Cicero Against Veerres Analysis

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Cicero against Verres constitutes a series of speeches delivered by Cicero in 70 BC. Verres was accused of corruption, extortion, misgovernment, bribery, and sexual assaults against women. This prosecution was an important turn point for Cicero because of the election of the aedileship in an office in Rome. Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) was a Roman orator and statesman. He was born at Arpinum and belongs to wealthy local family. He did his education in Rome to establish a career in public speaking and became a leading barrister in Rome. In 66 BC he was elected as a praetor and later elected as consul in 63 BC. Cicero was very much attached to Pompey because he contributed his political life to Pompey. Cicero was the greatest of the Roman …show more content…

Verres collected lots of inheritance by extreme methods. This office has collected records of bribery; receive benefits in an evil manner, and interference with jury panels. Verres consulship in praetorship did not go well as he was soon appointed as proprietor of Sicily. Verres made a plan to steal goods before leaving Rome; Cicero proved his evidence through the governor who started investigation of victims under the consulship of Verres. The three years of Verres represents the story of maladministration, corruption, injustice, robbery, extortion, and inefficiency in the role of quaestorship of Verres. The four speeches of Cicero explain the maladministration of Sicily. Cicero established the main focus on the governor’s mismanagement in the office. Oration II of Cicero is called Actio Secunda which deals with the misuse of judicial power of the governor’s office. In this Oration II, Verres misused the judicial power and bribed many judges and tried to control the court through power and wealth. Oration III of Actio Secunda is called as De Frumento. In Oration III, Verres was accused of misadministration related to taxes collected on the division of land property. Basically, Verres