A queen of Egypt in the first century B.C., famous for her beauty, charm, and luxurious living. She lived for some time in Rome with Julius Caesar. For several years after Caesar was assassinated, she lived in Egypt with the Roman politician Mark Antony. Antony killed himself on hearing a false report that she was dead. After Antony�s death, Cleopatra committed suicide by allowing an asp, a poisonous snake, to bite her.
The play Antony and Cleopatra, by William Shakespeare, dramatizes Cleopatra�s affair with Antony and her suicide.
Cleopatra has stood throughout the ages as the most alluring of women---not to mention, the most tragic of heroines. |
