Cleopatra Informative Speech

Sarah Owens
12/2/10
Queen Cleopatra In ancient Egypt, Cleopatra is by far one of the most famous queens of all times. At the time, Cleopatra ruled Egypt and she is very famous for her story of love and death. She was born in 69 BC in Alexandria. Her father was Ptolemy x11. Her mother was Cleopatra 5th of Egypt. Later on, Cleopatra had another sister and two younger brothers. By historians, Cleopatra is classified to be the last pharaoh of Egypt. She was 17 or 18 when she became queen of Egypt. Cleopatra was a seductive woman. She had charisma and enchanting musical voice. She spoke nine languages. She was the first pharaoh from the Ptolemy family to speak Egyptian. According to Egyptian tradition Cleopatra married her brother and co-ruler,
Her sister Arsinoe went with her. Cleopatra was determined to get her throne back, so she set up an army on Egypt’s border. Vying with Julius Caesar, Pompey wants control of the Roman Empire. In order to seek protection, Pompey sailed to Alexandria after losing the battle of Pharsalos. The advisors of Ptolemy x111 thought they should side with Caesar for safety reasons. When Pompey came to Alexandria, he was stabbed to death while the pharaoh watched. Caesar later went to Alexandria. When he got near the city, he was approached by Ptolemy’s courtiers. They brought him a gift which was Pompey’s head. Once Pompey was Caesar’s friend. Caesar was overwhelmed by Pompey’s brutal murder so he marched into the city and took control of the palace. He soon started issuing orders. Cleopatra and Ptolemy were to discharge their armies and meet with Caesar so he could settle their problem. If Cleopatra entered the city openly, she would be killed by Ptolemy’s henchmen. She then put herself into an Oriental rug and had it delivered to Caesar. When the rug arrived, they opened it up and Cleopatra rolled out. Caesar was so mesmerized by her beauty; they became lovers that same night. Ptolemy was furious when he saw Caesar and Cleopatra together the next day. He
The war continued for almost six months. When Pothinus was killed in battle and Ptolemy x111 drowned in the Nile while trying to flee, the Alexandria war was over. The city gave into Caesar, who captured Arsinoe and restored Cleopatra to her throne. Cleopatra once again married her brother Ptolemy x1v. He was also 12 years old. Cleopatra and Caesar finally had victory. They went on a two-month cruise on the Nile. They would have gone to Ethiopia if Caesar’s troops would have agreed to follow him. They say Cleopatra may have become pregnant at this time. Later on, Cleopatra had a son, Ptolemy xv, called Caesarion or “little Caesar.” Historians say Caesar may not have been caesarions father. Caesar only had one other child. Caesarion looked very similar to Caesar and Caesar claimed Caesarion as his own. Caesar later returned to Rome and left three legions in Egypt to protect Cleopatra. He then invited Cleopatra to visit him in Rome a year later. She went to Rome in the autumn of forty six BC. Her son Caesarion and younger brother/husband came also. Caesar spared Arsinoe’s life, but later Mark Antony had her killed at Cleopatra’s request. Cleopatra stayed in Caesar’s villa for almost two years. She