The Aediles Triumph
Richard Huynh
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HIS 004A A01
February 3, 2020
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Cicero won the case of the corrupt governor, Verres, through his intrinsic motivation that
strived for the greater good of the people. Factors further facilitating his victory included the
support of the people, the elaborate use of rhetoric, and the undeniable evidence collected
through Cicero’s investigations.
Through Cicero’s speeches, it is demonstrated what was prompting Cicero to keep
pushing the trial of Verres forward. Cicero’s true intentions to reform Rome’s court injustices
and wrongs derived from his inner sense of duty. Romans culture consisted of obliged duties to
Rome, the greater good of family, nation, and religion (5.1. Kidner). Thus, the duties of Romans
support the reasoning behind Cicero’s motivation, he wants the overall greater good for Rome.
Cicero brings this topic to light while mentioning Manius Glabrio, the presiding magistrate, and
emphasizing how he should respect the basis of court’s “justice, honesty, principle, and
conscience” (66-67. Berry). Cicero did not desire any misdemeanors to hinder the facts on the
rights and wrongs of the trial. Cicero further reminds Glabrio of his role he plays in society,
insisting Glabrio to reflect upon “what [he] [owed] to the Roman people, … what [he] should
repay to [his] ancestors” (67-68. Berry). This statement only further demonstrated Cicero to be
true to his intentions. His sense of the greater good for Rome is made very prevalent through
these actions and displays his loyalty to Rome. In addition, the points in Cicero’s arguments
were on the basis to protect and to bring awareness to the court on who was maltreated. For
example, he questioned Verres’s actions on the number of merchants, ship-owners, and Roman
citizens were arrested and robbed (125-126. Berry). Then, he exposed Verres’s action of
executing them despite being Roman and without trial. Cicero went over every violation Verres
had executed in order to bring justice back to not only Rome but the people residing in it. As a
result, it allowed “the Roman people to witness [Cicero’s] devotion to [their] country” (63-64.
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Berry). The drive to restore justice had allowed him to push forward and deliver the case
proceeding successfully. Cicero did not stop until the needed evidence was attained.
Cicero could not have reached his status without the support of the people. During his
running for aedile, he had many supporters of citizens in the field of men of business and the
poor (67. Harris). He had a whole team supporting his preparations for the role of aedile. It
included Quintus, his campaign manager, Lucius, who organized case against Verres, and Tiro,
who assisted him throughout the whole journey. As for the citizens of Rome, they showed that
they favored for the case to continue. Cicero stated that he “took on [the] case at the request of
the Sicilians” (63-64. Berry). Meaning it was information and justice the people wanted Cicero
to bring to light of the public. The people had to trust that Cicero would be able to carry out their
demand for change. If there had been no support from the people, Cicero could not have found
witnesses and could not have been aedile. In turn, the role of aedile would have been passed to
Caecilius, the other person running for aedile, since the Cicero only won by one vote (88.
Harris).
There would be no case without any evidence, in which Cicero had an abundance from
witnesses. From Roman citizens who “were tortured and executed like slaves”, to temples stolen,
and “sexual crimes”; they were all covered in the hearing (56-57. Berry). Generically, for
information to stand more credible, witnesses are there to testify. In this specific incidence of a
Roman equestrian, Lucius Suettius, testified to Roman merchant citizens were imprisoned and
soon to be executed in a cruel way. Cicero described the evidence as “Roman citizens had their
necks broken…” even when they state ‘I am a Roman citizen’ to appeal and be released by
barbarians (124-125. Berry). Evidence such as this, led to the persuasion of the jury and the
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verdict of the case. Not only does it show sympathy and pity towards those who have been hurt
by Verres’s actions, but it exemplifies the cruelty Verres imposed due to his higher status.
Through the use of rhetoric, the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, Cicero
was able to describe and discuss his case in an alluring way. The art of rhetoric was very
common in Roman politics to be able to persuade. Cicero uses the art of rhetoric that caused the
jury to have perceived his statements to be convincing. Previously, Molon, the lawyer, was
Cicero’s mentor who owned a rhetoric school to train him. The training consisted of physical and
oral exercises which worked on his bulkiness, speech projection, and declamatory (7-8. Harris).
The delivery depended on the tone and gestures of Cicero because gestures denoted a great depth
of emotion. In a case similar to the Roman citizens who had their necks cracked, this Roman by
the name of Gavius was crucified amongst many in the forum of Massena. In order to deliver this
in the rhetoric style, Cicero had used hand gestures to show the pain Gavius went through.
Cicero described the scene as he had “put his wrists together, raised them above his head, and
jerked forward” resembling the action of being whipped (142. Harris). Even down to speaking,
he gritted his teeth when he spoke “I am a Roman citizen” to show the excruciating torture
Gavius was given (142. Harris). Without tones and gestures, the delivery would be trite and
depict the situation as less severe. Next, it is prevalent in Cicero’s speech the common use of
rhetorical questioning. Cicero uses this to his advantage to proceed and transition slowly to the
next argument or evidence he is about to point out. The questions frame and set up the “stage”
for the next prominent piece of evidence Cicero had.
The case of Gaius Verres was successful through the tactics, skill, and motivation Marcus
Tullius Cicero provided during the prosecution. He was highly motivated for the reform to
change Rome for the better. Thus, which prompted him to be able to gain the support of the
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people. After doing so, he went on to train to become aedile through rhetoric schools. The
rhetoric was then used elaborately within the trial case. Lastly, the multitude of evidence he
provided the court against Gaius Verres completed the steps towards the winning of the trial.
Without these factors, Cicero would not have been likely to succeed against a powerful man like
Verres.
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Works Cited
Berry, D. H. Cicero- Political Speeches. Oxford University Press, 2006.
Harris, Robert. Imperium. NY: Pocket Books, 2006.
Kidner, Frank, Ralph W. Mathisen, Sally McKee, Theodore R. Weeks, and Maria
Bucur-Deckard. The Global West. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2019.
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