Cleopatra Queen of Denial

You have absolutely got to admire Cleopatra. Any situation she didn't like she denied the status quo and never gave up until she'd changed circumstances to her liking. Okay, so in the end she couldn't outdo Octavian and the might of the Roman Empire, but she at least died denying him the opportunity to drag her to Rome and display her in chains. What a woman!

Cleo's father Ptolemy XII was nobody to go down in history. So bad a ruler that eventually the populace rebelled and forced him to run for his life leaving Cleopatra's older sister Berenice in charge of the royal kingdom. Married to a cousin, Berenice soon had him killed off and married the man of her choice. Unfortunately no happy ending was in the cards, because when Daddy came to get his throne back he promptly repaid the favor by beheading both her and the new husband. This left Cleopatra the oldest child, sharing the throne on her father's death with her brother Ptolemy XIII.

Egyptian tradition insisted that power be kept in the family so Cleopatra and Ptolemy were married. Since he was only 12 at the time, she managed to keep him in the background and out of power. She even minted coins with her head alone on them. It would have all gone according to plan if it hadn't been for that eunuch Pothinus putting ideas in the young king's head. Before you know it, he'd overthrown poor Cleo and sent her off to Syria to sulk. Someone should have mentioned that old parable about a woman scorned. In Cleopatra's case, hell hath no fury was an understatement.

She raised an army and kept herself abreast of things in the homeland waiting for her chance to regain her throne. Things fell into place when Ptolemy made the mistake of killing off Pompey and presenting his head to Caesar. Caesar may have been royally pissed at Pompey at the moment over a minor difference in opinion resulting in a rather smallish war, but they'd once been friends and he wasn't happy to see Pompey treated with such indignity. He promptly arrested Ptolemy and ordered Cleopatra and Ptolemy to dismiss their armies while he sorted the mess all out to Rome's satisfaction.

Never one to take the open road of revolt, when a sneak seduction would do, Cleopatra had herself rolled up in the famous rug and dropped at Caesar's feet. Though not classically beautiful by any means, she impressed him with her intelligence and seduced him with her charm. Legend says they became lovers that very night. An enraged Pothinus beseiged the palace with the lovers inside until Caesar released Ptolemy hoping it would all go away and he and Cleopatra could get back to personal bliss. It didn't work and the war continued until the troublemaker Pothinus was killed in battle and Ptolemy managed to somehow drown while running away. A younger sister Arsinoe who'd been aiding and abetting was captured and chained.

To secure the throne further after the war, Cleopatra promptly married another brother also named Ptolemy and then celebrated with a two month honeymoon cruising the Nile with Caesar rather than the new husband who was still a child in any case. The honeymoon was so successful that Cleopatra returned pregnant with Caesarion who was acknowledged by Caesar as his very own. Perhaps to avoid support payments, or deciding it was time to go home in triumph, Caesar returned to Rome and his Roman wife Calpurnia.

Apparently Calpurnia was no Cleopatra and Caesar invited her to join him in Rome a year after his return. She did so, bringing her young brother/husband and child with her, staying two years while Caesar showered her with gifts and devotion. Rome was scandalized and soon rumors started that Caesar was going to find a way to set aside Calpurnia and marry Cleopatra while becoming King of Rome and making her his queen. In keeping with traditional Roman politics, he was stabbed to death at the forum. Cleopatra suddenly decided Egypt was a good place to be during her time of grief and returned home.

Civil war ensued in the Roman Empire with three men coming out on top and fighting for dominance. Mark Antony being one of them. Antony summoned Cleopatra to join him in what is now Turkey and explain her loyalties. Talk about giving a girl advance warning to plan a campaign! Cleopatra showed up on a golden barge dressed as Venus with costumed sea sprite handmaidens on the oars and half naked boy toy Cupids faning the reclining Venus. Poor Antony never stood a chance. He forgot about the civil war for a few months and partied with Cleopatra. By the time his conscience nagged him back to his duties, Cleopatra was three months gone with twins and on her way back to Egypt. He never knew what hit him.

The civil war settled a bit when Antony married Octavian's half sister Octavia and aligned their power by keeping it all in the family. You would have thought that would have done in the romance with Cleopatra but he somehow managed to run into her on his way to invade Parthia and knock her up yet again. After Parthia he ran to Egypt where he married Cleopatra and settled into the palace as her resident consort. Not a bad gig for a soldier used to tents and bloody battles.

Octavia wasn't prepared to give up Antony and demanded he meet her in Athens. He agreed but Cleopatra caused such a scene with the crying, fainting and starving herself he cancelled the trip and never saw Octavia again. Meanwhile lost in love Antony and Cleopatra pushed the limits of sensibility by declaring themselves gods and giving away Roman provinces to their children. Enough was enough and Rome led by Octavian went to war.

Antony expected to win but didn't realize the scandal had carried to his own men who promptly deserted him and went to Octavian's side. Cleopatra thinking he just might blame her influence for the loss, locked herself in one of her own monuments with all her treasures and had her servants declare her dead when Antony came calling. Antony retired to his own rooms and stabbed himself to be with her in death. As he lay dying slowly from the wound a servant of Cleopatra appeared and said "Oops! Our mistake. She's not dead and guess what? She wants to see you!" Antony managed to survive just long enough to be reunited with his personal obsession and died shortly after in her bed. Where else?

Octavian had won and Cleopatra would be the last independent ruler of Egypt, but she had one more trick up her sleeve. Knowing she was destined to be taken to Rome in chains as a slave, she extracted a promise that upon her "eventual" death she'd be buried with Antony. Octavian gave his word and set a suicide watch on Cleopatra just in case she decided to check out and deprive him of dragging her through the streets of Rome as the scandalous whore he believed her to be. She managed to get around the watch by smuggling in a couple of asps in a basket of figs which bit her and her two handmaidens. She might have died but at least she did so depriving Octavian of his triumph. Octavian was thoroughly pissed and retaliated by strangling Caesarion who had to go anyway. Being Caesar's son he was a potential threat that had to be eliminated. At least he kept his sworn promise and buried Cleopatra next to Antony.

Cleopatra's life and loves continue to entrall and inspire us. She turned every negative angle she could into a positive. She seduced and secured power when it would seem all had been lost. And even in death she denied her enemy his power over her. An amazing woman and even after more than 2,000 years still an inspiration to women everywhere.