Marcus Tullius Cicero
b. 106 BC
The statesman, lawyer, scholar, and writer on rhetoric and orations,
Cicero, was the greatest Roman orator. He wrote about sermo corporis ('language
of the body') making comments about how to dress and stand, and distinguishing
between 'a theatrical gesture’ which expresses single words, and ‘the
rhetorical gesture’ which explains the entire topic and meaning. Typically, Roman
orators either used a rich, florid, grandiose style or a direct simplicity of
movement. As a younger man Cicero had used a certain strain and tension through
his whole body but, under the guidance of Molon of Rhodes, he came to command a
variety of styles, selecting the rhythms best suited for each audience and
phrase. At this time, different actors took different systems, one producing
the gestures, the other delivering the speech. Cicero understood that the action
of the body expresses the sentiments and passions of the soul , and that every
emotion has a particular look, tone and bearing.
