Philippics Summary

Question 1

I

Answer 1

Cicero explainsthat though he was in Greece he was attempting to establish peace and heard the power had been given back to the senators. Praises Antony’s initial actions - making decisions in the senate rather than at home and having the senators vote to remove the dictatorship from the constitution

Question 2

II

Answer 2

Cicero suggests that Antony initially seemed to be doing good, removing ‘dictatorship’ in light of the recent ‘dictatorship for life’, even though the role had sometimes been good. He discusses how Antony and Dolabella worked in collaboration, making decisions together. And when Dolabella acted alone it was only when Antony was absent, stopping the spread of a plague and halting a rebellion. On the first of June, the senate was cut off from decisions entirely. The cities liberators were exiled. Cicero set out to return by the first of January