Cicero: On Duties (De Officiis)

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Cicero wrote On Duties in 44 BCE, during a tumultuous period in Roman history when the Republic was under threat by the ambitious Julius Caesar. What do you know about this historical period and its key players, including figures such as Julius Caesar, Pompey, Mark Antony, Octavian, and Cicero himself?

Teaching Suggestion: This question connects to the theme of Indictment of Julius Caesar. When Cicero wrote On Duties in 44 BCE, Julius Caesar was the king of Rome in all but name, having had himself elected “Dictator for Life” (dictator perpetuo) after defeating his rival Pompey in a Civil War that raged from 49 to 45 BCE. Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BCE, by several leading Roman senators. Cicero, one of the leading political figures of the time, was a staunch critic of Caesar, though he was not involved in the conspiracy to assassinate him. Caesar’s assassination spurred another civil war that pitted Caesar’s supporters—led by Mark Antony and Octavian—against the conspirators. Cicero, considered a political threat by Antony and Octavian, was assassinated at the end of 43 BCE.