Anthony Trollope follows Cicero after his triumphant return from exile as he reenters Roman politics and delivers fierce speeches against enemies such as Piso and Gabinius, revealing both his pride and political anxieties as well as his continuing attachment to the Republic. He then traces Cicero through the trial of Milo, his governorship of Cilicia, and the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, showing his painful uncertainty over which course best served Rome and his efforts to redefine his position after Pompey’s defeat. After Caesar’s assassination, Cicero identifies Mark Antony as a new threat to republican government and attacks him in the Philippics, but the formation of the Second Triumvirate places Cicero on the proscription lists and ultimately leads to his death. Trollope concludes by moving beyond political biography to examine Cicero’s rhetoric, philosophy, moral essays, and religious thought, presenting a broader assessment of his enduring importance as a statesman, writer, and thinker.
