Cicero on Clodia

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  • Cicero on Clodia
    • cicero is defending Marcus Caelius Rufus (a former Protégé)
      • law court against charges of attempted murder
      • late first centaury AD
      • entertains the jury with sarcasm and wit as they have been brought in on a bank holiday
    • the accusations
      • the gold
        • was lent from Clodia to bribe dio slaves to help with the poisoning
      • the poison
        • he used it to attempt to poison ambassador Dio
        • he then tried to poison Clodia after either to remove her as a witness or because he hated her
      • shows deep hatred after being cruelly jilted
    • he turns the attention away from Caelius and onto Clodia
      • she was from a noble family
        • but feels it is wrong to refer her as a roman matron after the disrespectful deeds she has done
      • if she will not confirm that she lent him the gold and doesn't accuse him of trying to kill her then there is no case
      • if she was to be removed from the case then they would have nothing to attack caelius  with
      • she had many affairs and was said to be the lesbian of Roman poet Gaius Valerius Catullus
        • Cicero refers to her as being 'everyone's friend'
          • what he means is that she sleeps with everyone
          • she became a symbol of everything that is corrupt and wrong about women
            • she was likened to medea and Clytemnestra
        • 'gives herself freely to everyone-I mean everyone'
    • techniques
      • flatters the jury
        • 'you Gnaeus Domiutius, smart at you are understand we are only concerned with this woman'
      • on purpose mixes up Clodia's brother and husband
        • showing how loose her morals were
      • her accusations are either lies or due to the nature of her character she should be given the respect and be trusted
    • he hypothetically questions her using Caecus the blind, a deceased relative of hers
      • her father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-great grandfather were all consuls
        • she should be more respectful and upheld her high reputation
      • her husband was Quintus Metellus
        • he was devoted to his country, noble, courageous, glorious and had a good reputation
          • as is wife how could she mix with Caelius
            • Caelius was not a relative, relative by marriage or friend of her husband he was just 'sheer unbridled passion'
      • he was a traditionalist
      • he didn't build the aqueduct so that she could wash herself after having sex with her brother
      • he didn't rebuild the road so that she could parade with other women's husbands
    • he then uses Quinta Claudia to question her
      • noble matron who brought the statue of the goddess Ostia to rome to give rome victory in war
    • Claudia was a vestal virgin
      • she brought honour to their household
        • she defended her father when the tribune of the people tried to pull him down from his chariot
    • she was a widow to Quintus Metellus and it was thought she killed him
    • cicero hated clodia because he had a long feud with her brother, clodius
      • clodius had sent cicero into exile and destroyed cicero's house and brothers house
    • Baiae
      • was a luxury resort in Naples where aristocratic Romans would have their holidays

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