“free unforced judgements”: Envisioning the Ideal Republic through Freedom of Speech in The Tragedy of Cicero
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In 1641, after the Star Chamber was abolished, the printing market in early modern England enjoyed an unprecedented freedom. This increased the production of publications until the officials decided to implement regulations to control the press in 1643 and 1647. In 1649, another ordinance was decreed, mobilizing the army to suppress the press. Soon, the matters of censorship became a heated topic, and many found the regulations alarming. I read The Tragedy of that Famous Roman Orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, a play published anonymously in 1651, through this historical context. In particular, I examine how the play envisions an ideal republican society on the basis of freedom of speech. I argue that by doing so, the play implicitly criticizes the Cromwellian Commonwealth. The play underlines the actual threat posed by the recent suppressions of the press by demonstrating how censorship works to undermine the fundamental republican principle of liberty. Also, the play enables us to measure the importance of the classical tradition in early modern English culture. It reaches back to its classical past to challenge the present state of England and offer an alternative society for the future. Ultimately, I find the play to be essential in understanding the complexities surrounding the matters of censorship and the significance of classical knowledge in the mid-seventeenth century England.
Abstract
In 1641, after the Star Chamber was abolished, the printing market in early modern England enjoyed an unprecedented freedom. This increased the production of publications until the officials decided to implement regulations to control the press in 1643 and 1647. In 1649, another ordinance was decreed, mobilizing the army to suppress the press. Soon, the matters of censorship became a heated topic, and many found the regulations alarming. I read The Tragedy of that Famous Roman Orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, a play published anonymously in 1651, through this historical context. In particular, I examine how the play envisions an ideal republican society on the basis of freedom of speech. I argue that by doing so, the play implicitly criticizes the Cromwellian Commonwealth. The play underlines the actual threat posed by the recent suppressions of the press by demonstrating how censorship works to undermine the fundamental republican principle of liberty. Also, the play enables us to measure the importance of the classical tradition in early modern English culture. It reaches back to its classical past to challenge the present state of England and offer an alternative society for the future. Ultimately, I find the play to be essential in understanding the complexities surrounding the matters of censorship and the significance of classical knowledge in the mid-seventeenth century England.
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