A philippic (/fɪˈlɪpɪk/)[1] is a fiery, damning speech, or tirade, delivered to condemn a particular political actor. The term is most famously associated with two noted orators of the ancient world: Demosthenes of ancient Athens and Cicero of ancient Rome. The term itself is derived from Demosthenes's speeches in 351 BC denouncing the imperialist ambitions of Philip of Macedon, which later came to be known as The Philippics.
Cicero's Philippics, 15th-century manuscript, British Library
Cicero consciously modeled his own condemnations of Mark Antony on Demosthenes's speeches, and if the correspondence between Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger and Cicero is genuine [ad Brut. ii 3.4, ii 4.2], at least the fifth and seventh speeches were referred to as the Philippicae in Cicero's time.[citation needed] They were also called the Antonian Orations by Latin author and grammarian Aulus Gellius.
After the death of Caesar, Cicero privately expressed his regret that the murderers of Caesar had not included Antony in their plot, and he bent his efforts to the discrediting of Antony. Cicero even promoted illegal action, such as legitimatizing the private army of Gaius Octavius, or Octavian. In all, Cicero delivered fourteen Philippics in less than two years. Cicero's focus on Antony, however, contributed to his downfall as he failed to recognize the threat of Octavian to his republican ideal.
Cicero's attacks on Antony were neither forgiven nor forgotten, with the result that Cicero was proscribed and killed in 43 BC. His head and hands were publicly displayed in the Roman Forum to discourage any who would oppose the new Triumvirate of Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus.
According to Roman historian Tacitus, this work, together with the Pro Milone, In Catilinam, and In Verrem, made Cicero famous, and much of his political career sprang from the effect of these works. Others[who?] would have it that the Pro Ligario, in which Cicero defends Ligarius before Caesar, was the vehicle of his renown.
See alsoEdit
Look up philippic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
philippic, philippic, fɪˈlɪpɪk, fiery, damning, speech, tirade, delivered, condemn, particular, political, actor, term, most, famously, associated, with, noted, orators, ancient, world, demosthenes, ancient, athens, cicero, ancient, rome, term, itself, derived. A philippic fɪˈlɪpɪk 1 is a fiery damning speech or tirade delivered to condemn a particular political actor The term is most famously associated with two noted orators of the ancient world Demosthenes of ancient Athens and Cicero of ancient Rome The term itself is derived from Demosthenes s speeches in 351 BC denouncing the imperialist ambitions of Philip of Macedon which later came to be known as The Philippics Contents 1 Greece 2 Rome 3 See also 4 ReferencesGreece Edit nbsp Bust of Demosthenes Louvre Paris France The original philippics were delivered by Demosthenes an Athenian statesman and orator in Classical Greece who delivered several attacks on Philip II of Macedon in the 4th century BC A First Second and Third Philippic have been ascribed to Demosthenes A Fourth Philippic is also extant but is of disputed authorship Rome EditMain article Philippicae nbsp Cicero s Philippics 15th century manuscript British LibraryCicero consciously modeled his own condemnations of Mark Antony on Demosthenes s speeches and if the correspondence between Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger and Cicero is genuine ad Brut ii 3 4 ii 4 2 at least the fifth and seventh speeches were referred to as the Philippicae in Cicero s time citation needed They were also called the Antonian Orations by Latin author and grammarian Aulus Gellius After the death of Caesar Cicero privately expressed his regret that the murderers of Caesar had not included Antony in their plot and he bent his efforts to the discrediting of Antony Cicero even promoted illegal action such as legitimatizing the private army of Gaius Octavius or Octavian In all Cicero delivered fourteen Philippics in less than two years Cicero s focus on Antony however contributed to his downfall as he failed to recognize the threat of Octavian to his republican ideal Cicero s attacks on Antony were neither forgiven nor forgotten with the result that Cicero was proscribed and killed in 43 BC His head and hands were publicly displayed in the Roman Forum to discourage any who would oppose the new Triumvirate of Octavian Mark Antony and Lepidus According to Roman historian Tacitus this work together with the Pro Milone In Catilinam and In Verrem made Cicero famous and much of his political career sprang from the effect of these works Others who would have it that the Pro Ligario in which Cicero defends Ligarius before Caesar was the vehicle of his renown See also Edit nbsp Look up philippic in Wiktionary the free dictionary Jeremiad dolorous tirade literary PolemicReferences Edit http www collinsdictionary com dictionary English philippic bare URL nbsp This literature related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Philippic amp oldid 1148955421, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
