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Cleopatra and Antony spent the winter of 41 BC to 40 BC in Alexandria. Cleopatra was able to get him to do whatever she wanted, including the assassination of her sister, Arsinoe. Later in the relationship things would change as Anthony took control of Cyprus from her.

In the spring of 40 BC, Mark Antony left Cleopatra and returned home. He did not see her for four years. Antony’s wife, Fulvia had become embroiled in a serious movement against Octavian over veterans’ allotments of land. She fled to Greece where she had a bitter confrontation with Antony. She soon became ill and died there.

Antony patched things up with Octavian that same autumn by marrying Octavian’s sister, Octavia. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman who had been recently widowed. She had three children from her first marriage. In the meantime, Cleopatra had given birth to twins, one boy and one girl, in Alexandria. Antony’s first child by Octavia was a girl. Had Octavia given him a son, things might have turned out differently, however Antony kept the idea of the treasures of the Ptolemies and how much he desired it.

Mark Antony left Italy to deal with the Parthians. Octavia had just had another daughter and went with him just as far as Corcyra. He gave her the excuse that he did not want to expose her to the dangers of the battles and sent her home, telling her that she would be more use to him at home in Rome, keeping peace with her brother, Octavian.

However, the first thing that he did when he reached Antioch, was to send for Cleopatra. Their twin children were officially recognised by Antony and were given the names of Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. Mark Antony gave Cleopatra a large amount of land which was very essential to Egypt - he gave her back Cyprus, the Cilician coast, Phoenicia, Coele-Syria, Judea and Arabia.

This allowed Egypt to be able to build ships from the lumber from the Cilician coast. Egypt then built a large fleet. Antony had planned a campaign against the Parthians and he obviously needed Cleopatra’s support for this and in 36 BC, he was defeated. He became more indebted to her than ever. They had just had a third child.