Summary
Marcus Tullius Cicero: The Second Philippic against Mark Antony
After a twelve-year absence from Roman politics, Cicero returns to the public scene to confront Mark Antony with a public speech (philippic) - which was his strongest weapon. Cicero delivered a total of 14 speeches against Antony in the Senate and Assembly. Since the first Philippica enraged Antony, he insulted Cicero, calling him ungrateful, incompetent, involved in Clodius' murder, responsible for the outbreak of the civil war, and accused him of participating in Caesar's murder. The second philippic is, to that extent, a reaction to Antony's outburst of anger. It is a kind of political pamphlet, but also advocating for the re-establishment of the republic after the murder of the usurper Caesar. In the Second Philippic, therefore, all of Cicero's oratorical mastery can be seen, but his clear political views as a politician who believed that, for Rome, the republic is the best, freest political system can also be read. In the end, this commitment will cost him his life.
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