Honors Program

 

Date of this Version

Spring 3-5-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Yaple, Lauren. The Impact of Women on the Life and Legacy of Mark Antony. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. The University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2022.

Comments

Copyright Lauren Yaple 2022.

Abstract

Throughout the life of Mark Antony, the women he became involved with had a large impact on his political career, life, and legacy. These women, such as Fulvia and Cleopatra, used Antony as a means to achieve their own political, economic, and personal goals and were able to gain power in a very anti-feminist society through their relationships with and manipulations of him, affecting the career of Antony in many ways including his politics and his actions as a military commander, as showcased by the examination of primary sources from the late Roman Republic and early Roman empire periods. This key role of women in Antony’s life was used against him by his political enemies and anti-Antony propagandists like Cicero and Augustus, which negatively impacted Antony’s reputation in Rome, contributing to his eventual downfall in 30 BCE and leaving a permanent impact on his legacy. This lasting female presence on his legacy is present not only within Roman sources such as the speeches of Cicero, Augustan propaganda, and records of Antony’s life, but also within historical texts that were written long after his death, which will be examined through the literature of Vergil and Shakespeare.

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