12. Study Questions Copy

The effect of referring to him as ‘that man’ seems to be a way of dehumanising him,  and making him seem beyond the pale.

The key here is repetition. Firstly, there is the repetition of  ‘he whom’. followed by the repetition of auditis, followed by more references to ‘he whom’.

Cicero seems to be saying that the present jury were fortunate not to have to have been present to hear about the awful crimes of Oppianicus.

By showing how awful Oppianicus was, and reminding the jurors that he was found guilty, he is showing the rightness of Cluentius in successfully prosecuting him and demonstrating that he deserved to die. Previous references to the wickedness of Sassia also undermines her present accusation against Cluentius. This ‘victim blaming’ serves to undermine the validity of the accusations against Cluentius.