Because popular mythical characters such as Ajax, Antigone, and Queen Dido aimed to destigmatize suicide, by the time of the Late Republic suicide became very popular in Roman courts. Two of the most famous suicides of the era include the Roman politician and general Mark Antony (r. 83–30 BC) and Cleopatra VII Philopater (r. 69–30 BC). Along with the myths presented above, the suicides of Antony and Cleopatra are exemplars of scapegoating human struggles. Since the myths served as guidelines for life, Antony and Cleopatra's poetic justification for their deaths out of honor, defiance, and love is a reflection of the suicides that the myths addressed.