Mark Antony (Rome Character) - Comparison With The Historical Mark Antony

Comparison With The Historical Mark Antony

Most of what we know about the historical Mark Antony comes from Plutarch's Parallel Lives, and his personality in Rome appears to be essentially consistent with what Plutarch wrote of him. Antony is portrayed as a soldier's soldier, a lover of women, and unfailingly devoted to Caesar. Rome also depicts him as truly despising politics, and lacking tact or subtlety in political matters, which Caesar uses to his advantage.

The antipathy Antony shows for Cicero in, for example, the episode Caesarion is historically attested. The historical Mark Antony held Cicero responsible for the execution of Antony's stepfather, Publius Cornelius Lentulus Sura, as part of the Catiline conspiracy.

There is no evidence that Mark Antony was romantically involved with Atia Balba Caesonia (basis for Atia of the Julii) as is depicted in the series. The Mark Antony of Rome is also notably lacking family; the historical Antony had two younger brothers, Lucius and Gaius, both of whom played roles in the events of the time. Additionally, it is not mentioned in the series that Antony was a blood relative of Caesar's through his mother, Julia Antonia, Caesar's cousin.

Further, the Mark Antony of Rome is initially unmarried; the historical Mark Antony was married three times prior to his union with Octavia Minor (to Fadia, Antonia Hybrida and, most notably, Fulvia). Antony would have married Fulvia at some point during the events of Season 1. The historical Antony had seven children: two sons, Marcus Antonius Antyllus and Iullus Antonius Creticus, by Fulvia; two daughters, Antonia Major and Antonia Minor, by Octavia Minor; and a daughter and two sons, Cleopatra Selene, Alexander Helios and Ptolemy Philadelphus by Cleopatra VII. Only Antonia Major and Cleopatra's twins Selene and Helios are noted in the series.

The historical timeline has also been manipulated. Antony fathered his first two children with Cleopatra before marrying Octavia; when he later left Rome, he settled in Athens, Greece with Octavia, and they had their daughters. He ultimately left his wife in Greece and reunited with Cleopatra in Egypt; he and Cleopatra subsequently had their third child. In the series, Antony marries Octavia and is then forced by Octavian to relocate to Egypt; he leaves Octavia in Rome pregnant with Antonia Major (who, it is heavily implied, is in fact the child of Marcus Agrippa). In Egypt, Antony reconnects with Cleopatra; they have met before but never had a romantic relationship. They later have the twins Helios and Selene.

In the series, Antony's position on the Senate is named both "Tribune of the People" and "Tribune of the Plebs." The latter is the usual usage.