- cross-posted to:
- historymemes@piefed.social
- cross-posted to:
- historymemes@piefed.social
Explanation: Cornelia, the widowed mother of the Brothers Gracchi, two major and radical reformers for the rights of the common people during the Late Republic, famously refused a marriage proposal from the King of Egypt, purportedly due to a desire to see to the upbringing of her sons personally. This was seen as very virtuous and dutiful - a true Roman matron!
Mark Antony, seen at the bottom, divorced his (Roman) wife and married the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, and was denigrated, at the time, as having become ‘Egyptianized’. Clearly, he did not possess the same wherewithal of will to resist the allure of royalty, unlike fair Cornelia!
Can’t help but finding “Mark Antony” highly disturbing and I definitely prefer “Marcus Antonius”.
It’s funny - “Mark Antony” is so engrained in the English language from Shakespeare that it doesn’t even phase me, despite English using no such acute anglicization for other Romans.
That’s probably the reason it disturbs me so much, English is just a second language.


