Fulvia

Fulvia is one of the damned which Dante must punish or absolve for "The Damned" achievement/trophy. She is encountered in the circle of Greed.

Description

One-time wife of Marc Antony, Fulvia was possessed by an unbearable greed. Called the greediest woman in all of Rome, she pursued any opportunity to seize power by exploiting her high-profile husbands.

History

Fulvia had been born the daughter of a member of the plebeian class (the lower classes of Roman society), though her family was well-known among them. She married three times; her first husband was Publius Clodius Pulcher, with whom she had one daughter, Clodia Pulchra, and one son. A gifted but controversial politician and an enemy of the rhetorician Cicero, Clodius was later ambushed and murdered by a political rival. Devoted to this husband, Fulvia publicly mourned his death and testified in court against his murderer, who was exiled for the crime. Despite Clodius's death, his power and personal martial forces were retained by Fulvia as his widow.

Fulvia's next husband was another wealthy plebeian, Gaius Scribonius Curio, with whom she had a son. Curio was a loyal supporter of Julius Caesar and popular among the citizens of Rome; his wife's renown brought more prestige to his own standing. However, while on campaign with Caesar, Curio was killed in battle, making Fulvia a widow once more and more wealthy than ever.

Fulvia's final husband was the general Marcus Antonius (Marc Antony), Caesar's supporter and friend, with whom she had two sons. The couple's power continued to grow after Caesar's assassination, having cowed the Senate into allowing them to support any laws they saw fit. However, Fulvia soon became involved in proscriptions abroad, the motive of which was to destroy enemies and take their money.

Cicero, the former enemy of Fulvia's first husband, frequently attacked the couple, publicly claiming they had been lovers before their marriage, and that Antony had married her for her wealth and power. While Antony was away from Rome with the members of the Triumvirate, Cicero even went as far as to try having the general declared an enemy of Rome. In retaliation, Antony added him to the proscription list and had the orator hunted down. The unresisting Cicero was executed, and his head brought back as a trophy. The gleeful Fulvia then stabbed her golden hairpins through the dead man's tongue for its use against her and her family. However, upon being sent east, Anthony began an affair with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII and did not return to Fulvia.

Fulvia's daughter, Clodia, had been married to Octavian, the heir and nephew of Caesar, but he later divorced Clodia and accused Fulvia of being power-hungry. Offended, Fulvia and her brother-in-law raised an army against Octavian, starting a war in Italy. She was defeated and fled to Greece with her children, where she died of illness.

Trivia

• Fulvia can be heard mentioning her gluttonous sister-in-law Clodia before Dante interacts with her. This is one of the few times a condemned soul references another, the other being Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Polenta.
• Fulvia's husband Marc Antony and her sister-in-law Clodia are also found in Hell. Marc Antony is placed in the Circle of Lust with his lover Cleopatra, and is one of the bosses Dante must fight. Clodia is condemned to the Circle of Gluttony as one of the damned.