Pro Milone in defence of Titus Annius Milo was delivered in 52BC under extremely tense Cicero’s speech political circumstances. Milo was accused of murdering his adversary Publius (and Cicero’s) Clodius Pulcher on the Appian Way near Bovillae, about 11 miles from Rome: Cicero gives his version of in the speech. Cicero was compelled to work with that Clodius’ death Milo’s initial claim Clodius had laid a trap there and intended to kill him, and that his actions had been in self-defence. Cicero spoke on the fifth and final day of the trial, and so the speech responds to the incriminating evidence already given to the court by the prosecution. Cicero, therefore, does not claim that Milo was innocent of death, but reframes the Clodius’ skirmish as a patriotic act. Milo was not simply acting in self-defence, he suggests, but in the interests of the entire Republic. Throughout the speech he repeatedly blackens character, Clodius’ and works hard to glorify Milo by contrast. Milo, he claims, has saved Rome from the debaucheries and political machinations of a dangerous rabble-rouser and gang-leader. Perhaps the most famous phrase from the speech is of war the laws are ‘silent enim leges inter arma’ (‘in times in other words, the unrest and violence caused by Clodius was enough for his own silent’) – unlawful killing to be justified. In the case of the Pro Milone, unlike many of speeches, we know the outcome of the trial Cicero’s and many other circumstantial details thanks to a commentary on the text by Asconius, a writer of the first century AD. Cicero was unsuccessful in his defence, and Milo was condemned by 32 votes to 13, and exiled to Massalia (modern Marseille). The text we have is not the speech Cicero delivered on the day. He substantially redrafted it after the event before its publication. Cassius Dio tells us that when Milo read the revised text he commented that if Cicero had only spoken so well on the day, he be enjoying the would ‘not now delicious red mullet of Massalia.’ Talking Points Talking Point Notes
Pro Milone Cicero’s speech in defence of Titus Annius Milo was delivered in 52BC under extremely tense political circumstances. Milo was accused of murdering his (and Cicero’s) adversary Publius Clodius Pulcher on the Appian Way near Bovillae, about 11 miles from Rome: Cicero gives his version of Clodius’ death in the speech. Cicero was compelled to work with Milo’s initial claim that Clodius had laid a trap there and intended to kill him, and that his actions had been in self-defence. Cicero spoke on the fifth and final day of the trial, and so the speech responds to the incriminating evidence already given to the court by the prosecution. Cicero, therefore, does not claim that Milo was innocent of Clodius’ death, but reframes the skirmish as a patriotic act. Milo was not simply acting in self-defence, he suggests, but in the interests of the entire Republic. Throughout the speech he repeatedly blackens Clodius’ character, and works hard to glorify Milo by contrast. Milo, he claims, has saved Rome from the debaucheries and political machinations of a dangerous rabble-rouser and gang-leader. Perhaps the most famous phrase from the speech is ‘silent enim leges inter arma’ (‘in times of war the laws are silent’) – in other words, the unrest and violence caused by Clodius was enough for his own unlawful killing to be justified. In the case of the Pro Milone, unlike many of Cicero’s speeches, we know the outcome of the trial and many other circumstantial details thanks to a commentary on the text by Asconius, a writer of the first century AD. Cicero was unsuccessful in his defence, and Milo was condemned by 32 votes to 13, and exiled to Massalia (modern Marseille). The text we have is not the speech Cicero delivered on the day. He substantially redrafted it after the event before its publication. Cassius Dio tells us that when Milo read the revised text he commented that if Cicero had only spoken so well on the day, he would ‘not now be enjoying the delicious red mullet of Massalia.’ Talking Points Talking Point Notes
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