Abstract:
In the 50 years after Cicero's death, his Philippic speeches and his political stand against Caesarism served as a vital means for Romans to negotiate their own thinking about the changed political system under which they found themselves living. Use of the speeches in oratorical performances allowed for anti-imperial sentiments to be expressed in a way that eluded official suppression. The chapter argues that declamation needs to be reconceptualised from a type of empty oratorical competition to a type of theatre that interpreted and renewed traditional Roman values in a changed and potentially oppressive political environment. (Sole author).