Comprehension Product: Catiline has Left!

Unlike his previous speeches, Cicero now speaks to the citizens of the Republic rather than to Catiline or the senate. He gives his speech at the rostra, which is a platform where orations were given. The rostra faces north towards the Senate house. The citizens gather in between the rostra and the Senate house to listen to the orator. 

By the end of the first oration, Catiline has already fled Rome. Cicero speaks very harshly of Catiline in front of the senate so that his crimes are exposed to the senators. However, Catiline mentioned in his first oration that he would not kill Catiline as long as there was somebody who would stand up for him. 

This speech is softer than his previous ones because he is speaking to citizens who may have felt sympathetic towards Catiline and actually liked him. Aside from directly addressing Catiline's faults, Cicero talks about how it was good for the state of the Republic that he is gone. Cicero not only talks about how Catiline confessed to his crimes by fleeing Rome, but he talks about curing the Republic. He does this to show that his actions are not out of anger but out of being a good consul for the people of Rome. He plans on curing the Republic through his speeches as much as he is able to.

Although Cicero did not speak badly of Catiline, he addresses Catiline and his conspirators as their own social class. They are the last class, below the class of criminals. They are in their own class because they are enemies, not because of their wealth, which was what most of the other classes were classified into. Cicero is aware that there will continue to be conspirators and other "Catilines" that plan to bring destruction towards the Republic, but that is why Cicero plans on recovering the Republic.