The Philippics

Marcus Tullius Cicero's passionate assault on Mark Antony stands as one of history's most powerful political orations. Delivered across fourteen speeches between 44 and 43 BCE, The Philippics represent Cicero's final, desperate attempt to preserve the Roman Republic against what he saw as tyranny and ambition threatening the state's survival. Named deliberately after Demosthenes' attacks on Philip II of Macedon, these classical political essays showcase rhetoric at its most fierce and uncompromising. With Caesar dead and Rome in turmoil, the aging ex-consul—over sixty years old—launches an extraordinary campaign to discredit Antony's rise to power. Cicero's speeches blend legal argument, moral outrage, and blistering personal attacks, creating a masterclass in persuasive oratory that has influenced political discourse for two millennia. Yet The Philippics reveal the tragic irony of history: while Cicero succeeded in making Antony his enemy, he fatally misjudged Octavian, whose growing power he inadvertently enabled. His courageous opposition ultimately cost him his life. Proscribed in 43 BCE, Cicero was executed, his head and hands displayed as a grim warning. This essential ancient text is ideal for history enthusiasts, classical literature students, and anyone interested in how rhetoric shapes politics. These timeless orations demonstrate that the conflicts between principle and power, integrity and survival, remain eternally relevant.