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Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology

Kleopatra var den tredje och äldsta överlevande dottern till Ptolemaios Auletes, och föddes under slutet av året 69 f.Kr., varmed hon var sjutton år när fadern avled, vilken hade utnämnt henne till efterträdare till sitt kungadöme tillsammans med hennes bror Ptolemaios, och som hon förväntades gifta sig med. Hennes attraktionskraft, vilken hon blivit så berömd för, visade sig redan tidigt, om vilket Appian berättat att när hon var bara femton år gjorde hon ett ouplånligt intryck på Marcus Antonius, när han var i Alexandria med Gabinius. Samregentskapet varade inte länge, eftersom Ptolemaios, eller snarare Pothinus och Achillas, hans chefsrådgivare, avsatte henne från tronen omkring år 49 f.Kr. Hon drog sig då tillbaka till Syria, där hon samlade en armé med vilken hon avsåg att tvinga sin bror att återinstallera henne.

En lättare väg till makten uppenbarade sig dock, för följande år anlände Julius Caesar till Egypten, och tog på sig att ordna ett arrangemang mellan Kleopatra och hennes bror. Underrättad om Caesars föresatser, bestämde hon sig för att begagna sig av tillfället, och, antingen på hans begäran vilket Plutarkos hävdar, eller på eget bevåg, begav hon sig i hemlighet till palatset han vistades i, och med sin charm fick hon ett sådant övertag över honom att han, med Dio Cassius ord (xiii. 35), istället för att medla mellan henne och hennes bror blev hennes försvarsadvokat. Enligt Plutarkos gjorde hon entré hos Caesar insvept i en tygrulle, vilken frambars av hennes tjänare Apollodorus som gåva till Caesar. Hur det än må vara med den saken, lyckades hon i sin plan, och hon återsattes på tronen till broderns och flera egypters indignation, vilket ledde till att de senare förklarade krig mot Caesar varmed han hade utsatt sig för en stor personlig risk men som han slutligen gick segrande ur. Under loppet av den följande händelseutvecklingen dödades Ptolemaios, troligen genom drunkning i Nilen, biblioteket i Alexandria brändes ner, och Kleopatra erhöll med broderns frånfälle odelad makt över hela Egypten. Caesar tillsatte emellertid en annan bror vid hennes sida, med samma namn som den döde, som fortfarande var ett barn, för att försonas med egypterna hos vilka hon synes ha varit illa omtyckt, och i formellt hänseende ingick hon äktenskap med denna bror.

Medan Caesar var i Egypten levde Kleopatra öppet i en kärleksrelation med honom, och skulle ha hållt honom kvar längre eller följt med honom till Rom, om det inte hade varit för kriget mot Pharnaces av Pontus, vilket samma år, 47 f.Kr., slet honom ur hennes armar. Hon träffade honom senare i Rom, dit hon anlände i sällskap med sin make, och de fortsatte leva öppet tillsammans i och med att hon bodde i hans del av huset, något som romarna tog mycket illa upp av. Ibland har det betvivlats att hon skulle ha vistats i Rom, men eftersom uppgiften beläggs av Dio Cassius, Cicero och Suetonius verkar det vara en riktig slutsats. Hon överöstes av utmärkelser och gåvor av Caesar och verkar ha stannat i Rom till hans död, år 44 f.Kr. Hon fick en son med honom, kallad Caesarion, som senare dödades av Augustus - det vill säga att Caesar åtminstone erkände honom som sin son, men faderskapet ifrågasattes av några under samtiden, och Kleopatras personlighet må ha styrkt misstankarna. Efter att Caesar mördats flydde hon tillbaka till Egypten, och i de strider som följde tog hon patri för triumviratet, hjälpte Dolabella både till sjöss och lands, motstod hotet från Cassius som förberedde sig på att anfalla när hon var hemifrån på Brutus enträgna uppmaningar. personligen avseglade hon med en beaktningsvärd flotta för att stödja Markus Antonius efter förlusten mot Dolabella, men hindrades av en storm och dålig hälsa från att sluta upp vid hans sida. Hon hade åstadkommit mycket för att bevisa sin hängivelse för Caesars minne, och verkar av sitt handlande att döma ha varit uppriktig i sin tillgivenhet, men hon laddade också upp med argument mot Antonius, som mot slutet av år 41 f.Kr. kom till Mindre Asien för att ställa henne inför rätta för hennes misslyckande att samarbeta med triumvirerna mot Caesars mördare. Hon var nu 28 år och hennes mognade skönhet hade nått perfektion, vilket tillsammans med hennes talanger och vältalighet, och möjligen med hjälp av deras tidigare bekantskap, fick Antionius att falla för henne, och han var därefter hennes älskare och slav. Hos Plutarkos finns att läsa om hennes välkända resa längs Cydnus i Kilikien för att möta Antonius

