Love, Treason, and the Serpent of the Nile: Antony & Cleopatra's Scandalous Marriage

 

The Marriage That Wasn’t Recognized in Rome

Date: 37 BCE

Story:
In a scandal that rocked Roman politics, Cleopatra and Mark Antony held a grand ceremony in Alexandria—declaring themselves husband and wife, king and queen of the East.
Antony gave Cleopatra territories in Syria, Cyprus, and parts of Asia Minor. Their children were crowned “Kings of Kings.”
But Antony already had a Roman wife—Octavia, sister of Octavian (future Augustus). The act was considered both adultery and treason.
Rome exploded in outrage. Graffiti called Cleopatra “the Serpent of the Nile,” claiming she had bewitched Antony.
Octavian seized on the event to declare war—not on Antony, but on Cleopatra. He presented her as a foreign threat corrupting Roman morals.
Back in Alexandria, Cleopatra basked in divine titles, appearing as Isis with Antony as Dionysus. Their court was opulent, theatrical, and increasingly isolated from Roman reality.
The marriage may not have been legal in Rome, but for Cleopatra, it was real power—and a dangerous provocation.

Key Characters:

Cleopatra VII
Mark Antony
Octavian (later Augustus)
Octavia Minor

Reference:

Plutarch, Life of Antony
Res Gestae Divi Augusti
Dio Cassius, Roman History