Can you explain what happened between Marc Antony and Cleopatra?

Question

What started their affair?

What led them to their deaths?

Answer 1

1- Love at first sight (in the sense of a great one night stand)

Politics: Marcus needed Cleopatra (money), and she needed him (power).

2- The lost the big one. After the battle of Actium it was all the way down. Failed politicians in those days didn't retire in comfort, but usually in the grave.

Answer 2

It's hard to say for sure, since neither left any sort of memoirs. But a good guess would be that Cleopatra initiated the relationship. Her position in Egypt was firm as long as Julius Caesar was alive, ensuring her some independence in her rule. And with her son Caesarian, she could even eye having significant influence on Roman politics. But with Caesar's assassination, Egypt could be looked at by Roman factions as a big ripe prize to be plucked. Marc Anthony was one of Caesar's closest associates, and had military experience and influence. Caesar's official heir, on the other hand, was an unknown factor, and much younger.

   From Anthony's view, a relationship with Cleopatra had the major benefit of offering him a rich base of operations. Egypt was the breadbasket of Rome at the time, and controlling Egypt through Cleopatra gave him a strong influence on the City, even if he was not physically present.  So when Cleopatra made advances, of any sort, it was in Anthony's interest to accept. Given his reputation for womanizing, it is not suprising that the relationship very quickly became a romantic one.

   Alas for both of them, Anthony wasn't a Caesar. He couldn't separate his love life from his political one, nor did he play the political game nearly as well as his mentor Caesar. He allowed himself to be distracted from the life and death struggle with Octavian, who he constantly underestimated.  Out manouvered politically, defeated militarily by Octavian's forces, the pair recognised that the only option other than humiliating defeat and being paraded through Rome was to commit suicide. Thus they both took their own lives.

   From what writings are available, it does appear that the relationship between the two was in fact a romantic one,with genuine emotional attachments between them. But for the stakes they were playing for, love simply wasn't enough. In fact, it very probably was a factor working against them, making it harder for them to focus on what they needed to do.

Answer 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_and_...

Answer 4

Mark Anthony was the defacto inheritor of Caesar's conquests in the eastern Roman empire when Caesar defeated Pompeii, the man who had conquered the eastern mediterranean.  Cleopatra was the direct descendant of one of Alexander the Great's generals, namely Ptolemy, and she was the defacto owner of Egypt, and not just that, her dominion actually extended as far south as Ethiopia, which at the time was a lot more fertile and very rich.

What started their affair, was a purely physical attraction.

What led to their deaths, was that upon getting married, that would make them emperor and emperess of the entire eastern med, meaning, direct access to supply lines from the east, complete control of the gate to the silk road.  Also Roman military training, combined with Egyptian manpower, meant that Cleopatra was planning on avenging Alexander the Great.  Cleopatra was planning on conquering Persia, and had she and Ptolemy defeated the legions of Octavian, they may have ruled the empire of Alexander the Great.

It was a nuptial agreement modern attorneys can only dream about.

Had Cleopatra's schemes succeeded, there may not even have been an Islam, because had Anthony's legion trained Egyptians taken what is now Iraq, not even the likes of Khalid would have been able to break their power.

In other words, the middle east would be a very different place.

What led to their deaths, was the fact that Octavian wanted that land for himself.  Marc Anthony died in battle, while Cleopatra the legend says let an Egyptian cobra bite her arm.  As to the fate of her son Caesarion, whom she had with Julious Caesar, no one knows but hey, anyone runs into a dude in Egypt who looks like Caesar, odds are they descend from Cleopatra.

peace.

Answer 5

Look it up in the history books or do a search.  First learn to spell his name.  It is Mark