Mark Antony: Beware the Charmer
Name: Marcus Antonius
Born: Rome, 83BC
Died: 30 BC
Occupation: General
Physical Description:
Mark Antony was considered a handsome fellow with rugged good looks. He had curly hair, a beard, broad low forehead, large nose, and prominent chin. He was said to have a well proportioned, powerful body.
Positive traits:
Considered friendly and agreeable with a refined aristocratic manner. He was courageous, bold, loyal, and chivalrous to his enemies.
Negative traits:
Not good at long-range planning, brutal in cases of revenge, intemperate in just about everything.
Early Life:
Antony was born into a prominent Roman family. His grandfather, Marcus Antonius, was quite a successful guy. Unfortunately, he didn’t pass the gene on to Antony’s dad, Marcus Antonius Creticus. Sure he was pleasant, attractive, and generous to his friends, but he was also incompetent. He tended to extravagance in spending and lacked leadership skills. According to Cicero, he was given power because he was too inept to use or abuse it. He died in Crete in 71 BC after a disastrous failure against Cilician pirates in the Mediterranean. (Hence the name Creticus.) Mom did remarry, but the guy was a corrupt looser. Eventually, dad #2 was executed.
In his youth, Antony was a bit of a playboy, and his choice of companions was questionable. He enjoyed lots of affairs, lots of booze and lots of gambling. Eventually, he left Rome to study philosophy in Greece. It’s possible this was an attempt to flee his bad reputation and large debts.
Career:
Antony started his military life at the age of 23. Within three years he was promoted to cavalry commander. Now an up and coming military officer, he got his big break when his mom’s relative, one Julius Caesar, asked him to join his staff in Gaul. The two hit it off, and thanks to his new best bud Antony moved through the ranks. Eventually, he became Caesars second in command.
Antony’s skill on the battlefield didn’t translate into politics, unfortunately. In 47 BC he was left in charge of Rome while Caesar went to straighten some things out in Egypt. Things didn’t go so well, however. Antony got in a big mess when he opposed a popular law that would cancel outstanding debts. His decision was based on the belief that the man who proposed the bill was sleeping with his wife. Things spiraled out of control and Caesar was forced home to straighten out the mess. Antony was given a big fat F in the plays well with others category on his report card. He also got demoted to average public citizen. Not surprisingly, this resulted in a cooling of the bromance for a while.
Although the two reconciled before Caesar’s death, one has to wonder how many tears Antony actually shed. After all, he had gone as high in the ranks as he could at this point, the only job left was Caesars. The fact that he knew of the planned assassination attempt yet kept mum sort of puts a tarnish on his halo as well.
Married Life:
How many women did it take to make Antony happy? We’ll probably never know. We do know, however, our boy had his share of wives. First, there was Fadia. She may or may not have been a real wife since she was certainly of a lower social class.
Next Marky moved on to Antonia, his cousin. The couple married around 54 BC and divorced in 47 BC. This isn’t surprising since the marriage was purely a career move. He married his next wife, Fulvia, less than a year later. Don’t worry, they were well acquainted; they had been fooling around for years. Fulvia probably wasn’t bothered by his divorce, she had two under her belt already. Ironically, both husbands were friends of Antony.
Fulvia had political clout of her own, as well as a nicely padded wallet. She also had a strong personality. According to Plutarch, she was someone who wanted to “rule a ruler and command a commander.” Antony, therefore, was the perfect husband. Along with Antony, she attempted to overpower Octavian. (He, Antony and Lepidus co-ruled as a triumvirate after the death of Ceasar.) In 40 BC she died, however, and Antony chickened out.
And More Married Life:
Once again Antony had no problem moving on, and within the year he married Octavia, Octavian’s sister. This was largely a political move to make nice with her brother. Octavia was a faithful and loyal wife to the much older Antony, however. In return for her fidelity, her husband went off to Egypt and to the bed of Cleopatra. Always a sweetie, Octavia brought him troops and money, yet he refused to see her. They were divorced in the year 32, although Antony declared his marriage to Cleopatra before the divorce.
Antony’s relationship with Cleopatra was a long one. In fact, it spanned several wives. The two first became involved while he was married to Fulvia. Cleopatra gave birth to twins the same year as Fulvia’s death and Antony’s marriage to Octavia.
Although their relationship was mutually beneficial politically, the two actually really liked each other. Both were lovers of luxury and excess. They even had their own drinking society known as the “Inimitable Livers” which held nightly feasts with games and excessive drinking. The two seem to be made for each other. Of course, this happy time of excess and living like gods didn’t last long. The two killed themselves after Octavian kicked their butts at Actium in 30 B.C. Antony’s honors were revoked, and all statues of him removed after his death.
Conclusion:
Although I admire his military skill, Antonys inability to be faithful is a definite turn off. Antony was all about work, making marriage choices that he knew would further his career. Flowers and intimate moonlit walks aren’t part of this guy’s repertoire. Yet if your the type that adores money and power, this may be your man. Just make sure to fasten your seatbelt, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
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