Marcus Antonius

Philip Matyszak highlights several key contributors to Rome during the fall of its Republic under the First and Second Triumvirates. While all of the politicians mentioned by Matyszak used Rome to further their own ambitions, Marcus Antonius is the figure that stands out. His political gain is peculiar given that he “…was of the plebeian branch” (p. 216). Even though Mark Antony was not from the wealthy patrician status held by most aspiring politicians, he made a name for himself by becoming close to his military leader Julius Caesar. Antony fought from the bottom for the connections that led him to his later positions by serving well in the military as a soldier rising through the ranks. He created the alliances that fueled his escape from near imprisonment after the death of Caesar. By joining the Second Triumvirate “Antony had gone from starving refugee to one of the three most powerful men in the world in a few weeks” (p. 219). From the beginnings of a plebeian family, Antony managed to get himself as close to the next Julius Caesar as the Republic had feared.

Although he met a classically tragic end, “…committing suicide by falling on his sword,” (p.221) Antony was the embodiment of a combination of political ambition and self-made glory that society remembers today as Rome. His historical significance was enough to serve as the story line for several films and even Shakespeare wrote a play on his relations with Cleopatra. While he is no Julius Caesar, his memory is still present in modern cultures.