Vetera repetenti

Abstract

De oratore is a text filled with historical detail; the present chapter examines several different aspects of history in De oratore. First is the historical setting itself. It is a very selective portrait, and Cicero both idealizes the speakers and makes it clear to the reader that it is an idealized portrait. Second is the set of connections between Cicero himself and the speakers in the dialogue, which again harmonizes a complicated set of conflicting connections. Third is the choice of speeches and trials referred to in De oratore: some of the cases, notably the trial of Norbanus, reflect Cicero’s own forensic career, and the overall pattern of citations of cases by the speakers reveals their divergent understanding of what an orator is and does in public life. The chapter demonstrates how differently Crassus and Antonius approach their task and shows that there are two quite different but equally valid approaches to oratory in De oratore.