My, what a Gorgeous Oration!

Let's talk dialogue.

So, in Cicero's De oratore, we've got this group of buds hanging out at their friend's house, having a chat about oratory (you would think there would be more to talk about in ancient Rome, but hey, whatever floats their boat). There's a very productive, respectful discussion about what oratory has done, what oratory requires, and how to become a great orator. All parties who speak are equally heard--and even when disagreements arise, all turns out well in the end. This is especially true because Antonius was just arguing with Crassus for the fun of it (p. 172). Everyone's opinions and experiences balance out and puzzle piece into each other quite nicely.

Now rewind your brains to when we read Plato's Gorgias. I don't think you need to be reminded what happened in this dialogue. With Socrates' loyal student at the reins, things went a little differently for Gorgias than for Antonius and Crassus. The dialogue could've looked something like this:

Not as nice and friendly, huh? So why such a big difference?

Let's look at Plato again. Well, he was Socrates' student. He was probably less experienced (like the young Cicero that James talked about). He did have a lot of respect for Socrates. And he did subscribe to his views. Naturally, he wanted Socrates to look like the tough guy in the dialogue--to create a masterful persona in his work to honor his teacher (and beat up the sophists while he was at it).

We oughta note that Cicero, too, included his tutor as a character in De oratore. Crassus represents Cicero's own views in the dialogue. Instead of making Crassus "win," though, Cicero lets Antonius and the other friends have a turn. Crassus doesn't smash them into the ground, but listens as they explain their views and even admits his own faults as an orator and rhetorician. Cicero thus uses his characters in a more mature way: to explore the different ideas about rhetoric and oratory.

Plato was more interested in proving his point than exploring other ones. He wanted to show how good Socrates was as well as how right he was, and he does a pretty good job of it. If we looked at who Gorgias was and how he spoke, though, we might find that his portrayal in Gorgias is a little skewed.

Cicero, on the other hand, provides a pretty accurate depiction of the theories of his characters' actual counterparts. We can tell because of the brief history included on page 166: Antonius, though playing the opposition in De oratore, actually held the more popular view of rhetoric at that time.