Putting your own thought into the heads of others is a real art. Like any creative work, some talent and great hard work are needed here. If everything is clear with the second, then what about talent? What kind of talent? Add words to sentences? Well no, this can be easily learned. Maybe a delivered and clear speech? Also easy to mine. Right! Need Charisma! Although not, artistry is also taught. What is this elusive secret ... And let's ask those who built the whole state on this, the ancient Roman speakers.
Poets are born, orators - become. (Mark Thulius Cicero, "Speech in Defense of the Archieus")
Oratory in Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome , anyone who was at least somewhat involved in politics was obliged to master the art of eloquence. Music, painting and other "means of self-expression" - this is all for leisure time and "lazy days." Those men who want to be active and useful to society must master the oratory. To speak, standing on a huge square, in front of a whole crowd and in your own words to make people believe in their own divinity is the work of a true Roman.
Not a frightening “pilum”, not a sharp “gladius” and not even a booming centurion voice. The word is the main weapon of a great empire. And this word was used very skillfully. Loud debates and noisy gatherings, sayings on the square and a private conversation - all this was built by the largest state institute. And if you decide to lead a political chariot, then first prove that you are a real Roman speaker.
But what features will be common to these loving warriors? What talent are they united in? To find out, let's try to take a closer look at the pillars of oratory of Ancient Rome.
Mark Thulius Cicero
Speaking of oratory, we cannot but say about its brightest representative. The ancient Roman philosopher Cicero was a practical, truly Roman art of eloquence. He received a good education, which, however, could not saturate his thirst for knowledge. Even as a teenager, he learned Greek and absorbed the knowledge of Hellenic teachers, was fond of oratory and philosophy. Diligence and talent served him well. The first speech, “in defense of Quintius,” Cicero delivered at the age of twenty-five. He penetrated the minds of people with words, prompting them to work, and thereby paved his way into history.
Nothing should beware of in old age, like laziness and idleness.
But what about talent? What special skills did he possess? Cicero well understood not only rhetoric, but also civil law, philosophy. He believed that the Roman speaker needed to be educated, well-read and have some sense of tact. Literature, in his opinion, perfectly helps the development of rhetoric skills.
After all, you need not only to master wisdom, but also to be able to use it.
One of the main skills of Mark Thulius Cicero is to make the story live. In his court speeches, often obliged to be boring and homogeneous, all present were drowned. He brilliantly "painted portraits" of the participants and presented the whole picture even brighter than it actually is. Humor was used appropriately and made speech natural. Expressive and artistic means were never avoided. Living metaphors and accurate comparisons - this is what attracted people's attention to it. And as soon as everyone was caught in the grip of the narrative, the speech gained momentum and ended in a powerful emotional outburst. To open the human mind and put the necessary feelings into it is the work of a true master.
Speech must flow and develop from knowledge of the subject. If the speaker has not studied it, then all eloquence is a futile, childish effort.
Seneca the Elder
Why senior? He is also called Seneca the father. He was the parent of the famous Stoic philosopher Seneca. Here we will talk specifically about the father, because the son did not invest his soul in rhetoric, but in the development of the philosophy of Stoicism. A very interesting topic, but about it another time.
In the oratorical field, Seneca never enjoyed the fame of a professional rhetorician, which, however, did not prevent him from attending oratorical events. On them he absorbed knowledge and analyzed the speeches of others. This fact of presence allowed him to write an essay in which he characterizes the speakers of his time. The Roman speaker Seneca, not inferior to his mastermind - Cicero, draws live pictures and depicts rhetoricians in all details, seasoning all this with witty anecdotes. Seneca’s quotes are less likely to apply to politics.
Marc Anthony Cicero is not an enemy, but a remorse.
Seneca admired the famous speaker Cicero and his consistency. The extremes of oratory that developed after the death of Mark Thulium were alien to him. And the influence of the "spiritual mentor" is clearly visible. Of course, this is not an absolute resemblance, only some, barely noticeable paths of thought. If Cicero, being a lover of tragic and epic works, reflects in his speeches a high appeal and heroic readiness, then Seneca is much more successful in matters of humor. He perfectly inserted it under the support of the text, preventing the narrative from collapsing. An excellent quote by Seneca, often forgotten by many:
Being able to speak is a less important virtue than being able to stop.
Marc Fabius Quintilian
Quintilian from childhood was destined to oratory. His father and grandfather were rhetoricians. He received a good education in Rome and was preparing for speeches in court. However, despite the successful practice of a court speaker, he devoted himself entirely to teaching. His theoretical notes were used everywhere and carried a storehouse of knowledge for beginner rhetoricians. Some contemporaries even put him on a par with Cicero.
What can be more honest and noble, how to teach others what you yourself know best?
Universal popularity came down to him during the reign of Domitian. Glorifying the bloody dictator, he knew a sudden rise to the top of fame. But let’s not judge the story down. His life, however, was not as cloudless as a career. Having lost his wife and two sons, he was left in solitude, which was aggravated by the growing terror of Domitian. Having died so tragically, he left behind a legacy that was used by the next generation of speakers.
Mark Valery Messala Corvin
Mark Valery’s path was slightly different from previous speakers. He spent most of his life on the battlefield and in government affairs. He started as a legate, and finished as the most respected person in the Senate. Messala's military life was full of difficulties, and he did not always serve one commander. However, according to his contemporaries, he was not deprived of nobility.
In oratory, he succeeded no less than in the military. Messala was one of the pioneers of oratory of his time. Many of those who were unknown then, but to whom fate had a great recognition, spoke very highly of the speeches of the then-famous speaker of Messala. Cicero admires his speech, Quintilian notes the nobility of his syllable, and eloquence teachers often base his oratory on teaching.
Talent or hard work?
What is common between all these people? What thread binds them? Active Cicero, attentive Seneca, inquisitive Quintilian, experienced Messala. They did not “push” smart speeches immediately after birth, did not become brilliant children. The great orators of Ancient Rome studied all the wisdom throughout their lives. Each had a different fate; each used different teaching methods.
But we pulled them out of the bowels of history precisely in order to search for the general, and not the particular. And without an answer, we won’t let them go. Cicero was undoubtedly very greedy for knowledge. He concluded that the most important thing for a real Roman orator was his broad outlook. Seneca began his journey to the top of the podium with constant listening to other rhetoricians. Quintilian was absorbed in theory and examined in detail every thing. Messala was absorbed in state and military politics, which means that his talk was full of knowledge.
Speaker's Philosopher's Stone
This means that the main thing for the speaker is a thirst for knowledge. Indeed, diction, literacy and the construction of speech can be learned, but the breadth of consciousness is not such an obvious "skill".
We, having barely come into the world, already find ourselves in the chaos of false opinions and almost with the milk of a nurse, we can say, we are drinking into errors. Marcus Thulius Cicero, Tusculan Conversations
If everyone observes the shadows on the wall of the cave, they can hardly assume that outside it is better. And the speaker’s business is to convince them to look out of the cocoon and at least take a quick look at the real world. But for this, he himself first needs to break out of the gloomy captivity.