Judges and Marcus Tullius Cicero, first allow me to shed light on how honorable you men are. You believe that Roman citizens need a life of fairness, of opportunity, and of prosperity. You have to believe that this is essential for our state. If you do not concur with me, then could you be called a man of honor? Now, in order to appeal to your male minds which mandate our laws and our Roman society, I will manipulate my rhetoric. You must agree with Cicero that Clodia is a w****. You must agree that a woman being comfortable with her sexuality is abhorrent. You must think that all women nag needlessly. O, you must say that they carp about frivolous things often as if they have anything to whine about! You must consider women to have all that they deserve. You presume that they are worthy of domesticity and nothing more. But Clodia’s accusation is not a girlish complaint, and Cicero’s accusation of her supposed w****-like actions is far from honorable!

Nevertheless, I guarantee that my presumptions about you men are true. Cicero, how dare you defy your ethical responsibilities and become more of an oppressor by taking the wrong side? Men, why do you love the idea of equality but not its actualization? Your definition of equality is not what the word truly means. Roman society shames women and men for extra-marital affairs, but chastity is more imperative for women to be seen as decent due to the fact that chastity is necessary for a woman to be married, and marriages and domestic chores are the epitome of womanly duties. Cicero, you are fortifying this belief system that preaches inequality. If you were noble and if you had morals, you would support Clodia’s charges against your client Caelius. You would not place the significance of Clodia’s virtue above Caelius’s by ignoring Caelius’s noncompliance to sexual virtue and emphasizing Clodia’s participation. You are bashing someone for engaging in sexual acts outside of marriage solely because of their gender. On your behalf, Caelius is not being accused simply due to him being the superior sex. You are dismissing his involvement with Clodia because you say that males cannot control their urges. This is a fabrication for you to distract from the truth: men and women both have desires. You are subjecting women to a false claim. Nonetheless, a slightly younger age is not an excuse for Caelius to have done something that you say is shameful. If this relationship itself was truly impure in your eyes, Caelius would not be completely and nonchalantly free from the blame. You are not abiding by the laws of justice, Cicero You are verbally bombarding one fellow Roman, and not the other, with harsh criticism for indulging in impurity and abstaining from virtue, which reinforces the idea that only one type of person must follow the rules of chastity in order to have value in society. This condemned and criticized Roman I speak of is representative of women and, in this case, Clodia. Marcus Tullius Cicero is a man of high status, is an admirable Roman resident, and is someone who is looked up to those sitting in this court. But he is being immoral and insulting. Judges, how can you subsist his degrading rhetoric? He has called her shameful, but who truly is the one being shameful? Cicero has been shaming Clodia throughout the entire duration of this case. He has named her a prostitute and harlot… but she is none of these things. And honestly, what do us Romans perceive about a prostitute who is not forced to work, who consents to their career, and who earns income that defines them as sinful?

To disprove the credibility of Cicero’s stance even further, his affirmation of her having sought revenge because of Caelius rejecting a sensual wish of hers is absurd. Caelius crafted his plan perfectly. He wanted no witness so that no person could view his deviousness and make an accusation against him. If our society treats our women as objects incapable of reaching a male’s level of greatness in any aspect, why wouldn't Caelius treat her like such? Why wouldn't he attempt to poison her and steal her gold? Clodia is educated and has not made any illegal faults in her lifetime. Why would she do something so abhorrent as to accuse a person of something that could throw them into jail?

Judges, I know that some of you drink at the tabernaes and bars. I understand that you celebrate there and enjoy the wine offered. Have you ever been with a woman that you were not married to during a night of extravagance? Some of your faces, judges- Cicero- tell me that you have. Now, you may have been denied by a woman after a long period of drinking. If so, were you so distraught that you tried to poison her and steal her riches? I doubt that you have done an endeavor so immoral on account of an unimportant refusal. So, enlighten me, judges. Why would Clodia, a law-abiding citizen, perform such a terrible- and not to mention poorly executed- crime? Is she suddenly so evil that she poisoned one of her beloved servants? As well, if you think that her womanly instincts of witch-like behavior emerged, you are incorrect, dishonorable, and crooked to think that another human is lesser than you. Cicero, I am ashamed of you.