Cleopatra Essay, Research Paper
When you think of Cleopatra you tend to think of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile. Which isn t far from the truth. Cleopatra was queen of Egypt, which is located on the Nile River. In her lifetime she had every luxury imaginable, which she used to gain the popularity of the roman authority. She was very important in terms of Egyptian history. However she was also very well known in terms of Roman history. She seduced some of most well known Roman men of her time. Cleopatra was a seductress. Who used her fame and fortune to seduce these men. Some of these men included such men as Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.
Cleopatra was born in 69 BC She was the last Ptolemaic ruler. Her father was the Ptolemy XII. She was very, which added to her popularity of the Egyptian and Roman world.
Cleopatra tried to preserve the country s independence from Rome. Roman senators threatened Egypt s independence and prosperity. In 55 b.c. Berenic IV was executed leaving Cleopatra the oldest child. In 51 b.c. her father died.
Caesar chased Pompey to Egypt where Pompey was beheaded in Alexandria. This is where Cleopatra met Julius Caesar. She smuggled herself into a rug and snuck in to his room. Cleopatra married another brother, Ptolemy XV, due to tradition. However she also became Caesar’s mistress and followed him to Rome. In 47 b.c. Ptolemy Caesarion was born. However the Romans refused to believe that Ptolemy Caesarion was Caesar s child. She stayed in Rome until his assassination 44 BC. He was killed by Brutus and Cassius. It was rumored later that Cleopatra helped the Caesarian party to assassin Caesar. But her world was shattered after his death.
When she was just fourteen years old she met Marc Antony for the first time. When she met him later in life she saw him as an opportunity for power and fame. She used her wit, charm, and wealth to gain the interest of Marc Antony. They were later married in 37 b.c. In the winter of 41-40 b.c. Cleopatra gave Mark Antony her undivided attention; she was his mistress, companion and confidante. They had planned to set up an expansive kingdom to be inherited by her sons of Caesar and Marc Antony. However Marc Antony and Cleopatra were involved in the Battle of Actium, in 31 b.c., which they lost. Marc Antony then committed suicide. Their relationship inspired Shakespeare s play, Antony and Cleopatra, which dealt with their lives together.
In result of losing the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra surrendered and attempted to establish a relationship with Ocatavian, later becoming Augustus the first Julian emperor of Rome. She failed, thus in 30 b.c. she allowed herself to be bitten by a cobra, which is a royal symbol of ancient Egypt. After he brother was killed that ended the Ptolemaic dynasty.