We have heard of Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, wife of King Tyndarius of Sparta. When Helen was a child, she was abducted by Theseus who wished to marry her.
However, she was rescued by her brothers Castor and Pollux. Later her fatal beauty was the direct cause of the Trojan War which lasted for ten years.
The war began when the three goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite asked the Trojan prince Paris to choose the most beautiful among them for marriage. However, Aphrodite promised him the love of a woman of surpassing beauty. After some time, Paris sailed to Greece where he was warmly welcomed by Helen and her husband Menelaus, the King of Sparta. Helen fell for Paris and she eloped with him to Troy.
However, Menelaus wanted his wife back and declared war against Troy. Helen was summoned to watch a duel between Paris and Menelaus. Although the Greeks claimed victory in the war, Aphrodite helped Paris to escape from the conflict. After the fall of Troy, Menelaus was reunited with Helen.
Helen’s rival in beauty, fame and influence was Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. She fascinated the great Julius Caesar and Mark Antony who held the world in their hands. When a quarrel broke out between Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIV who was 13, the latter sought the help of the Roman army. Before the Romans could arrive at a decision, a Greek merchant brought a present of rugs for Caesar. When the bundle was unrolled, a woman of stunning beauty emerged. For the first time, Julius Caesar feasted his eyes on Cleopatra. Her charms and beauty still remain fresh in our minds even after more than 2000 years.
Caesar fell under the spell of Cleopatra and decided to help her win the civil war in her kingdom. He found in her all that he sought from a woman – beauty, charm, wit, intelligence and a spirit of youth. What is more, she was the product of a great civilisation. With Caesar’s support, she won the war and secured Egypt’s throne. Their amorous relationship produced a son named Caesarian Ptolemy. When Caesar sailed away for Rome she waited for his return. Instead of returning to Egypt, Caesar invited her to visit Rome.
Glamorous queen
When Cleopatra visited Rome, Romans were amazed to see a glamorous queen whose beauty had never been equalled. She took up residence at Caesar’s villa and openly lived as his mistress. When Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, Cleopatra returned to Egypt. After a series of civil wars in Rome, Cleopatra was summoned to meet Mark Antony, the new ruler. Although he waited for her arrival, she did not turn up. Finally, a ship carrying Cleopatra arrived and Antony invited her to dine with him. When Antony approached the ship, he was struck by her flawless beauty.
Antony fell more and more under the spell of Cleopatra. He followed Cleopatra to Alexandria and spent many months there. To be with Cleopatra, Anton made a pact with Octavian to divide the kingdom between them. Octavian opted to remain in Rome and Antony moved to the East. To seal the bargain, Antony married Octavian’s sister, Octavia.
The relationship between Antony and Cleopatra was marred by his drinking. They also began to distrust each other. In a sudden turn of events, the rift between Antony and Octavian widened. Antony was successful in attacking Octavian’s forces. Before he could celebrate his victory some of his allies deserted him. In the meantime, he received the news of Cleopatra’s death.
Grief-stricken Antony fell upon his own sword to kill himself. However, he survived with a severe wound. Then he came to know that Cleopatra was still alive at the mausoleum. Antony was carried to the tomb and he died in Cleopatra’s arms. With the removal of his arch rival, Octavian became Augustus Caesar, the first Emperor of Rome.
Suicide
When things were going against her, Cleopatra decided to commit suicide in a novel way. According to her instructions, a slave carrying a basket of figs approached her. He had brought an asp hidden beneath the fig leaves. She calmly pressed the asp to her breast and fell into a deep sleep. She never woke up again.
Although there were many hundreds of Egyptian queens, most of them are unknown today. Unlike other queens, Cleopatra had lived in a highly literate age. Her actions had influenced the formation of the Roman Empire. Therefore, her story cannot be brushed aside by historians. Octavian has recorded in his biography how Cleopatra played a key role in his struggles to capture power. He has also recorded Cleopatra’s relationship with him and Julius Caesar.
William Shakespeare’s play ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ is based on Plutarch’s ‘Parallel Lives,’ but the bard has dropped some of Plutarch’s disapprovals and allowed his queen to become a heroine. From Shakespeare’s play stems a wealth of Cleopatra-themed plays, poetry, paintings and operas. Later, her life was depicted in films. Elizabeth Taylor and many other leading actresses played the role of Cleopatra. Perhaps, no other historical figure has enflamed passions than Cleopatra. Destined to be the last of her dynasty, Cleopatra used seduction and political savvy to further the interests of ancient Egypt in the face of Roman expansion.
There is a lot of talk about Cleopatra’s nose which is taken as the type of a single feature or a change which would have been of immeasurable influence. This refers to a comment made by the French mathematician, physicist and moralist Blaise Pascal: “Had Cleopatra’s nose been shorter, the whole face of the world would have changed.”
