Who Octavia is
Octavia is the sister of Octavius Caesar, one of the Roman rulers in Antony and Cleopatra. She is gentle and sincere, caught in a marriage arranged to repair a strained political relationship.
What Octavia wants
Octavia wants her husband and her brother to stay friends, giving her marriage a purpose beyond their private lives. Agrippa, one of Caesar's officers, proposes the match when Antony and Caesar need to settle their differences. Both men agree to the marriage, treating it as a way to strengthen their uneasy alliance.
Octavia and the others in the story
Octavia's hope for peace stands beside Antony's continuing attachment to Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. When Antony returns to Egypt, his ties to Octavia weaken, and Caesar is angered by the insult to his sister. Her place between the two men shows how closely family relationships and political power are bound together.
Questions
Who is Octavia in Antony and Cleopatra?
Octavia is Octavius Caesar's sister, who becomes Antony's wife as part of a political agreement.
Why does Octavia marry Antony?
The marriage is meant to preserve peace between Antony and Caesar. Octavia sincerely wants harmony between her husband and her brother.
How is Octavia different from Cleopatra?
Octavia is described as gentle and sincere, while Cleopatra is clever, proud and changeable. Antony's marriage to Octavia serves a political alliance, while his love for Cleopatra draws him toward Egypt.