About this episode
This episode explores the aftermath of Cleopatra and Mark Antony's defeat, their deaths, and the lasting impact of their story on literature and history.
For many years, Cleopatra and Mark Antony lived a life of extravagance and passion - or so we’re told. In this episode, Mary and Charlotte look at what happened next. Mark Antony, with Cleopatra, met their enemy Octavian in a sea battle off the coast of Greece - and lost. The Battle of Actium was a turning point for Rome. After this moment, Octavian rebranded himself as Emperor Augustus, bringing an official end to many centuries of republican rule. Rather than face capture and humiliation, both Antony and Cleopatra took their lives. The story of their final days survives through Plutarch, but how much of this official Roman version can we trust? Was Cleopatra really an exotic temptress who seduced Mark Antony into treason? And did she really kill herself with a poisonous snake? Accounts of her death are so tied up in the wider propaganda legitimising Augustus’ rise to Emperor that it’s impossible to know what really happened. Soon after her death, she began to haunt the imagination of writers and artists. Mary and Charlotte believe she probably inspired the figure of Dido of Carthage in Virgil’s Aeneid, written only a decade or so later. The North African queen who takes her…
People in this episode
Hosts: Mary, Charlotte
Topics covered
- Cleopatra
- Mark Antony
- Battle of Actium
- Roman history
- propaganda
- literary influence
Keywords
- Cleopatra
- Mark Antony
- Octavian
- Battle of Actium
- Plutarch
- Aeneid
- Virgil
- Roman Empire
- propaganda
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Aeneid, Odes 1.37
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- Cleopatra 2: Cleopatra Meets the Romans · May 7, 2026 · 46 min
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