![]() The effectiveness of the ascending tricolon is evident in one of America’s greatest orations, the Gettysburg address, in the line, “but, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate-we can not consecrate-we can not hallow-this ground.”Īnd there is one more facet to Caesar’s rhetoric: the manner of construction of Caesar’s passage furthers its purpose. Moreover, Caesar’s three phrases form an ascending tricolon, or a grouping of three related items, each with more gravity than the last. Caesar also omits the conjunctions from his sentence, a technique known as asyndeton, to make it more succinct and rhythmic veni vidi vici is superior to veni vidi et vici. Caesar repeats the “v” (pronounced like a “u” in Latin) and the “i” sound in each word, a technique known as assonance, to create a pleasing echo for the reader. Caesar reported back to the senate, in an open letter, the three words veni vidi vici.īut what makes Caesar’s veni vidi vici so timeless and powerful? And what can you learn from Caesar’s writing to help you improve your own? Caesar’s writing, like every great Latin work, is full of rhetorical techniques and deliberate stylistic patterns, and by understanding what choices Caesar made and why, your prose can match his.įirst, Caesar writes in parallel structure, crafting each part of his sentence with an identical grammatical structure and giving his sentence a clear, easy-to-read rhythm. The campaign could have required several months, but following several crucial errors by Pharnaces, Caesar put down the rebellion in a matter of days. The phrase came in 47 BC, after Caesar travelled to Asia Minor (present day Turkey) to fight King Pharnaces II, who was rebelling against Rome. Meaning “I came, I saw, I conquered,” this may be the most well-known Latin phrase of the modern day. However, among all of the famous Latin handed down from Ancient Rome, Caesar’s captivating veni vidi vici stands astride all else. While leading Rome’s legions in Gaul, he penned the seven-book volume Commentarii de Bello Gallico, or “Commentaries on the Gallic War,” and while fighting one of Rome’s civil wars, Caesar penned the three-book volume Commentarii de Bello Civili, or “Commentaries on the Civil War.” Caesar wrote prolifically about the wars he fought.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |