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A Noble Ruin: Mark Antony, Civil War, and the Collapse of the Roman Republic
A complex and captivating portrait of Mark Antony that offers a fresh perspective on the fall of the Roman Republic
In his lifetime, Mark Antony was a famous man. Ally and avenger of Julius Caesar, rhetorical target of Cicero, lover of Cleopatra, and mortal enemy of Octavian (the future emperor Augustus), Antony played a leading role in the transformation of the Roman world. Ever since his and Cleopatra's demise at the hands of Octavian, he has remained famous, or infamous, a figure of recurring fascination.
His life—variegated, passionate, sensual, bold, and tragic—inspires vigorous reactions. Nearly everyone has a view on Antony. For Cicero, he was a distasteful though talented man. Octavian fashioned him a dangerous failure, a Roman noble corrupted by his appetites and his lust for Cleopatra. Later historians adopted and adapted these themes, delivering an Antony who was irresistibly depraved, startlingly brave, sometimes cunning, but almost always constitutionally incapable of choosing the right side of history. From these, especially Plutarch's compelling portrait, Shakespeare gave us the chivalrous and unstudied Antony of Antony and Cleopatra. A Noble Ruin allows listeners to freshly assess his conduct, ambitions, and attainments, as well as the turbulent age in which he lived.
In his lifetime, Mark Antony was a famous man. Ally and avenger of Julius Caesar, rhetorical target of Cicero, lover of Cleopatra, and mortal enemy of Octavian (the future emperor Augustus), Antony played a leading role in the transformation of the Roman world. Ever since his and Cleopatra's demise at the hands of Octavian, he has remained famous, or infamous, a figure of recurring fascination.
His life—variegated, passionate, sensual, bold, and tragic—inspires vigorous reactions. Nearly everyone has a view on Antony. For Cicero, he was a distasteful though talented man. Octavian fashioned him a dangerous failure, a Roman noble corrupted by his appetites and his lust for Cleopatra. Later historians adopted and adapted these themes, delivering an Antony who was irresistibly depraved, startlingly brave, sometimes cunning, but almost always constitutionally incapable of choosing the right side of history. From these, especially Plutarch's compelling portrait, Shakespeare gave us the chivalrous and unstudied Antony of Antony and Cleopatra. A Noble Ruin allows listeners to freshly assess his conduct, ambitions, and attainments, as well as the turbulent age in which he lived.
496 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2024
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About the author
W. Jeffrey Tatum
8 books4 followersW. Jeffrey Tatum is professor of classics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
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April 16, 2025
This is a marvelous work of history keeping and an incredible evaluation of the Roman republic caught in the vise of the titans Pompey and Caesar, their deaths, the civil wars that followed with the rise of Antony and Octavian, the end of the Republic, with the victory at Actium of Octavian over Antony and Cleopatra, and the triumph of Augustus. This book is dense history, and a rich and highly sober treatment of its sources navigated by an astute historian with his eyes fixed on the central role and character of Mark Antony. I highly recommend this book (as one who’s read all of Plutarch and Dio and Suetonius, Pliny, and Tacitus, Tatum’s expertise, handling, depth of knowledge and powers of discernment and description are a joy to trace and appreciate. What a feast.
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