How does Robert Harris use the framing device of an aged Tiro narrating from after the Republic’s fall to shape the reader’s understanding of events?

What role does Terentia play in Cicero’s career? What does this say about the status of women in the Roman Republic?

Discuss the novel’s use of excerpts from Cicero’s speeches. How does Harris use these quotations to illuminate the novel’s themes?

Compare the novel’s characterization of Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar. How does each reveal a different facet of the way power operates in the late Republic?

In what ways does the novel treat Cicero as a proxy for the downfall of the Republic itself? What makes Cicero a suitable figure in this respect?

The novel often references the games put on for public entertainment in Ancient Rome. What do these references reveal about the role of spectacle in the Republic?

Analyze the imagery Harris uses to describe the city of Rome. How does this portrayal contribute to the novel’s overarching ideas?

Rome had an extensive empire abroad even when it itself was a republic; it also practiced enslavement. How does the novel handle the disjunction between Rome’s ideals and the reality?