"She Put On a Look of Rapture": The Construction of Cleopatra and Mark Antony in Octavian's Propaganda

Samenvatting

This article offers an overview of the construction of Cleopatra and Mark Antony in Octavian’s propaganda. It shows how Octavian employed Othering by using Octavia and Cleopatra as foils for West and East, respectively, and justified his military intervention against Antony by insinuating that Cleopatra’s depraved Easternness irrevocably corrupted the once proud Roman. It concludes that portrayals of the couple in modern media, both positive and negative, have their roots in Octavian’s propaganda.