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Cleopatra VII
(69-30 B.C.) "I am dying Egypt, dying; only I here importune death awhile, until Of many thousand kisses the poor last I lay upon thy lips" from William Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra"
Cleopatra (circa 69-30 BC), the most famous queen of Egypt (51-30 BC), is celebrated for her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony and for her courageous and selfless actions in defending her kingdom. Cleopatra, or more precisely, Clepatra VII, was the daughter of Ptolemy XI Auletes, king of Egypt. At an early age it was apparent that Cleopatra was special. But it was not for her beauty, as most believe. "Her beauty was not altogether beyond compare, nor such as would strike those who looked at her; but her companionship was irresistible and spellbinding." (Women in Hellenistic Egypt, Sarah B. Pomeroy). On her father's death in 51 BC, Cleopatra, then about 17 years old, and her brother, Ptolemy XII, a child of about 12 years, succeeded jointly to the throne of Egypt with the provision that they should marry. In the third year of their reign, Ptolemy, encouraged by his advisers, assumed sole control of the government and drove Cleopatra into exile. She promptly gathered an army in Syria but was unable to assert her claim until the arrival at Alexandria of Julius Caesar, whose purpose there was to survey the land he was interested in conquering. Cleopatra recognized his intent, and now was faced with two dillemas. She resorted to using her incredible intelligence to make Julius Caesar, the most powerful man in the world, fall in love with her and aid her cause. With the help of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra dethroned and executed her brother Ptolemy and temporarily secured the safety of Egypt, where she was now Queen. Cleopatra was then forced by custom to marry her younger brother Ptolemy XIII, who was then about 11 years old. After she settled their joint government on a secure basis, Cleopatra went to Rome, where she lived as Caesar's mistress. She gave birth to a son, Caesarion. After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, Cleopatra is said to have poisoned Ptolemy XIII whose hidden agenda was to rule Egypt. She then returned to Egypt and made Caesarion her coregent. Because Cleopatra hesitated to take sides in the civil war following Caesar's death in Rome, Mark Antony, one of Caesar's generals, summoned her to meet him to explain her conduct. Since Egypt's future was no longer safe, Cleopatra decided to again use her superior intellect to make Mark Antony fall in love with her, too, and he returned with her to Egypt. After living with her for some time, Antony was compelled to return to Rome, where he marred Octavia, a sister of Caesar's heir Octavian, later Roman emperor as Augustus. After Antony's departure Cleopatra bore him twins. In 36 BC, Antony went to the East as commander of an expedition against the Parthians. He sent for Cleopatra, who joined him at Antioch. They were then married, and a third child was born. In 34 BC, after a successful campaign against the Parthians, he celebrated his triumph in Alexandria. He continued to reside in Egypt. In 32 BC, when Octavian declared war against Cleopatra, Antony divorced Octavia. Cleopatra insisted on taking part in the campaign in a last attempt to save her nation. At the naval battle at Actium in 31 BC, believing Antony's defeat to be inevitable, she withdrew her fleet from action, and she and Antony fled to Alexandria. On the approach of Octavian, Antony, deceived by a false report of the death of Cleopatra, committed suicide. Hearing that Octavian intended to exhibit her in his triumph at Rome, Cleopatra killed herself by having a poisonous snake bite her breast. She did so to maintain the honor of herself and her country. Caesarion, the last member of the Ptolemy dynasty, was put to death by Octavian, and Egypt subsequently became a Roman province. Cleopatra's extraordinary life can teach us many things and inspire us all to achieve greatness. From her we learn that even when the world is against us, we can successfully accomplish our goals, especially if we do it in ways no one else has ever tried before. She also shows us that we all have talents and natural abilities that, when used to their full potential, make it possible for us to do anything we can imagine. Being a woman in Cleopatra's time was no easy task, either. She showed the world that a woman, or any minority, can ahieve their goals as well. But I feel Cleopatra's most inspiring lesson is that we all need something in our lives to believe in so much that we would do anything to defend our convictions. In her case it was her beloved country, but it can be anything: your families, your religion, your freedom. If we do not have something to believe in, we may never make a difference. To learn more about Cleopatra VII, Click here Or read Octavian, Antony and Cleopatra by Tarn and Charlesworth To learn about other visonary leaders that made an impact on our world, Click here Preston Hart, Portland State University,
1998
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Amid
the splendor of mighty pyramids and mystic sphinxes a baby girl was born.
She would be remembered throughout history as Cleopatra, the last Queen
of Egypt.