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Why did Cicero deliver the Philippic orations against Mark Antony?

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Marble bust of Marcus Tullius Cicero, shown with short hair and draped clothing, displayed against a black background. — Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero, detail of a marble bust; in the Capitoline Museums, Rome.

Cicero delivered his 14 Philippic orations against Mark Antony as part of a vigorous reentry into politics following the assassination of Julius Caesar. After returning to Rome in 44 BCE, Cicero sought to counter Antony’s growing control over political events.

His primary objective was to drive the Senate to declare war on Antony, who was then pursuing one of Caesar’s assassins in Cisalpine Gaul. To achieve this, Cicero attempted to leverage the influence of Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian, hoping to use him as a tool to preserve the republic against Antony’s dominance. In these speeches, Cicero famously depicted Antony as a debauched and dangerous figure, aiming to sway the Senate away from its inclination toward compromise and toward direct military confrontation.12