The document summarizes the rivalry between Mark Antony and Octavian which led to civil war in Rome and the Battle of Actium. After divorcing Octavia and formalizing his relationship with Cleopatra, Antony was seen as abandoning Rome. Octavian used propaganda to turn the Senate against Antony and Cleopatra. This culminated in the naval Battle of Actium in 31 BC, where Antony and Cleopatra fled after their forces were defeated by Octavian. Antony and Cleopatra then committed suicide in Egypt, allowing Octavian to take control of the Roman Empire and end the Roman Republic.