Was it her wish to continue as queen or pure love that took Cleopatra to ancient Rome? Nobody really knows. But her interesting story has been passed down to the present.

    Of all the queens of Egypt, the most famous was Cleopatra. She lived two thousand years ago, but her legend has never died. (Question: Have you heard of Cleopatra before? What do you know about her?)

    At the age of seventeen, Cleopatra became the Egyptian queen. She shared power with her younger brother, Ptolemy. But Ptolemy’s guardians plotted against her, took away her power, and forced her into exile.

    She might have remained in exile had it not been for Julius Caesar. This famous Roman general had come to Egypt with an army. Cleopatra decided to go to Caesar and ask him to help her win back her power.

    Fearing that her brother’s soldiers might capture her before she could reach Caesar, she went to him secretly. Legend says that the youthful queen wrapped herself up in a carpet. Then she was carried before Caesar on the shoulders of a servant who pretended to be carrying a load of baggage. The story goes on to say that when Caesar saw what was in the “baggage”, he was much amused. He admired the cleverness of the young woman.

    Cleopatra told Caesar about the loss of her power. Caesar was charmed by her manner. He liked her and, in time, would come to love her. He promised to win her power back for her. Before long a battle was fought against Ptolemy’s forces, and Caesar’s soldiers won.
Cleopatra greatly admired Caesar. When he asked her to visit Rome, she gladly accepted. She stayed in Rome until the fateful day when Caesar was killed. Fearing that Caesar would make himself king, assassins stabbed him to death as he entered the Roman senate one day.

    Some say that Cleopatra had hoped to become Caesar’s queen after he had taken the crown. Perhaps that was her plan. Perhaps she hoped to become “Queen of the World”. But with Caesar dead her hopes could not come true. She hurried back to Alexandria, in Egypt.

    Among the friends of Caesar was the general Marcus Antonius, or Mark Antony. He gave a speech condemning Caesar’s assassins and led an army against them. He became one of three men who shared power over the Roman empire after Caesar’s death. The others were Lepidus, a general, and Octavian, a nephew of Caesar.

    Military actions took Antony to Asia Minor shortly after Caesar’s death. While there, he sent word to Cleopatra that he would like to see her. The queen was not certain that Antony would prove friendly, but she sailed from Alexandria to see him. When she arrived, she asked Antony to dine with her aboard her ship.

    The purpose of their meeting was to see if Antony and Cleopatra could form an alliance against Octavian, whom they both feared. But we are told that the charming queen and the handsome general fell in love almost at once. In time they were married.

    How did Cleopatra win the love of the two greatest Romans of their age, first Caesar and then Antony? The few portraits that exist do not show her as a great beauty. But her features were not displeasing, and she was said to have much wit and personal charm. More important was the power of her mind. The historian Plutarch called her one of the most learned women of her time. He reported that she could speak eight languages. (Question: What qualities in Cleopatra did Caesar and Antony admire?)

    While Antony stayed with Cleopatra, Octavian was master of Italy. Letters passed between him and Antony, and the messages were not always friendly. At length war broke out — a civil war for mastery of the Roman empire.

    Antony had already proved himself the more skilful general. He might have won against Octavian except for two things. One trouble was that Antony had lost more than two-thirds of his soldiers while trying to conquer Parthia (now part of Iran). Also, some say he had fallen into habits of luxury that dulled his mind. When Octavian moved to attack him, Antony failed to show the sharp wits he had had in the past. (Question: Why did Antony lose the battle? )

    The main battle took place near Actium, on the Mediterranean Sea. Both Antony and Cleopatra were there with their fleets, but the battle was lost. They ran back to Egypt. For a time they felt safe in Alexandria. Then Octavian came with his soldiers, surrounded and captured the city.

    Thousands of Antony’s soldiers went to the enemy side. Then false news reached him that Cleopatra had taken her own life. In despair, he fell upon his sword. Learning that Antony was badly wounded, though not yet dead, Cleopatra asked that he be brought to her. He was still alive when he reached her. He begged her to save herself, then died in her arms. (Question：Did Antony die a hero? )
Cleopatra quickly set up a meeting with Octavian. It is said that she tried to use her charms on him but had no success. She guessed that Octavian was planning to take her to Rome and march her through the streets in chains. Then, she believed, he would have her put to death.

    Asking for an hour to visit Antony’s grave, Cleopatra made ready to die by her own act. She arranged for a servant to bring her a basket of figs, but concealed among the figs was an asp — a small but deadly serpent. The queen drew the asp from the basket and let it sink its fangs into her flesh. When Roman soldiers came to seek her, they found her dead by Antony’s side.

    It is said that Octavian ordered a magnificent funeral at which the bodies of the two lovers were laid out side by side. So ended a story of love and war, a story that William Shakespeare later told in his famous play Antony and Cleopatra.

Simplified from Reading Laboratory, Power Builder, 2b-9.

Approximately 1000 words.