Divided Audience and Figured Speech in Cicero's Pro Balbo

Abstract

Ancient rhetorical theorists described figured speech (oratio figurata) as a strategy for expressing criticism safely, through a screen of ambiguity. I argue that Cicero's Pro Balbo can be read as figured, communicating criticism of Pompey. Cicero's panegyric to Pompey in this speech would have appeared to be factually accurate and commendable to pro-Pompeian members of the audience, but factually wrong or even insincere to anti-Pompeians. Multiple readings of Cicero's intentions are latent as possible interpretations of the speech because of political divisions and divergent prejudices at the time of its delivery.

Irony and Figured Language in Cicero’s Letter to Lucceius

“…More generally, see Kennedy (1972) 21-23;Narducci (1997) 3-18;Pernot (2015). On stylistic features of epideictic and panegyric in Pro Lege Manilia and Pro Marcello, see Kenty (2017) 471-72. 40 Dugan also describes these epideictic elements as ludic in the sense that they act as preparation…”

“…Orators using the middle style, however, follow the sophists' model in their ample use of figures (96); cf. Kenty (2017). Cicero also gives a list of figures of speech at Orat.…”