Antony

Mark (83-30 B. C.), a Roman soldier. The third of the name, remarkable alike for his ability and his vices. Antony was a personal friend of Julius Caesar and served with him in the Gallic Wars. As is well understood, Caesar kept an eye on public affairs at Rome, whither Antony returned and secured his own election as tribune. When the senate passed an act commanding Caesar to disband his army, Antony and his colleague interposed a veto and disguised as slaves fled for their lives to Caesar. This gave Caesar the desired pretext for crossing the Rubicon and marching on Rome. When later the conspirators assassinated Caesar at the foot of Pompey's Pillar, Mark Antony stirred up the populace against them in a famous oration of which Shakespeare has given us his idea in the play of Julius Caesar. With Octavius and Lepidus, Antony formed the triumvirate which pursued Brutus and Cassius to Thessaly, where Antony won the famous battle of Pharsalia. In the subsequent division of the Roman world, in which Lepidus played a small part, Octavius received Rome and the West; Antony, Alexandria and the East.

At Alexandria Antony fell under the influence of Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemies, and led a life of debauchery and ease. Octavius, not content with Rome, found an easy pretext and quarreled with Antony. The details of the quarrel between them would be tedious; but where one man is ambitious and scheming, while the other is profligate and careless, even though brave, it is not difficult to foresee who is to be the master. Octavius defeated his rival in a naval battle off Actium, and Antony fled to Alexandria in search of Cleopatra. Learning that she had played him false, he fell on his sword and put an end to a brave, generous, profligate, and, on the whole, worthless life.

See Cleopatra