We read in Plutarch elaborate descriptions of her well-known voyage up the Cyd-nus in Cilicia to meet Antony, and the magnificent entertainments which she gave, which were re­markable not less for good taste and variety than splendour and profuse expense. One of these is also celebrated in Athenaeus (iv. 29). The first use Cleopatra made of her influence was to procure the death of her younger sister,, Arsinoe, who had once set up a claim to the kingdom. (Appian, B. C. v. 8, 9; Dion Cass. xlviii. 24.) Her brother, Ptolemy, she seems to have made away with be­fore by poison. She also revenged herself on one of her generals, Serapion, who had assisted Cassius contrary to her orders, and got into her hands a

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person whom the people of Aradus had set up to counterfeit the elder of her two brothers, who perished in Egypt. All these were torn from the sanctuaries of temples ; but Antony, we learn from both Dion and Appian, was so entirely enslaved by Cleopatra's charms, that he set at nought all ties of religion and humanity. (Appian, B. C. v. 9 ; Dion Cass. xlviii. 24.)

Cleopatra now returned to Egypt, where Antony spent some time in her company; and we read of the luxury of their mode of living, and the un­bounded empire which she possessed over him. The ambition of her character, however, peeps out even in these scenes, particularly in the fishing-anecdote recorded by Plutarch. (Ant. 29.) Her connexion with Antony was interrupted for a short time by his marriage with Octavia, but was re­newed on his return from Italy, and again on his return from his Parthian expedition, when she went to meet him in Syria with money and provi­sions for his army. He then returned to Egypt, and gratified her ambition by assigning to her children by him many of the conquered provinces. (Dion Cass. xlix. 32.) According to Josephus (Ant. xv. 4. § 2), during Antony's expedition Cleopatra went into Judaea, part of which Antony had assign­ed to her and Herod necessarily ceded, and there at­tempted to win Herod by her charms, probably with a view to his ruin, but failed, and was in danger of being put to death by him. The report, however, of Octavia's having left Rome to join Antony, made Cleopatra tremble for her influence, and she there­fore exerted all her powers of pleasing to endeavour to retain it, and bewailed her sad lot in being only regarded as his mistress, and therefore being liable to be deserted at pleasure. She feigned that her health was suffering,—in short, put forth all her powers, and succeeded. (Plut. Ant. 53.) From this time Antony appears quite infatuated by his at­tachment, and willing to humour every caprice of Cleopatra. We find her assuming the title of Isis, and giving audience in that dress to ambassadors, that of Osiris being adopted by Antony, and their children called by the title of the sun and the moon, and declared heirs of unbounded territories. (Dion Cass. xlix. 32, 33, 1. 4, 5.) She was sa­luted by him with the title of Queen of Queens, attended by a Roman guard, and Artavasdes. the captive king of Armenia, was ordered to do her homage. (Dion Cass. xlix. 39.) One can hardly wonder that Augustus should represent Antony to the Romans as " bewitched by that accursed Egyptian" (Dion Cass. 1. 26) ; and he was not slow in availing himself of the disgust which Antony's conduct occasioned to make a deter* mined effort to crush him. War, however, was declared against Cleopatra, and not against An­tony, as a less invidious way. (Dion Cass. 1. 6.) Cleopatra insisted on accompanying Antony in the fleet; and we find them, after visiting Samos and Athens, where they repeated what Plutarch calls the farce of their public entertainments, opposed to Augustus at Actium. Cleopatra indeed persuaded Antony to retreat to Egypt, but the attack of Augustus frustrated this intention, and the famous battle took place (b. c. 31) in the midst of which, when fortune was wavering between the two par­ties, Cleopatra, weary of suspense, and alarmed at the intensity of the battle (Dion Cass. 1. 33), gave a signal of retreat to her fleet, and herself led the way. Augustus in vain pursued her, and she made her way to Alexandria, the harbour of which she entered with her prows crowned and music sounding, as if victorious, fearing an outbreak in the city. With the same view of retaining the Alexandrians in their allegiance, she and Antony (who soon joined her) proclaimed their children, Antyllus and Cleopatra, of age. She then pre­pared to defend herself in Alexandria, and also sent embassies to the neighbouring tribes for aid. (Dion Cass. li. 6.) She had also a plan of re­tiring to Spain, or to the Persian gulf; and either was building ships in the Red Sea, as Dion asserts, or, according to Plutarch, intended to draw her ships across the isthmus of Suez. Which­ever was the case, the ships were burnt by the Arabs of Petra, and this hope failed. She scru­pled not to behead Artavasdes, and send his head as a bribe for aid to the king of Media, who was his enemy. Finding, however, no aid nigh, she prepared to negotiate with Augustus, and sent him on his approach her sceptre and throne (unknown to Antony), as thereby resigning her kingdom. His public answer required her to resign and sub­mit to a trial; but he privately urged her to make away with Antony, and promised that she should retain her kingdom. On a subsequent occasion, Thyrsus, Caesar's freedman, brought similar terms, and represented Augustus as captivated by her, which she seems to have believed, and, seeing Antony's fortunes desperate, betrayed Pelusium to Augustus, prevented the Alexandrians from going

