Chapter 6, Cicero Summary and Analysis

Plutarch notes that Cicero's mother is from a good family and that little is known for certain about his father. The name, "Cicero," is also an enigma. "Cicer" is Latin for "chick-pea" and it is noted that Cicero, upon being urged to drop the name or change it, indicates that he plans to make it a noteworthy name. It seems that he has a sense of humor about the topic—the ancestor first so named had a dent in his nose that resembled a chick-pea. Cicero is said to have once had his first and second names, Marcus and Tullius, engraved on an offering to the gods, then had the engraver add the words, "chick-pea."

Cicero is bright, takes on all aspects of education, becomes a noted orator and poet, serves briefly in the military and exits from...