The name of this woman is shrouded in the fog of romanticism and mystery associated with the legend of extraordinary beauty and mysterious death. What was this woman for real? What is the secret of interest in her? Why did historical tradition and Shakespeare bound together the names of Cleopatra and Caesar, Cleopatra and Anthony?
Cleopatra VII Philopator was born in 69 BC. Her father was Ptolemy XII Auletes. Besides, her family had two sisters and two brothers, both younger than her. Ptolemaic Dynasty at this point of time existed for nearly two centuries. Their power in Egypt appeared immediately after the collapse of the empire of Alexander the Great when these lands were conquered by one of his military leaders - Ptolemy. Therefore, for the majority of the Egyptian population, it was the dynasty of Macedonian conquerors. It is not a surprise that Ptolemy chose not typical Egyptian city to be the capital , but that one that Alexander the Great founded - Alexandria. Here mainly Greeks, Macedonians and Jews were living. When Ptolemaic Alexandria became one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean, the center of science, culture and trade.
But already in the first decades of the 1st century BC, the power of the Ptolemaic realm began to fall into decline. To its borders, a new formidable enemy moved - the Roman legions. There was no agreement within the dynasty. Ptolemy XII in 58 BC fled from Alexandria to Italy in order to return to Egypt with the Romans. Twenty-year-old Berenice, Cleopatra's older sister, has been proclaimed to become Egypt's Queen. Cleopatra at this time was only eleven-year-old. A year later, Ptolemy XII had to go from Rome to Asia Minor and settled in the city of Ephesus, where he, an Egyptian pharaoh, began to serve the high priest of Artemis. Two years later the Roman army moved to restore Ptolemy XII throne. Cavalry was led by Mark Antony. Could he then assumed that in a quarter of a century here in Egypt, his life would be ended with a woman he first saw that was fourteen teenager? Did the thirty-year-old warrior put attention to it? It is unlikely, though historians looking for the origins of the unprecedented love, later claimed that even then the young princess made a strong impression on mature Anthony. When Ptolemy returned to Egypt, he wasn't living too long. While being alive, he prudently made a will in which the performer of his will was appointed the Roman people and his successors - ten-year-old son, Ptolemy XIII and eighteen-year daughter, Cleopatra, received now the name-title Cleopatra VII Philopator of Egypt. Under the terms of the will, Cleopatra was obliged to marry a minor brother. Such was the political situation when the Egyptian throne in 51 BC was under a young woman with such often found in Macedonia and Egypt name. She took the throne of a great country, which had a thousand years of history by that time.
Cleopatra was intelligent, educated, ambitious and very much wanted to be a great queen of Egypt. But she was also a woman. It's hard to call her beautiful - saved coin pictures and marble portrait do not hide a large, hooked nose, a deep cut nostrils, a small mouth with nervously compressed lips, a cute willed chin. We have the image of a strong-willed, confident, proud, proud mistress - a great queen of Egypt.
So, Cleopatra became a queen of Egypt, co-ruler of his brother. The country has been weakened, ruined, only the memory and the ruins remain of its former greatness. Standing crop failures devastated the granaries. Egypt needed peace and tranquility to live and work. In Rome at this time the civil war took place. Its main participants were Gaius Julius Caesar, the conqueror of Gaul, and Pompey, conqueror of Parthia. They and their legions faced in the struggle for power over Rome. In the fall of '49 Caesar landed near Dyrrhachium in Epirus. The Egyptian fleet didn't offer tangible assistance to Pompey and returned to Egypt, but Cleopatra was no longer there. She removed from Egypt to Palestine brother and lawful husband, thirteen-year youth Ptolemy XIII, who wanted to rule alone and was afraid of his sister-wife and a possible assassination attempt by her side. In Palestine, the young woman gathered an army and marched with it against her brother. As often happened in the life of Cleopatra, an occasion intervened and helped her. Pompey was defeated by Caesar's troops at the Battle of Pharsalus and fleet remnants fled to Egypt to get the help of Ptolemy XIII. It was clear that Caesar will follow him. To avoid war, the Egyptians found a solution - they treacherously killed Pompey. Nevertheless, Caesar arrived in Alexandria. Cleopatra took only one of her friends, Apollodorus the Sicilian, sat in a small boat and when it was dark stuck near the royal palace. Since it was otherwise difficult to stay unnoticed, she climbed into the bag for a bed and stretched her at full length. Apollodorus tied a belt bag and made it across the yard to Caesar. Some say that already this cunning of Cleopatra seemed bold to Caesar and captivated him.
