Why Did Cicero Deserve To Exile
To what extent do you think Cicero deserved to be exiled in 58 BC?
In the build up to Cicero’s exile, he undoubtedly had many chances to escape the fate he eventually found himself in, this, it has to be said, was ultimately down to Cloudius whom Cicero found an enemy in when he gave evidence against him in the ‘bona dea’ scandal. However Cicero was not all to blame as he found himself abandoned by close friends such as Pompey, and the subject in which he was exiled over (putting the Cataline conspirators to death without trial) was greatly supported at the time he proposed it, so how was he supposed to know that the support would be non-existent in the future? Overall however, I feel Cicero had plenty of chances to save himself from exile …show more content…
They wanted Cicero to join due to the fact that he was a fantastic orator (in fact one of the great of his time) and also he is an ex-consul meaning he is highly respected. However he rejects these offers, including joining Caesars staff and going on a mission, as joining them would be against his political morals (Concordia ordinum). His strong sense of morals is what ultimately costs him though, as because the Triumvirate became frustrated with waiting and saw Cicero as a threat due to his skill in speech. They therefore started to support Cloudius, they let him be adopted as a plebeian so he could run as tribune, (and he changed his name from Claudius to Cloudius as it was more plebeian) and when he proposed that all People who had put Roman citizens to death without trial should be exiled, which was obviously aimed at Cicero they supported it. This made Cicero call to Pompey, however Pompey said he was merely a private citizen who had no influence over Cloudius, Pompey also had little sympathy for Cicero as he had turned down all Caesar’s
In the build up to Cicero’s exile, he undoubtedly had many chances to escape the fate he eventually found himself in, this, it has to be said, was ultimately down to Cloudius whom Cicero found an enemy in when he gave evidence against him in the ‘bona dea’ scandal. However Cicero was not all to blame as he found himself abandoned by close friends such as Pompey, and the subject in which he was exiled over (putting the Cataline conspirators to death without trial) was greatly supported at the time he proposed it, so how was he supposed to know that the support would be non-existent in the future? Overall however, I feel Cicero had plenty of chances to save himself from exile …show more content…
They wanted Cicero to join due to the fact that he was a fantastic orator (in fact one of the great of his time) and also he is an ex-consul meaning he is highly respected. However he rejects these offers, including joining Caesars staff and going on a mission, as joining them would be against his political morals (Concordia ordinum). His strong sense of morals is what ultimately costs him though, as because the Triumvirate became frustrated with waiting and saw Cicero as a threat due to his skill in speech. They therefore started to support Cloudius, they let him be adopted as a plebeian so he could run as tribune, (and he changed his name from Claudius to Cloudius as it was more plebeian) and when he proposed that all People who had put Roman citizens to death without trial should be exiled, which was obviously aimed at Cicero they supported it. This made Cicero call to Pompey, however Pompey said he was merely a private citizen who had no influence over Cloudius, Pompey also had little sympathy for Cicero as he had turned down all Caesar’s