Study Questions for Assignment 12
Plutarch, Demosthenes, CiceroDemosthenes
Pages 390-394 What
early experience inspired Demosthenes to pursue oratory, and how did he refine
his early roughness of speech?
What was the great
international political struggle in the background that occupied most of
Demosthenes' life? What role did he play in this struggle (whose side was he on,
how was he viewed by the enemy, by his side, etc.)?
What were
Demosthenes' two great weaknesses and what episodes show them?
How did he die and
why?
Cicero
Pages 410-411 How
did Cicero refine his early roughness of speech?
As quaester (412),
as praetor (414), as consul (420 and the Catilinian conspiracy generally), and
as general (432), how did Cicero conduct himself?
What was Cicero's
relationship like with Cato? Caesar (433-435 etc.)? Brutus (436)? Antony
(437-end)?
What was Cicero's
downfall (439)? How did he die, and why?
Demosthenes and
Cicero Compared
Plutarch, in pages
441-444, compares and contrasts Demosthenes and Cicero in these areas, in order:
1) academic achievements, 2) oratorical style, 3) temper and personality, 4)
opinion of themselves, 5) relation to official position, 6) integrity in the
face of bribery, 7) reasons for exile, 8) how they behaved in exile, 9) their
deaths. Be able to briefly each of these.
As always, Plutarch
is interested most in character. What can we learn to imitate and avoid in these
two greatest of the ancient orators?
|
