Rereading the Epistulae ad Brutum in light of the Philippicae between politics and rhetoric

Abstract

This article examines the points of contact between the Ad Brutum letters and the Philippics in the context of Cicero’s politico-rhetorical strategy adopted in his conflict with Antony. The two collections present similarities in the way Cicero portrays the res publica’s predicament, the ongoing conflict, and his construction both of the figure of Antony and of Cicero’s own politics. The article seeks to show that the letters to Brutus offer a vindication of Cicero’s policy and as an extension of his political speeches. The Philippics were delivered before a Senate that was sometimes reluctant to adopt Cicero’s proposals; similarly, the letters to Brutus were an important means by which Cicero sought to persuade Brutus, who was convinced that an agreement with Antony was possible, to embrace his political line and come to the aid of the res publica.