Brutus

About “Brutus”

Cicero's Brutus is a historical account of Roman oratory presented as a dialogue. It features Marcus Junius Brutus and Titus Pomponius Atticus questioning Cicero about the qualities of prominent Roman orators up to his time. Cicero provides a detailed discussion of these orators, beginning with Lucius Junius Brutus and moving through later figures. The work was likely written in 46 BC and serves as a defense of Cicero’s own rhetorical skills. He starts by examining Greek oratory schools before focusing on Roman orators, with specific reference to figures like Marcus Cornelius Cethegus. The majority of the dialogue consists of Cicero's responses, with minimal input from the other characters. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)