Editing Catilinarian orations (section)

=== Structure and context ===
The First Catilinarian is a denunciation of Catiline, delivered before the Senate in the [[Temple of Jupiter Stator (3rd century BC)|Temple of Jupiter Stator]] on 7 or 8 November 63&nbsp;BC. The Senate met to discuss an attempt on Cicero's life. Whether the speech is entirely historical is not entirely clear: the Second Catilinarian depicts Cicero's first speech as a simple interrogatory rather than the extended denunciation that survives. Unlike the other speeches, most of the speech is directed to Catiline personally with concluding remarks addressed to the Senate.{{sfn|Berry|2020|pp=90–91, 112}}

Categorisation of the speech into one of the genres of ancient rhetoric is difficult. The denunciatory aspects of the speech are couched in the framework of a senatorial address while also largely being delivered to Catiline's person. Scholars disagree as to whether it should be seen as a speech in the genre of the law courts (forensic or prosecutorial) or otherwise in the genre of senatorial rhetoric (deliberative).{{sfn|Berry|2020|p=90 n. 7}} This difficulty may be due to its original extemporaneous nature, delivered not as part of a structured meeting but rather on Catiline's arrival to the senate.{{sfn|Berry|2020|pp=91–92}}

The oration's arguments, somewhat cloudy and meandering, are intended more to influence senatorial opinion than argue in favour of any specific course of action or actually advise Catiline. Cicero, in a letter, later described it as a farewell; Berry, in ''Cicero's Catilinarians'', argues that Cicero had to dress up inaction since, within the bounds of the law, he had limited authority to act against Catiline proactively. A more retrospective interpretation of how it would have played {{circa|60&nbsp;BC}} would instead emphasise how Cicero chose to act slowly and deliberatively rather than, as alleged by his political enemies, cruelly and autocratically.{{sfn|Berry|2020|pp=114–15}}