A Chinese Translation With Extensive Notes Of Cicero’s Second Philippic

Marcus Tullius Cicero was and is generally acknowledged as the greatest Latin orator as well as a remarkable advocate, statesman and philosopher in the antiquity. Leading a political and cultural life at the last duration of the Roman Republic, he gained some profound insights into the radical change of the current society. Fortunately, the greater parts of his valuable works survive the time, including 58 of his orations, of which fourteen Philippics are comparatively well preserved. During the last year of his life, Cicero attacked Mark Antony and supported “the Republicans” by composing and delivering orations which were later on published as Cicero’s Philippics. These exquisite orations not only reveal Cicero’s superb rhetorical arrangement in invective but also suffuse Cicero’s considerations about the Republic.The second Philippic is one of the most distinguished orations of Cicero, which contains Cicero’s self-defense as well as invective on Antony’s behaviors, public service and servility. Benefited from fundamental textural criticism done by scholars since 1980 s, studies of Cicero’s rhetorical techniques and political thoughts involving in these orations are currently blossoming. This thesis aims to achieve a comprehensive study on the Second Philippic based on the text edited by Paulus Fedeli, referring to the commentary made by John Ramsey. The first chapter of this thesis contains “the last fight” and the Second Philippic, an introduction of Cicero and his works, editions of the text and a summary of its studies; the second chapter provides a Chinese translation of this oration; the third provides some extensive notes.Since this oration involves many significant political issues, and sometimes it tends to exaggerate in oration delivering, therefore, a comprehensive grasp of historical, rhetorical and political approaches as well as textual criticism should be applied when one tries to understand it. With a Chinese translation and notes, this thesis aims to contribute to the understanding and study of Cicero’s political thoughts and rhetorical strategy as well as the end of Roman Republic.