Queen Cleopatra: 7 Surprising Takeaways From the Netflix Docuseries

Mark Antony Ghosted Cleopatra During Their Relationship

Despite the iconic nature of their love, Mark Antony still pulled a bit of a stunt on Cleopatra before they got married. That’s right — Mark Antony took a page out of the 21st century’s dating book and ghosted Cleopatra for three whole years.

While Cleopatra was pregnant with twins by Mark Antony, the Roman general returned to Rome and married Octavia, the sister of Julius Caesar’s chosen heir, Octavian Augustus.

“In Cleopatra’s mind, it’s fine. Go ahead, take a Roman wife, sure. But he doesn’t come back for three years,” Shelley P. Haley, professor of Africana Studies and Classics at Hamilton College, explains in Queen Cleopatra.

Despite knowing that he has two kids waiting for him in Egypt, Mark Antony stayed in Rome for three years, completely ignoring Cleopatra.

“Essentially, he ghosts her. He’s gone,” says Dr. Islam Issa, author of Alexandria: The City That Changed The World. 

Of course, he eventually came crawling back because he needed Cleopatra’s vast wealth to fund a war with Parthia. After he agreed to all of her demands, including claiming their children as his heirs, she agreed to help him, and their love went back into full swing. They got married in Egypt and remained together until their deaths in 30 B.C.

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