Cleopatra VII Thea
Philopator
In a time and world where men
ruled and it was possible to get slaughtered just by irritating the wrong man, a
woman of gold was born and brought to rule through her own seduction, wit, beauty,
zeal, and charm. At the time, all
thrones were being handed to blood that flowed through men of the royal
families. However, the royal women of
Egypt were of a different breed.
Cleo IV had an extremely
theatrical lifestyle, described as a “mistress of disguise and costume.” She was known for her ornate and exquisite
shows of splendor, many of which add to the myths we hear today. She kept constant the mystique and illusion
her entire reign over Egypt. She
strongly likened herself to the goddess Isis, and retained the nickname “New
Isis” by her people. Her appearance was
so entrancing, like that of a siren, that her only possible relation could be
supernatural. When she was given the
power of dominant rule at 18 and chased away by her own kin not long after, her
comeback was so dramatic, it goes hand-in-hand with her depictions today. She raised an entire army of mercenaries and
returned to Alexandria a year later, snuck into her own palace, and was rolled
out secretly in front of Julius Caesar, current ruler of the Roman Empire.
“For she was a woman of
surpassing beauty, and at the same time, when she was in the prime of her
youth, she was most striking; she also possessed a most charming voice and
knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to everyone. Being brilliant to look upon and to listen
to, with the power to subjugate everyone, even a love-sated man already past
his prime, she thought that it would be in keeping with her role to meet
Caesar, and she reposed in her beauty all her claims to the throne.”
It was here that she captivated Caesar for life, taking ownership
of his heart and protection for the rest of his life. Her son, Cessarion, was declared sole heir to
his throne until disputed and claimed by Caesar’s other son and general.
This general, Mark Antony, fell
in love with Cleopatra VI, as well. She
snared his heart when she arrived on the shores of Tarsus with the robes of
Isis billowing in the ocean breeze. It
was rumored by many that she was a sorcerous, and cast spells and held men
under her control. After she stole Mark
Antony from his wife and lover, he then rejected them in public in order to be
with her and wage war on Rome. They were
then defeated and became the last and richest independent state to fall to the
Roman Empire.
The queen did everything she
could to keep her country prosperous, happy, and sovereign. She fought bravely for it like no man
would. She used everything she was given
in order to remain in power. Many
describe her as able to appear likeable to anyone, with a “sweetness in the
tones of her voice” and intelligent wisdom in her words of counsel. She was ethnically Greek, as was the majority
of the people in Alexandria, who descended from Alexander the Great’s general
Ptolemy I. Those who sat on the throne
before always chose to “isolate” themselves from the remainder of Egypt. However, Cleopatra had portraits depicting
her as traditionally Egyptian made for her Egyptian audience. She knew multiple languages, unheard of by
her predecessors. She had all of the
tools to be the greatness she was, and she used them.
Appears in hieroglyphs as:
The great Lady of perfection, excellent in counsel
The great one, sacred image of her father
The goddess Cleopatra who is beloved by her father
Thank you! Stop by any time =)
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