Source edition
Cicero. M. Tulli Ciceronis. Rhetorica, Vol. II. Wilkins, A. S., editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work by Cicero addresses the definition of the ideal orator and the true standard of the "Attic" style. The author argues that, unlike poets, there is only one supreme ideal for orators: the "perfect orator." He asserts that true Atticism does not consist of mere simplicity or the avoidance of faults, but rather in active strength and vitality. Cicero draws examples from Lysias and Demosthenes to demonstrate this, while contrasting the oratorical style with that of the historian Thucydides. He explains his own motivation for translating the famous speeches of Demosthenes and Aeschines into Latin. By presenting the background of their legal battle, the "Trial on the Crown," the work ultimately guides readers toward the pinnacle of eloquence and the ultimate model of oratory.