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 lifevariegated, passionate, sensual, bold, and tragicinspires 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 their readers 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, the fullest biography of Antony in English, assimilates the various, often competing, ancient sources to provide a strong and muchneeded dose of realism to the caricature we have of this major historical figure. The book gives ample attention to the varied cultural circumstances in which Antony operated, including the social and moral expectations of his republican heritage, as well as the exceptional challenges posed by the convulsion of civil war. In furnishing a complex and captivating portrait of Anthony, A Noble Ruin allows readers to freshly assess his conduct, ambitions, and attainments, as well as the turbulent age in which he lived.

— BUY THE BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS —
https://global.oup.com/academic/produ...

— SUPPORT US VIA OUR PATREON —
  / whencyclopedia  

— BUY OUR MERCH —
https://www.worldhistory.store​/​

— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
0:55 What is A Noble Ruin All About?
2:25 The Fullest Biography of Mark Antony in English
4:00 The Evidence For Mark Antony's Life
5:15 Beyond a Political Lens
6:40 Why Write a Biography of Mark Antony?
8:10 Mark Antony's 'Eastern Identity'
11:00 The Most Surprising Thing About Mark Antony's Life to Jeff
13:30 Shakespeare's 'Antony and Cleopatra'
15:30 What is One Thing People Should Know about A Noble Ruin?
17:27 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Mark Antony's Oration at Caesar's Funeral
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/...
Mark Antony's Parthian Campaign
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/...
Mark Antony
https://www.worldhistory.org/Mark_Ant...
Battle of Actium
https://www.worldhistory.org/Battle_o...

— WATCH NEXT —
The New Roman Empire Interview with Anthony Kaldellis    • The New Roman Empire  Interview with...  
The Genius of their Age: Ibn Sina, Biruni, and the Lost Enlightenment    • The Genius of their Age: Ibn Sina, Bi...  
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire    • The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire  
Cleopatra VII Philopator: the Last Queen of Ancient Egypt    • Cleopatra VII Philopator: the Last Qu...  

— ATTRIBUTIONS —

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2v...
   / @michaellevymusic  

World History Encyclopedia
www.worldhistory.org

#markantony #antonyandcleopatra #jefftatum #oup