While there are multiple records of Cicero, supposedly written by him, there is a serious chance that one of the most renowned orators of all time actually never existed.
No Evidence!
First of all, there is little written about Cicero from people that are not ‘Cicero’ himself. His supposed accomplishments include foiling the Cataline Conspiracy during his one year of consulship, an impressive feat in and of itself. If this actually happened, however, surely a famous poet from the time period (like Archias perhaps) would have recorded this man’s great exploits. Yet, we have nothing to suggest that a third party witnessed this deed. For someone so famous and well-known today, no one cared much to write about the things that he actually ‘achieved’. Cicero also stands as a figure of overconfidence and self-love; a man whose speaking style ought to be detested and avoided. All his speeches digress from their intended purpose and instead serve to elevate either himself or the ideals he represented. His writing style as well is full of lists and lacks much in the way of consistent artful construction. His actions portray him as a spoiled child - talented with his words but insecure in how he uses them.
Teacher's Example
Would it be beyond reason to consider that Cicero was merely an invented figure, an object of what not-to-do developed by the creative minds of the wise Roman teachers? Perhaps, Catiline was actually consul when Cicero was supposedly serving his term, and was greatly disliked, so he stood as the antagonist of Cicero’s story. Perhaps the Romans merely meant to deceive us, leaving us a kind of misleading time capsule as some in the present day might do, just for the amusement of leading so many literary studiers astray in the future.
Peculiar Writing Style
And perhaps his writing style is so peculiar and unnecessarily...periodic...so that Latin students today would have a difficult time understanding him and thus perform worse on their assessments. Those learning about ‘Cicero’ and his speeches ought to receive extra slack for the fact that they are subjected to studying the frustrating rhetoric of a man who likely never existed.