While I have found Cicero's letters to arduous at times, I have also found it very interesting to see the personality of the man is exposed in his more personal letters to Quintus and Atticus. At the end of the day, Cicero is a person just as the rest of us with his owns fears, worries, and personal interests. He is trying to survive in very difficult circumstances and that is something with which I am very much able to understand.
As with the letters from Seneca we translated last year, Cicero addresses themes about the human condition that are relevant regardless of time and space. As with the rest of us, he is trying to understand how to get the most out of his life and do things which not only make him happy, but also allow him to leave a legacy for those around him.
Chris Copley
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I agree with you Chris. I also can see how Seneca's letters were transcendent in their subject material. I would like to add that Seneca was also trying to navigate his own turbulent time. The dangers for Seneca though were less a concern over the welfare of the Empire than for the animus of the Roman. Thats why the political undertones of Seneca were often more subtle. I would argue that Cicero had more of a responsibility in the circumstances of his time period. His thinking in many respects represent only one side of the political argument and often fails to sympathize with the opposition. This failure on his part is indicative of the overall stuggles that the late Republic had in warding off the seachange which was Caesar, and then Augustus.
Asa A. Cabbage
Post a Comment