There is a beautiful legend that the mistress of Egypt, Cleopatra, after spending the night with the man, in the morning ordered him to be killed so that he could not boast that he shared a bed with the queen. Even Pushkin could not resist this legend.
Remember his Egyptian Nights:
The life of this outstanding woman was so amazing, and her influence on the fate of Egypt and Rome is so great that she has been inspiring writers, poets and artists for two millennia. She became the heroine of the works of Shakespeare and Bernard Shaw, she can be seen in the paintings of Rubens, de Bre, Tiepolo, Jerome, in the cinema she was brilliantly played by Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Monica Bellucci.
Bust of Cleopatra VII from Shershell in Algeria.
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Even thinkers of antiquity tried to understand why she so fascinated people. Plutarch, in Comparative Biographies, literally sang her praises:
It is convincingly said, isn't it?
Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, 1963. Still from Cleopatra, 1963
Cleopatra came from a Ptolemaic family that ruled Egypt since the time of Alexander the Great. Ptolemy I, friend and companion of the great conqueror, was no stranger to art. Scientists and poets, sculptors and artists flocked to his court. It was he who founded the famous library in Alexandria. The traditions laid down by Ptolemy were honored and developed by his descendants. Isn't that why Cleopatra was distinguished by high education, artistry and knowledge of languages?
Power falls heavily on the shoulders of men, not all of whom can cope with it. And Cleopatra became the mistress of Egypt at the age of 16, when she had to marry her young brother Ptolemy XIII. She immediately found herself in a world of complex international politics and court intrigues.
Monica Bellucci as Cleopatra. A scene from the movie "Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra"
Her main opponents were surrounded by her husband, on whose behalf they tried to rule. They were headed by the mentor of the young Ptolemy, the eunuch Potin. The queen, who had long understood the power of female charm, was powerless against the eunuch, but found a way out quickly.
Strength can only resist strength, which means that help must be sought in Rome. Gnaeus, son of the ruler of the Roman Empire, Pompey, could not resist her spell. But in Rome, another coup took place and Gaius Julius Caesar seized power. Cleopatra, as a supporter of his opponents, had to flee to Syria. Power in Egypt was in the hands of Potin. For Cleopatra, there was only one way to return to power - to charm Caesar himself.
Despite Potin's spies, watching her every step, she was able, disguised as a simple Egyptian, to get to Alexandria, where the ruler of Rome arrived. Caesar could not resist Cleopatra. Power over Egypt was again in her hands, and the birth of a son named by Ptolemy Caesarion significantly strengthened her position.
Jean-Leon Gerome, Cleopatra and Caesar, 1866
In 44 BC. Caesar was killed, in the Roman Empire, his adherents and opponents came together in a fierce battle. Each side tried to get help from Egypt, which, after the death of another young husband, Cleopatra reigned supreme. She had the wisdom to refrain from actively interfering in the affairs of Rome.
The victory was won by the supporters of Caesar, who handed over power in the Asian provinces of Rome, which included Egypt, into the hands of Mark Antony. The new ruler himself came to the queen to receive Egypt's debt for several years. He received the money, but he himself was at the mercy of the great seducer. Cleopatra managed not only to consolidate her power, but also to achieve recognition of her son Caesarion as the heir to the Roman Empire.
Jan de Bre, The Feast of Antony and Cleopatra, 1669
Absorbed in love joys, Cleopatra and Antony missed a sharp increase in the power of Octavian, the adopted son of Caesar. A big war was brewing. The combined forces of Cleopatra and Antony were enormous, it seemed that Octavian would be ruthlessly defeated. But the queen of Egypt made a fatal mistake that cost her her life. She decided herself to command the Egyptian part of the prepared for war fleet, which was superior to that of Rome.
September 2, 31 BC the two fleets met in battle. In the decisive moments of the battle, when victory was already close, Cleopatra, who was in the center of the battle, could not stand it and brought her ship out of the thick of the battle. For her, other Egyptian ships began to leave the battle. Seeing that Cleopatra was retreating, Antony rushed after her. The fleet, immediately losing two leaders, mixed and could not withstand the organized onslaught of the ships of Marcus Agrippa, who was in charge of Octavian's fleet.
Lorenzo A. Castro, The Battle of Actium, 1672
On land, for some time Cleopatra and Antony could still resist Octavian, but their lack of a fleet, the remnants of which were destroyed by the Arabs, made defeat inevitable. Cleopatra tried, betraying Antony, to try her spell on Octavian, but the victor's ambassadors said that she could only come to him in chains, walking along the streets of Rome on foot.
Cleopatra could not go to such humiliation even for the sake of power, the preservation of which was more than illusory. The queen of Egypt, who, thanks to her intelligence, political resourcefulness and female charm, managed to remain in power for so many years, decided to die. The bite of a poisonous snake, according to legend, it was an asp, interrupted the glorious era in the history of Ancient Egypt, when it was ruled by the Ptolemies.
Reginald Arthur, Death of Cleopatra, 1892
Octavian, fearing a real contender for power, executed Caesarion, the son of Cleopatra and Gaius Julius Caesar. He, paying tribute to Cleopatra, ordered not to destroy her statues and images in Egypt, some of which have survived to this day.
And the morning murders of Cleopatra's lovers, apparently, are nothing more than ordinary gossip that always swarms around great women. Moreover, with her stormy life, the Egyptian queen herself created abundant soil for them.