Cycnea vox

Abstract

The relationship between De oratore and Plato’s Phaedrus (its apparent model) is a complex one: the characters in Cicero’s dialogue recognize their own Platonic model. This chapter considers once more the relationship between Rome and Greek philosophy: Crassus and Antonius both know a great deal about Greek philosophy and deny their knowledge. The crucial exploration of these problems—Greek and Roman, rhetoric and philosophy—comes in Crassus’ long and difficult speech on elocutio: he blames Socrates for the division of a once unified sapientia into philosophy and rhetoric, and constructs a history of Greek philosophy after Socrates that emphasizes the subordination of philosophy to rhetoric. He also constructs an account of Roman public speech and statesmanship that emphasizes natural wisdom over technical philosophy. The chapter also considers the role of Crassus as a Roman Socrates and the crucial problem of De oratore: what has gone wrong with Roman oratory and Roman public life, and how can it be remedied?