Cleopatra was not only a brave and ambitious, she was able to use their feminine qualities and became the mistress of Caesar as well. But did she do that because of political reason? The marriage of Cleopatra for his young brother Ptolemy XIII (he was younger than her to 8 years), with whom she also still was fighting, did not make her a woman, did not disclose her feelings. Caesar, the great commander and Roman, was forty-eight years old. He was an experienced man, not only in fights and political struggle, but also knew how to love women and enjoyed their success.
It is quite natural that he and Cleopatra had not only friendly, but also an intimate relationship. One of the ancient authors, distinguished with chaste restraint, wrote that Cleopatra "has kept remained faithful to him and was always at his headquarters." 23 June 47 twenty-two years old Cleopatra gave a birth to Caesar s, who had no legitimate children, his first child - a son, and named him Caesar, adding to this name two other titles: and Philopator and Philometor ( "loving father" and "loving mother"). He also got a name of Ptolemy according to Egyptian tradition. Alexandrians, and later the Romans called him sarcastically and mockingly: Caesarion.
After the end of Alexandria War, Caesar and Cleopatra went on a two-month journey by a ship to the upper reaches of the Nile, accompanied by four hundred ships and boats. Cleopatra stout and lost her looks, as she was in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy. Caesar sailed with her on the same ship. Everywhere they turned out great honor, and a Roman also could see firsthand the historic grandeur of Egypt.
At the beginning of June 47, shortly before the birth of the child, Caesar sailed from Alexandria. After the Caesar's departure, Cleopatra remains to reign in Egypt. Her co-ruler, by the will of Caesar, instead of Ptolemy XIII in the year 47 became another brother - eleven years old Ptolemy XIV. Three Roman legions Remained in Egypt "to protect our military power of kings, to remain faithful to us, and in the case of kin's ingratitude with the same military force to punish them", - wrote the ancient historian. But Cleopatra did not stay long in Egypt alone, without Caesar. Although the case in Egypt was not brilliant and demanded her presence, a year later, when the child grew a bit, she went to Rome and stayed there for almost two years.
Caesar in 47-46 years won a series of brilliant victories and in spring '46 returned to Rome, where triumphal processions were arranged in his honor. Caesar behavior disturbed Cleopatra: if he was in Africa during the campaign, did he fell in love with the princess Evnoyu, the daughter of a Moorish king? Caesar's wife, Calpurnia. Devotedly fond of Caesar did not seem Cleopatra to be a significant obstacle to her, as Calpurnia patiently endured all the infidelity of her famous husband. Upon his arrival in Rome in the autumn of '46 Cleopatra with a year-old son and her new husband, the official - twelve years old Ptolemy XIV was placed in the suburban villa of Caesar, in the park on the right bank of the Tiber.
Caesar did not know that his life was nearing the end - on the 15th of March '44 he was killed in the Senate hall meetings. The murder of Caesar to Cleopatra meant the collapse of all her hopes. She urgently, probably in the second half of March, left Rome, having received the last bad news. From the Caesar's will, it became known that he adopted a grandson of his sister, nineteen years old Gaius Octavius and appointed his chief heir, whereas a son of Cleopatra not a word was said. Ought to be afraid of possible actions by Octavius. Cleopatra moved to Egypt and after the death of Ptolemy XIV made a son of Caesar co-regent.
As a result of these events, one of the triumvirs, who took power in the East, was Mark Antony. He had been compared with the Greek god Dionysus, once conquered Asia Minor. One after the other potentates of small states recognized his authority. But Cleopatra was not among them. And here in the city of Tarsus, located in Cilicia a meeting between Antony, the Roman general, and Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen, was appointed. Anthony was experienced in military affairs, politics and relationships with women. Plutarch wrote: "Cleopatra expected to easily subdue Anthony ". In the face of Anthony, she will appear in an age when a woman's beauty is full bloom, and her mind is sharpest and strongest.
They met. Anthony was struck by the splendor of decoration, luxury,and elegance. Guess in Antony his vulgar jokes and coarse martinet, Cleopatra started to speak in a similar tone - safely and without any constraint. The most sound of her voice caressed and pleased the ear and the tongue was just a polychord tool, easily customizable to any sound, to any adverb. So that only a very few barbarians she talked to through an interpreter, but mostly she talked to strangers by herself: Ethiopians, troglodytes, Jews, Arabs, Syrians, Medes, Parthians. It is said that she has learned many other languages. Anthony was such deep fascinated that he let himself be taken away by Cleopatra to Alexandria, whereas at that time in Rome his wife Fulvia, defending his case, was at war with Caesar ( Octavius) and the Parthian army acted in Mesopotamia .
