Cleopatra: The 'rise and fall' of a Mysterious Woman in History

Cleopatra: The 'rise and fall' of a Mysterious Woman in History

Cleopatra possessed boundless beauty and infinite power. Cleopatra was a wonderful name in ancient Egypt and history. She was the most famous woman in history. Among the Egyptian queens she was known as 'Cleopatra VII'. She was preceded in death by six other Cleopatra.

Her instincts and sharp wit had made her one of the best women of all time. She ruled Egypt together with her father, Ptolemy XII. After her father's death, she ruled with her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV.

Brother-sister marriage was common in Egypt at that time. She also married her two brothers according to the Egyptian tradition of the time. Cleopatra later became the sole ruler of Egypt. As a Pharaoh, she maintained a good relationship with Gaius Julius Caesar, ruler of Rome, which strengthened her hand on the Egyptian throne.

Cleopatra later named her eldest son 'Caesarion' after Julius Caesar. This lively princess knew a total of nine languages, including Egyptian. She also had a reputation as a mathematician and businesswoman. For political reasons, she promoted herself as a descendant of the sun-god and wore the helmet of the goddess, Isis.

She had a strong passion for literature and philosophy. Her ultimate goal was to gain the sovereignty of the whole area founded by Ptolemy I, outside of Rome. Cleopatra removed the names of her brothers from all official documents. She even added her single portrait and name to the coin.

In Rome, Caesar gave Cleopatra a highly respected seat. Even a gold statue of Cleopatra was placed in the temple of Venus. After Caesar's sudden death, Mark Antony took over the reign of Rome, leaving the young Octavius in disarray. The clever Cleopatra, at that moment, used special tactics to capture Mark Antony. The 28-year-old Cleopatra was captured by Emperor Mark Antony for her charming beauty and intelligence.

The Roman emperor Antony, captive to Cleopatra's fascination, declared that Egypt was not a Roman tax haven, but an independent country. And Cleopatra was the queen of that country. They were married in 36 BC. It was a sensational event. In order to please Cleopatra, in 34 he gave the rule of Egypt, Cyprus, Crete, Syria to Cleopatra.

In 31 BC, Antony lost the Battle in Greece to his arch-rival Octavius. As a result, Roman rule passed to Octavius. With that, Antony became worthless to Cleopatra. Cleopatra of Octavius managed to capture Antony with her magic and pushed him to his death. Attempts to capture Octavius were unsuccessful when Antony died. Octavius wanted to arrest Cleopatra alive. Death seemed better to her, Cleopatra thought, than to be humiliated in the hands of Octavius .

So Cleopatra committed suicide by being bitten by a special kind of snake called Asp as a royal custom at that time. Cleopatra's death marked the end of nearly 300 years of Macedonian rule in Egypt. Although the reign of this famous queen of very short life is very short, the world will remember her glorious reign from age to age.

*****

👉 Thomas Kyd’s ‘The Spanish Tragedy’ as a revenge play

👉 The Faerie Queene - the portrayal of Good vs. Evil

👉 The Flea by John Donne as a metaphysical poem