out against him, and frustrated Antony's plan of escaping to Rome by persuading the fleet to desert him. She then fled to a mausoleum she had built, where she had collected her most valuable treasures, and proclaimed her intention of putting an end to her life, with a view to entice Antony thither, and thus ensure his capture. (This is the account of Dion Cassius, 3i. 6, 8—1.1; the same facts for the most part are recorded by Plutarch, who however represents Cleopatra's perfidy as less glar­ing.) She then had Antony informed of her death, as though to persuade him to die with her; and this stratagem, if indeed she had this object, fully succeeded, and he was drawn up into the unfinish­ed mausoleum, and died in her arms. She did not however venture to meet Augustus, though his rival was dead, but remained in the mausoleum, ready if need was to put herself to death, for which purpose she had asps and other venomous animals in readiness. Augustus contrived to apprehend her, and had all instruments of death removed, and then requested an interview (for an account of which see Dion Cass. li. 12, 13, and Prut. Ant. 83). The charms of Cleopatra, however, failed in softening the colder heart of Augustus. He only " bade her be of good cheer, and fear no vio­lence." Seeing that her case was desperate, and determined at all events not to be carried captive to Rome, she resolved on death; but in order to compass this, it was necessary to disarm the vigi­lance of her goalers, and she did this by feigning a readiness to go to Rome, and preparing presents for Livia, the wife of Augustus. This artifice suc­ceeded, and she was thereby enabled to put an end to her life, either by the poison of an asp, or by a j poisoned comb (Dion Cass. li. 14 ; Pint. Ant. 85, 86), the former supposition being adopted by most writers. (Suet. Aug. 17; Galen. Theriac. ad Pis. p. 4-60, ed. Basil; Veil. Pat. ii. 87.)

Cleopatra died in b. c. 30, in the thirty-ninth

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year of her age, and with her ended the dynasty of the Ptolemies in Egypt. She had three children by Antony: Alexander and Cleopatra, who were twins, and Ptolemy surnamed Philadelphus. The leading points of her character were, ambition and voluptuousness. History presents to us the former as the prevailing motive, the latter being frequently employed only as the means of gratifying it. In all the stories of her luxury and lavish expense, there is a splendour and a grandeur that somewhat refines them. (See Plin. H. N. ix. 58.) In the days of her prosperity, her arrogance was un­bounded, and she loved to swear by the Capitol, in which she hoped to reign with Antony. She was avaricious, to supply her extravagance, and cruel, or at least had no regard for human life when her own objects were concerned,—a Caesar with a woman's caprice. Her talents were great and varied; her knowledge of languages was pe­culiarly remarkable (Plut. Ant. 27), of which she had seven at command, and was the more remark­able from the fact, that her predecessors had not been able to master even the Egyptian, and some had forgotten their native Macedonian ; and in the midst of the most luxurious scenes we see traces of a love of literature and critical research. She added the library of Perganvus, presented to her by Antony, to that of Alexandria. Her ready and versatile wit, her knowledge of human nature and powerof using it,her attractive manners, and her exquisitely musical and flexible voice, compared by Plutarch (Ant. 27) to a many-stringed instrument, are also the subjects of well-attested praise. The higher points in her character are admirably touched by Horace in the ode (i. 37) on her defeat. The following coin represents the head of An­tony on the obverse, and Cleopatra's on the reverse.