Cicero's Pro L. Murena Oratio

Cicero's speech on behalf of L. Lucinius Murena, newly elected to the consulship of 62 BCE but immediately prosecuted for electoral bribery, is especially famous for its digressions and valuable for its insights into the complex political wrangles of the late 60s. It is, however, a speech more
commonly excerpted and cited than read in its entirety, though whether the absence of an English-language commentary is a cause or effect of that situation remains uncertain. In short, a pedagogical commentary on this important and strange speech is long overdue.

Distinguished Latinist Elaine Fantham's commentary is noteworthy for its ability to elucidate not only the rhetorical structure of this speech but the rationale behind Cicero's strategic decisions in creating that structure. It also calls attention to the stylistic features like word choice,
rhetorical figures, and rhythmic effects that make the speech so effective, and explains with care and precision the political, social, and historical considerations that shaped the prosecution and defense of the somewhat hapless defendant. This commentary includes the kind of grammatical
explication required to make its riches accessible to undergraduate students of Latin.


Author: Elaine Fantham
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 08/21/2013
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.10w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780199974535

About the Author

Elaine Fantham is former Giger Professor of Latin at Princeton University, and author or editor of 15 books.

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