The Netflix documentary we all were waiting for is here. Yet again, the world stands a chance to learn more about Queen Cleopatra. She is remembered as the very last Pharaoh of Egypt, the woman who descended the throne right after the demise of King Ptolemy XII. She was the last heir of the Ptolemaic dynasty and will always stand to be the greatest female ruler of Egypt. With her unfortunate demise, Egypt became a part of the Roman Empire. But before it all went down to ruins, she held her head high and strategized one of the most prominent political moves for Egypt. Her main aim was to keep the Ptolemaic dynasty alive, she cannot lose the power of control she had! From struggling to maintain her throne to having affairs with prominent Roman men, Cleopatra’s dynamic history has been elaborated to a vast extent here.
The Netflix documentary is mainly narrated by three prominent scholars, writers, and researchers, namely Shelley P. Haley, Debora Heard, and Dr. Islam Issa. This four-episode docu-series takes us back to the time when Ptolemy XII made Cleopatra the co-ruler of Egypt! She was meant to rule the throne with her then-brother, Ptolemy XIII. But not all the courtiers were happy to see her as Queen Isis, especially not Pothinus! Moreover, Arsinoe being the elder daughter of the family felt highly betrayed when her father didn’t trust her with the responsibilities of the throne. But again, family war fares have not been that uncommon to the Royal families. After all, your deepest friend holds the nearest chance to stab you in the back!
Queen Cleopatra Season 1 Ending Explained
Cleopatra knew she has lost it all when the guards of Octavian had captured her. She had no place to go, she had nothing left to be saved. But that sheer glow of being the last Pharaoh of Egypt, that fire in her soul that made her the rightful ruler of the throne, that strong smile she held forward in her face, made her one of the most notable Queens of the world. The Egyptian cultures and policies were very different from that of Rome and this was the main reason why she tried to reunite these two empires. Given the fact that Rome had given major support to her father, Cleopatra always wanted to have a strong footing in Rome. This is the only way she can bring steady security to the Egyptian people.
When she was forced out of her palace, she had nowhere to go other than Syria! But, she returned after two years, and this time she had a definite plan in mind. Thanks to Ptolemy XIII’s foolish move which gave her the pathway to become a dear friend of Julius Caesar. This was the very beginning of Cleopatra’s relationship with Caesar. On one hand, Arsinoe betrayed her and along with Ptolemy III declared war against her and Julius Caesar. While on the other hand, the big news came in, she was pregnant with her very first child. She gives birth to Caesarion, who could have been the linking point that reunites Rome and Egypt. But clearly, her strategies were shattered apart when Caeser met with his untimely death.
This brings Octavian into the picture! The cruel man who will ruin everything which has been ever built by Cleopatra. He happens to be the greatest enemy of Cleopatra and he was the one who forced her to commit suicide. Initially, Cleopatra was able to gain the trust of Mark Antony. Her love affair with him is indeed one of the finest Egyptian and Roman love stories of all time. But we can never forget the fact that Octavian knew how to get the people of Rome against Cleopatra. He alleged him to be a woman of wrong motives and evil standings. According to him, he was nothing less than a witch.
Fast forwarding to the answer you all were looking for, well, Queen Cleopatra was not murdered by Octavian. She was the last Pharaoh of Egypt and in no conditions could Emperor Augustus dare to kill her. He couldn’t have afforded to give her the title of a martyr. But again, he had to put an end to her vast rule in Egypt. Initially, he planned to carry out a parade of victory and thought of sending Cleopatra to exile. But little did he know about Cleopatra’s last move. She along with her two trustworthy female generals decided to commit suicide. In the series, we saw the three consumed a different type of date and were found dead, but another interesting story says that she was bitten by a cobra! Well, the exact reason behind her death will continue to be a mystery for all of us.
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How Did Julius Caesar Die?
When talking about Cleopatra and Egypt, how could we forget about Julius Caesar and Rome? He was the man who opened the doors of Rome for Cleopatra. Had he declared her rightful son to be his next heir, the history of Rome would have been different. But sadly enough, Caesar was never married to Cleopatra. There is no denial in the fact that Cleopatra was not like the other woman he entertained. She was intensely bold, intelligent, and knowledgeable. No other woman had a minimalistic chance against her.
Both were in this for their respective motives! On one hand, Caesar was taking the benefits of Cleopatra’s intelligence, while on the other hand, Cleopatra wanted Caesarion to be his next rightful heir. Every member of the Senate could sense that Julius was walking on Cleopatra’s path and thus start seeing him as a major threat. Meanwhile, Arsinoe had planted a strong plan against Julius Caesar and her sister Cleopatra. It was 15th March, when he was suddenly attacked by the members of the Senate. He was stabbed to death and thus Cleopatra had to flee back to Egypt without gaining anything from Rome.
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