in late republican Rome, a moment of great social, political, and cultural unrest that would lead to the transition from republic to empire. Cicero was a statesman who held the highest political office, the consulship, and then suffered politically motivated exile. His career was grounded in his continued success as an orator: his speeches were famous during his lifetime and, together with his rhetorical treatises, shaped the practice and theory of public speaking for centuries to come. His ideas influenced early church fathers, Renaissance humanists, and Enlightenment thinkers and his dramatic death captured imagination of his contemporaries, who saw it as standing for the death of the republic and eloquence.In this Very Short Introduction, Yelena Baraz presents a concise and integrated account of Cicero''s life and accomplishments, locating him wi