Download The Greatest of Speakers

The Greatest of Speakers
The Orators of Rome
D’Antonio, John L
2/11/2015
CIS270WX, Major Jung
Help Received: See Bibliography
Throughout the world, from ancient history to modern times,
non-written communication has been an integral part of society.
It allows for information to be passed in ways that do not
require carving in stone, or a pen and pencil.
Smoke signals in
Korea, Morse Code and the singing telegram are all examples of
non-written communication that were used rather frequently in
their respective societies.
Out of all the methods of non-
written communication, the method used by my ancestors, the
Romans, is the most interesting to me.
This method is known as
the oration.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica the oratory art
is, “the rationale and practice of persuasive public speaking.
It is immediate in its audience relationships and reactions but
it may also have broad historical repercussions.
The orator may
become the voice of political or social history.”(Baird)
In
essence, it is the art of public speaking with the intent of
swaying the hearts and minds of the people watching your
oration.
Rome used this type of speech most often in the senate
and also in the public forum for the purpose of political gain.
The Romans were not the first ones to use the oration, that
honor, belongs to the Greeks.
Like most of the skills they had,
the Romans had to first take it from someone else before
improving it.
When Rome took Greece, they copied much of their
way of life, engineering, warfare, government and of course, the
oration.
Like most ideas they stole, the Romans improved upon
orations over the years to the point that they become known as
having the greatest orators in history.
These men forever
changed the history of Rome in unimaginable ways and showed the
power that one speech can have.
A prime example of the Roman
orators is Marcus Antonius a famous Roman general and
politician, more commonly known as Marc Antony.
Marc Antony’s
orations were key in securing peace following the murder of
Julius Caesar; he himself convinced both sides to stand down.
However, in an attempt to gain power over Rome, he used Caesar’s
funeral as a chance to whip the crowd into a fury by giving a
passionate speech.
This one oration resulted in Antony’s in
Rome’s first ever, civil war. (Plutarch)
Gaius Gracchus is another example of a single Roman citizen
changing history using his oratory skill.
Gaius, a Roman
politician and tribune spoke of many reforms throughout his
career.
His continued reform speeches quickly gave him the
reputation for being a great orator.
He pushed for legislation
that would allow the lowest class, the plebs, to own property.
He also continually applied to have the rest of the Italian
peninsula the choice to become Roman citizens. (The Editors)
These were the same reforms his brother had pushed for early on
in Gaius’s life.
His brother had met his death in the form of
table leg to the skull because of these attempted reforms.
Gaius himself would raise half the city to his side only to take
his own life as his men made their last stand against the forces
of the senate.
However his speeches had made a lasting
impression on the people of Rome and they would continue to
fight for these reforms, raising revolutions and political
infighting, until they were finally granted their wish.
Amongst all Roman orators, the most famous, is Marcus
Tullius Cicero.
He is described He was a “lawyer, statesman,
politician and philosopher…his texts include political and
philosophical treatises, orations and rhetoric.” (Marcus)
He is
known for giving 29 single orations along with 14 against Marc
Antony known as the Philippics.
These were instrumental in
removing Antony from power and replacing him with the rightful
heir, Octavian.
However, this would eventually lead to his
downfall as Octavian would eventually form a treaty with Antony.
Antony would very quickly order that Cicero be found and his
throat slit.
When found he faced his captors and said “there is
nothing proper about what you are doing solider, but do try to
kill me properly.” (Marcus)
Thus died the man who is arguably
the most notable orator in history.
The Oration is the most famous of the Roman methods of nonwritten communication.
It was used to influence the people and
senate of Rome.
It changed history by starting civil wars,
opposing those in power, and swaying the senate.
To this day,
the oration has been used effectively by many modern
politicians.
Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, and Martin
Luther King Jr, are all examples of famous men using the art of
oration in modern politics.
Although Rome has a history of
violence, murder and corruption, it did leave us with oratory,
an art that politicians continue to use, even today.
Bibliography

Baird, Craig A. “Oratory.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2/11/15
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/431039/oratory

Cicero, Orations, The fourteen orations against Marcus
Antonius (Philippics) trans. C. D. Yonge. London. George
Bell & Sons. 1903.

“Marcus Tullius Cicero – Biography.” The European Graduate
School” 2/11/15
http://www.egs.edu/library/cicero/biography/

Plutarch, Antony, trans. B. Perrin, Cambridge: Harvard
University Press, 1921.

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Gaius Sempronius
Gracchus” The Encyclopedia Britannica. 4/2/14 accessed
2/11/15

Image Source
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Verres/verres
cicero.html