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Johann Liss 1622-24 |
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| Der
Tod der Kleopatra by Hans Makart - 1875 |
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| A
1960 epic film: Elizabeth Taylor as
Cleopatra |
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| Cleopatra
by Massimo Stanzione |
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| Cleopatra
by Sir Frank Dicksee - 1876 |
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| Myth,
Legend and the Dark Muse |
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PART
VII
THE DEATH OF CLEOPATRA |
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La
morte di Cleopatra by
Jean André Rixens
1874
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leopatra's
uniquely dramatic death
by suicide has been a lurid
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morbidly
erotic subject of artistic
portrayals for centuries,
combining as it does a
timeless story of doomed
lovers with the irresistible
image of a snake (symbolic
of the devil and the phallus)
whose deadly fangs pierce
a naked breast like a
vampire, and thereby end
the reign of the Pharaohs.
Lesser known facts regarding
her, such as her incestuous
family tree and her deadly
rivalry with her royal
brothers only create a
deeper intrigue.
Cleopatra VII, daughter
of Cleopatra V, was the
last ruler of Egypt in
the age of Pharaohs, born
as the power of the Roman
Empire was reaching its
peak in the days of Julius
Caesar, when the might
of the Roman Legions was
unleashed to assure their
mastery of the Mediterranean.
Cleopatra was not born
of Egyptian blood, but
rather was descended from
the race of Alexander
the Great, of Greek and
Macedonian heritage. Cleopatra
is a Greek name meaning
"father's glory."
She was born of an incestuous
bloodline descended from
the ruler Ptolemy, who
came to wield power over
Egypt in the wake of Alexander's
legendary wave of conquests.
Like her female ancestors,
she took her brothers
as husbands, though she
bore no children by them.
When her father died,
she became co-ruler of
Egypt with her brother
Ptolemy XIII, but a power
struggle between brother
and sister forced her
into exile.
Cleopatra's ascendance
came when Ptolemy made
the critical error of
ordering the assasination
of Julius Caesar's rival,
Pompey. When the decapitated
head of Pompey was presented
to Caesar as a gift, the
Roman General turned on
Ptolemy in disgust and
deposed him as ruler.
The famous legend tells
that soon after her brother's
fall from power, Cleopatra
had herself rolled inside
of a carpet after disrobing
to have servants deliver
her to the chambers of
Julius Caesar. The carpet
was unrolled in front
of him, and the naked
girl soon seduced the
Roman into supporting
her claim to the Egyptian
throne. During his yearlong
stay in Egypt, he and
Cleopatra became lovers,
and she gave birth to
a son by him, who was
called Caesarion.
When Ptolemy XIII died
in a brief civil war,
Cleopatra again became
co-ruler of Egypt at the
side of a younger brother.
She was not destined to
share power for long,
however.
Cleopatra and her son
were visiting Rome at
the time of Julius Caesar's
assassination. She returned
to Egypt, and when her
brother suddenly died,
perhaps having been poisoned
by Cleopatra herself,
she named her son as her
co-regent and assumed
sole power over the land.
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Cleopatra
Testing Poisons on Condemned
Prisoners by Alexander Cabanel
- 1887
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ne
of three generals
who ruled Rome as
a Triumirate following
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Caesar's
death was Marc Antony.
When he summoned
Cleopatra to his
side to assure himself
of her continuing
allegiance to Rome,
the meeting was
the beginning of
a relationship that
would lead to their
ruin.
The two wintered
together in Alexandria,
after which Cleopatra
gave birth to twins,
a boy and a girl,
who were called
Alexander and Cleopatra
Selene.
Antony returned
to his responsibilities
in Rome, not to
return for four
more years. When
he was again reunited
with Cleopatra in
Alexandria, he on
his way to fight
another war, the
pair renewed their
love affair.
Though Antony was
already married
to the sister of
his fellow triumvir
Octavian, he chose
to take Cleopatra
as his wife. In
the following years,
Antony made his
home in Alexandria
and bestowed kingdoms
upon their children;
kingdoms of lands
conquered by the
Romans.
Antony's devotion
to his Egyptian
queen and his generosity
to his progeny at
the expense of Roman
conquests was the
cause of great displeasure
in Rome. Of greater
importance to Octavian
was the potential
threat of Cleopatra's
child Caesarion,
who was being groomed
to inherit the power
of his father Julius
Caesar.
In 31 BC, Octavian
sent his armed forces
to war in ships
against the combined
strength of Antony
and Cleopatra in
a naval battle off
the coast of Greece.
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The
Death of Cleopatra by Reginald
Arthur - 1892
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ctavian's
superior forces prevailed,
continuing on to invade
Egypt, |
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where
much of Antony's
surviving army deserted
him and sided with
his enemy.
After having heard
false news that
Cleopatra had committed
suicide, Marc Antony
sought to follow
her in death. He
killed himself by
falling on his own
sword. A romanticized
version of his death
claimed that he
was brought dying
to Cleopatra where
he expired in her
arms. A cynical
version suggests
that she herself
sent rumor of her
death in order to
induce Antony's
suicide, increasing
the chances of peace
with Octavian.
Days later, after
failing to seduce
Octavian and thereby
retain her power,
Cleopatra was ready
to take her own
life. She chose
the bite of an Egyptian
cobra, known in
antiquity as an
asp, which she had
decided was the
least painful manner
of death based on
having tested various
poisons and venoms
on condemned prisoners.
She most likely
allowed the fangs
of the snake to
bite her arm, though
most depictions
of the suicide show
the fatal bite to
her breast. Some
say she died by
the cobra because
it was a symbol
of divine royalty
and was associated
with an eternal
afterlife.
Cleopatra's handmaidens
died beside her,
and her son Caesarion
was executed at
Octavian's command.
Her three children
sired by Antony
were taken back
to Rome to be raised
by his wife Octavia,
but the line of
Hellenistic Pharaohs
had ended and the
Age of Egyptian
Pharaohs was over.
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The
Death of Cleopatra by Guido
Cagnacci - 1660
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