Cleopatra acted like a real woman - sensual, seductive and insidious, "telling all new sweetness and charm to any business or entertainment that Anthony took up, at the day and night she tighter and tighter chaining Roman to herself. They were playing dice together, drinking, hunting. Cleopatra was among the audience when he practiced with the weapon, and at night, when the slave dress he wandered and wandered around the city, stopping at the doors and windows of houses and showering with his jokes hosts - simple title of people, Cleopatra was there right next to Antony, being dressed to match. " So the winter and spring '40 passed. Also in '40, Cleopatra gave birth to twins - a boy and a girl. Soon Anthony wife, Fulvia, died in Rome. Although he did not hide his cohabitation with Cleopatra, Anthony was refusing a bond marriage with her.
Anthony spent several years with the Octavia in Greece, the passion for it was at that time still strong. But four years after parting with Cleopatra, Anthony went on a business trip to Syria. Here he again met her for the first time with their children and found them. The boy was named Alexander Helios - the sun, and the girl - the name of Cleopatra - the Moon. Now it a little thing should be done - it was necessary to declare Cleopatra his lawful wife, and he did. But the marriage was not recognized neither in Egypt nor Rome. On the occasion of the marriage, Cleopatra received a royal gift - some cities on the coast of Syria and Phoenicia she was transferred by Anthony to her.
In '34 it was arranged ceremony: in front of the representatives of the Egyptian population, Antony and Cleopatra with all the children sit down. Antony announced that Cleopatra awarded the title of Queen of Kings and that she would rule Egypt and Cyprus, together with thirteen years son of Caesar - Caesar Ptolemy. Son of Anthony - a six-year-old child, Alexander Helios got Armenia, Media and Parthia, the youngest - Ptolemy got Philadelphus got Egyptian possessions in Syria and Cilicia and control over the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River. Cleopatra Selene took Cyrenaica and Libya. There was another important event: Anthony has publicly acknowledged his son, Ptolemy, to be Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar.
I was coming clash of East and West. In Rome, Octavius was gathering military forces and even dared on an extremely risky step: he made the vestals issue a testament Anthony, which could not be done. That news shocked the Romans: the huge Anthony inheritance should be transferred children of Cleopatra, his body should be buried near the Egyptian queen.
On the 1st of August 30, Octavius came to the walls of Alexandria. The remains of the troops threw Anthony and moved to Octavius side. Anthony fled to the palace of Cleopatra, and there the servants told him that the queen killed herself in a tomb near the Temple of Isis. Confused Anthony decided to commit suicide, but the servant, whom he asked to kill him, stabbed himself and fell dead. Then Antony struck himself with the sword in the stomach. But the hit was weak. Anthony struggled in convulsions on the bed, screaming in fear and pain. In this terrible moment, he was told that Cleopatra didn't commit suicide and asked to bring Anthony to her. Bleeding, he was brought to her and raised on the ropes in the tomb, where he died.
Subsequent events unfolded rapidly. Octavius visited Cleopatra and assured her in his good attitude. She tried to arrange Octavius to her, using her feminine charm, but she did not succeed, in spite of all his ladies' man. Cleopatra even handed him a list of her valuables. Octavius left her "with the idea that an Egyptian was deceived, but in reality - he was."
Having taken a bath, and elegant dinner, she wrote a letter to Octavius. She remained in the palace with two faithful slaves, who were with her in the tomb before. At that time the palace brought a basket of figs, at the bottom of which a snake was hidden. Octavius, having read the letter, realized what the queen conceived, but it was too late. Snake has already done its job. When the soldiers returned to the palace, "Cleopatra in the royal headdress was lying on a golden bed dead. One of the two women, Irada, was dying at her feet, and the other, Harmion, already staggering and dropping her head on Cleopatra's chest, straightened a tiara in the hair of her mistress. " Plutarch wrote that Octavius, "although he was annoyed by the death of Cleopatra, could not help but marvel at her nobility and ordered with the proper pomp bury the body near Anthony. Honorary burial was honored by his order and two trusted servant. "
Yes, Cleopatra, actually, could act on the basis of calculation, but at the same time, she remained a loving woman who wanted to be loved wife and a happy mother, caring for her children. Let this different, conflicting, with a tragic fate Cleopatra will remain in people's memory.
Cited Works
Adil, Janeen R. Cleopatra. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2009. Print.
Miller, Ron, and Sommer Browning. Cleopatra. New York: Chelsea House, 2008. Print.
Geras, Adèle, and M. P. Robertson. Cleopatra. Boston: Kingfisher, 2007. Print.
Daynes, Katie, and Serena Riglietti. Cleopatra. Tulsa, OK: EDC Pub., 2005. Print.
Middleton, Haydn, and Barry Wilkinson. Cleopatra. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Green, Robert. Cleopatra. New York: Franklin Watts, 1996. Print.
