Cleopatra

Carefully read the following extract several times.   Compare   and   contrast the   ways   in   which   the   passage   below   attempts   to   discredit   Antony   with   the   ways   this   is   done   in   the   speech   attributed   to   Octavian   by   Cassius   Dio (in   Reading   1.1   of   Book 1,   Chapter   1).

We can lend more credence to Cassius Dio’s account as it was considered to be an account of the exact speech given by Octavian himself. However we must also treat it with a certain amount of scepticism as we know not only that he himself was a Roman and as such rather unbiased in his view, but also that he was writing about events from many years previous. This allows for a possible distortion of events and Cassius Dio may well have allowed is own current opinions to cloud his judgement when writing said piece. Plutarch’s extract however, has a very different tone to it and is written from a much more investigatory perspective. His writing is less emotional and more observational and alludes to a more thorough historical account. He speaks on behalf of those present at the time to give his impressions of Antony, for example ‘Calvisius, one of Octavian’s friends, accused Antony of a number of other excesses in his behaviour towards Cleopatra’ (Assignment Booklet, p.19) this allows us to assume that Plutarch was rather more unbiased in his view of Antony as rather than summarising is own accounts he has directly referenced the views of others at the time. Both accounts are similar in content in that they allude to his relationship with Cleopatra and use this as the main source to discredit him. He is depicted as being ‘bewitched by that accursed woman’ (Book 1, p27) and similarly with Plutarch he speaks of how unmanly he had become even to the point that when Cleopatra passed through the Forum with her entourage he was so encumbered he walked out of his own tribunal so that he could accompany her as she went by hanging on to the vehicle she rode in. These are certainly not...