A dialogue on the ideal orator, featuring the great Roman speakers Crassus and Antonius debating what makes oratory an art. Three books that define Roman rhetorical education. Cicero's most ambitious work on the theory of public speaking.
Start ReadingCrassus and Antonius debate whether the orator needs broad knowledge or only rhetorical technique. Crassus argues for the universal education of the complete orator.
Antonius discusses invention and arrangement — how to find arguments and organise a speech. Caesar Strabo contributes a digression on wit and humour in oratory.
Crassus on style, delivery, and memory. The ornaments of language, the music of prose, and the physical art of speaking. The most technically rich section.