Marcus Tullius Cicero (character of Rome)

Rome character


name= Marcus Tullius Cicero
class=Plebeian
family= None mentioned
allies= Optimates
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
Cato the Younger
Scipio
Gaius Cassius Longinus
Quintus Valerius Pompey
Marcus Junius Brutus
enemies= Gaius Julius Caesar
Marcus Antonius
appearances= 1-1 "The Stolen Eagle"
1-2 "How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic"
1-10 "Triumph"
1-11 "The Spoils"
1-12 "Kalends of February"
2-1 "Passover"
2-2 "Son of Hades"
2-3 "These Being the Words of Marcus Tullius Cicero"
2-4 "Testudo et Lepus (The Tortoise and the Hare)"
portrayed= David Bamber
fate= Killed by Titus Pullo in "Philippi"

Marcus Tullius Cicero is a historical figure who features as a character in the HBO/BBC2 original television series "Rome", played by David Bamber. He is depicted as a moderate politician and scholar, who is challenged with trying to save the traditional Republic from the ambitions of the various characters on the show. The real Cicero was a Roman politician, writer, and orator.

Personality

Cicero's character is a generally spineless and pliant individual, who can constantly be found to be associated with the winning side or the side seeming to be the most powerful. Cicero's character is intelligent and articulate, and comments ironically and bitterly about his (and Brutus') cowardice, but on only one occasion does he actually attempt to take any action to back his anti-Caesarian views, and on that occasion the attempt is abortive as he allows himself to be bullied out of it by Antony. Overall, "Rome's" Cicero is an emasculated character, aware of his own cowardice and spinelessness but powerless or unwilling to change them. When finally confronted with death he demonstrates a great deal of personal courage and dignity focussing on his warning to Brutus over his own life, warmly greeting his assassin and speaking kind words to his loyal slave.

Character history

Cicero is portrayed as a political ally of Pompey Magnus, whose senatorial clout is huge; according to Pompey "the moderates follow [Cicero] like sheep." Cicero is convinced by Pompey to use his influence to pass a resolution requiring Caesar to disband his armies and forgo his imperium, which would leave Caesar open to prosecution for treason by his political enemies. Cicero agrees to this assuming that the bill will be vetoed by Mark Antony, but the veto is prevented by a spontaneous outbreak of violence. When Caesar marches on Rome in response, Cicero travels with the Pompeian faction, but surrenders to Caesar after the Battle of Pharsalus and is granted amnesty along with his close friend Brutus. Because of this, Cicero comes to consider himself a coward and a turncoat. He briefly attempts to conspire against Caesar with Brutus, but is intimidated out of doing this by Antony. After this incident, Cicero refrains from any active plotting, confining himself to a (largely fruitless) political opposition to Caesar's initiatives. He is, therefore, not involved in the plot to kill Caesar.

Following Caesar's death, Cicero was forced into a mutually-displeasing working relationship with Consul Mark Antony. Despite the fact that the two hated each other, Antony needed Cicero to run the senate. Cicero was well aware of Antony's hatred and was not shy about expressing his distaste for the man.

What Antony didn't realize was that his control over Cicero was not absolute. The political leader had struck up an alliance with Octavian. Already on his way out of Rome, he left a message to Antony to be read before the Senate. However, it was not the expected proposal to grant him governorship of Gaul, but rather a mocking, scathing criticism of his character, calling him a "drink-sodden, sex-addled wreck." Antony behaved entirely as Cicero planned, killing the unfortunate Senator tasked with reading the message, in full view of the Senate. As of Testudo et Lepus, it appears Cicero has the upper hand.

However, Cicero is caught off guard when Octavian boldly uses the threat of force to coerce the Senate into naming him consul and passing a number of provocative measures, in particular the naming of Brutus and Cassius as "murderers enemies of the state". The Senate's decision to send General Lepidus north to deal with the remnants of Antony's forces also backfires when Lepidus' men defect to Antony. Cicero responds by calling on Brutus and Cassius to return home with their forces at once. Cicero later warns Octavian of their return in hopes that Octavian might give up his legions and disarm. Instead, Octavian returns north to make his peace with Antony and Lepidus, forming the Second Triumvirate.

Cicero was eventually killed by Titus Pullo, at the instigation of Antony and on the direct order of Octavian Caesar. He learns of this order beforehand, but chooses to face his death instead of run, sending a letter to Brutus and Cassius informing them of the alliance of Octavian and Mark Antony. Cicero then engages in a friendly conversation with his killer before exposing his neck to the sword, unaware of the fact that his letter has been intercepted by an oblivious Vorenus. Cicero's hands are later seen being nailed to the senate doors by Pullo, as Antony had promised would happen should Cicero turn against him.

Comparison to the historical Marcus Tullius Cicero

The historical Cicero was a courageous intellectual who, by dint of his talent, learning, and rhetorical ability, had risen through the ranks of the Republic to become the last of her novi homines. He had a history of public and vocal opposition to real and would-be tyrants such as Sulla and Catiline, as well as to their subordinates. The narrative of the series does little besides allude to any of these past troubles of the Roman Republic or to Cicero's role in them.

Nevertheless, the show is accurate in depicting Cicero's reluctance to transform his courageous speeches against tyrants into courageous action against them. Plutarch tells us that although Caesar's assassins were well aware of Cicero's own opposition to Caesar, they did not include him in their plot "lest, to his own disposition, which was naturally timorous, adding now the weariness and caution of old age, by his weighing, as he would do, every particular, that he might not make one step without the greatest security, he should blunt the edge of their forwardness and resolution in a business which required all the despatch imaginable. [http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/mirror/classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/m_brutus.html] "

In addition, Cicero did not leave Italy for Greece with Pompey's army but waited longer to make up his mind. After a dinner with Julius Caesar, he slipped out of the country to join Pompey.