Biography of Cicero – History Essay
Cicero was born to a non-noble equestrian family in 106 B.C. He started his career as a lawyer, but soon became so widely known because of his fantastic oratory skills that he was eventually elected to consulship. It was a
rare occurrence for someone not of the highest social order to earn such a title, and is proof positive of how talented an orator Cicero was. He was an extremely dedicated civil servant and dedicated a great deal of his time to public service. “Running as a thread through all of Cicero’s writings and speeches is his concern for freedom and order in society…”
Unfortunately Cicero lacked support and was not able to accomplish as many political goals as he wished. It was widely known that Cicero distrusted Julius Caesar, and unfortunately for him Caesar was very popular. Cicero’s criticisms of Caesar fell on deaf ears and his political prowess faded as a result. Defeated and no longer a prominent political figure Cicero did not give up. He began to write great works on political theory and moral philosophy. Cicero’s works were extremely respected and still are today.
Cicero was very suspicious of those he considered revolutionaries and normally did not approve of changing the status quo. Cicero views often slanted conservative and this is shown in his writing of his last treatise in 44 B.C., On Duties, in which he stresses continuity, order and freedom. One year later in 43 B.C. Cicero died at the age of sixty-three.