Cleopatra's Journal | Teen Ink

Cleopatra's Journal

August 7, 2009
By TheWaitress SILVER, Denton, Texas
TheWaitress SILVER, Denton, Texas
8 articles 2 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'd rather run away with my imagination than run away alone" - Me :)


52 BC

Though only a year ago father passed away and made myself and Ptolemy joint rulers, which due to Egyptian law I must have a husband or son, so shortly after his death we got married, I must say it absolutely annoying that we must be surrounded with advisers! Especially advisers who love to use power, Prothinus our court eunuch, Archillas who isn’t so bad, I mean he does command the Alexandrian army, so power isn’t so bad when going to battle, but Theodolltus my brother’s tutor who came from Chios, I’m not a fan of his. I must go, much to do! Especially with the tension that seems to be filling the air.

As queen of Egypt I am the ruler of all. I must stay in good favor with the citizens though. Which I believe I am at this time. After my fathers death a sphinx was created for him, a tribute to his rule.


“In 51 B.C., Cleopatra’s father Ptolemy XII died and in his will he left the kingdom to Cleopatra VII and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII. Cleopatra, only eighteen at the age of her ascension had to wed her brother and co-ruler due to Egyptian law, which called for any female ruler to have a consort who was either a brother or son.”


50 BC

With the help of my prime minister, Dioiketes, I can have some say in the world Politically! But while I do so, I must watched our Greek governors, they are the ones who control other parts of the country. We must be careful, Egypt is becoming bureaucratic, riots are breaking out! Our money is loosing value everyday. Though our kingdom stands strong and provides hope for the people.

49 BC

I was feeling very generous today, extremely generous actually. I decided to supply Gnaeus Pompey with 60 ships, along with some money and corn. It felt quite nice to give to the Roman General Gnaeus Pompeius’s son, I believe he will be very happy! I don’t think my brother was very happy with my decision though. He hasn’t said anything, but the day is not over, so I must watch him carefully to see if he has any anger towards me.

After I gave the gifts to Pompey I noticed my advisers watched me very closely, they probably think I would like to rule on my own. That might be nice, but I suppose that will never happen. For Egyptian law claims that I must be married or have a son to rule, also, they wouldn’t burry a female pharaoh in a pyramid…would they?

48 BC

I thought there was something wrong with my brother! Expelled! Expelled from the city? How dare he! I shall just have to fight him! The greedy man! I’ll be back brother, I’ll be back…

…it has now been three months since I was expelled from the city. I have been working hard, and have raised a mercenary army, with which I shall return to fight my brother and make my way back into the city!…

…we have been fighting for a long time now, so long, I have lost track of the days. Today I received a letter from Julius Caesar he seeks Gnaeus Pompeius, so not to be murdered I covered myself with bedclothes and crept around in a small boat I found, which enabled me to sneak into Alexandria and meet up with Caesar. My brother won’t know what hit him! When I was talking with Caesar, he said he would help me in my battle against my brother, what luck. I shall write once more when the battle has ended!…

…ha, he never knew what hit him. With Caesar helping me, my brother ran! Unfortunately he ended up drowning in the Nile River. Coward.


44 BC

Caesar has been murdered! Murdered by the Roman aristocracy! They are jealous, they say they hate the way he lived. They hated how I had influences unlike other women. They also claim that they had a problem with the fact that Caesar liked the lower class people. Just because he is different, doesn’t mean he should be murdered. The citizens are outraged!


“After Caesar's murder in 44 BCE, Marcus Antonius challenged Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, Caesar's adopted heir, for control of Rome's vast empire. Despite the creation of alliances—the Second Triumvirate in 43, and Antony's marriage to Octavia, Octavian's sister—war was unavoidable. Octavian, the future Augustus, defeated Antony and his mistress and Eastern ally, Cleopatra VII, at the battle of Actium in 31 BCE. A Ptolemy, Cleopatra was the last descendent of the Macedonian royal house that had ruled in Alexandria since the fourth century BCE. As such, she symbolized all that was "Eastern"; meaning all that was decadent, undisciplined, and certainly, non-Roman.”


41 BC

I have received a letter from a Mark Antony, he didn’t know how to write in our Hieroglyphics, he wishes to meet with me at Tarsus. I hear he wants to question me, he probably fears that I am against him. What he does not realize is that I am ecstatic to meet him. For if I can gain his trust, my power might be restored. I must make him love me, he must like everything about me, I need a plan………I have been pondering over what to do so I can win Mark Antony over, and have decided to dress as Aphrodite! The goddess of love. My servants shall come with me and be in costume as well, they shall look like cherubs and fan me, plus to make this even better we shall have ladies off to the side, waiting! Looking like beautiful mermaids.




“In 41 B.C., Cleopatra would meet Mark Antony, part of a triumvirate now in control of the Roman Empire.”


40 BC

I have given birth to twins, my son whom I named Alexander Helios and my daughter who was so named Cleopatra Selene. Their father is Mark Antony, I must say I had no intentions of falling in love with a married man….oh well….

"A queen, a siren," says Thomas Campbell, "a
Shakespeare's Cleopatra alone could have entangled Shakespeare's
Antony."

36 BC

Today I married Mark Antony, we decided it would be the smartest thing to do, especially after I had our third child, Ptolemy Philadelphius. I must decide when to go and have a tailor make clothes for my children. They will be the finest clothes in the whole of Egypt! Possibly they will look a bit like Mark’s clothes. Extremely Roman, a toga would work very nicely.

34 BC

Today we have won our battle in Armenia! Mark and I have decided to celebrate with a huge parade in Alexandria! Mark and I have also come up with new names for ourselves, I shall call myself the New Isis and Mark wishes to be called the New Dionysus! Lovely isn’t it? Though the citizens don’t like the sound of it, but who cares?


30 BC

At the age of 39 I died from the venom of an asp. It was a suicide, but I could no longer bare to live. When Marc Antony found me, a young servant girl was next to me lying dead. I made sure the venom was good by testing it on her first. When I heard the Romans coming to where I was I quickly injected the venom. With in moments I was dead. After Marc saw me lying on the floor he attacked the Roman soldiers and was slain within moments. With my death, Egypt would become a part of the Roman Empire. Marc and I were buried in the mausoleum that I had built.


"From this day on no-one will speak of Cleopatra as Queen of Egypt.” - Octavian


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This article has 7 comments.


on Jul. 3 2016 at 9:45 am
Winters_Willow SILVER, Beijing, Other
7 articles 0 photos 51 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Treat others the way you wish to be treated." ~Ghandi
"You are the worst pirate I've ever heard of." "Ah, but you've heard of me." ~Pirates of the Caribbean
"A man who has never done anything wrong, has never tried anything new." ~Albert Einstein

Good job overall, but, Marc Antony died first, Octavian (actually probably a guard) discovered Cleopatra after she died.

Shawna said...
on Aug. 26 2011 at 10:37 am
I apologize to be the one to bring this to your attention, but your dates and years are incorrect. If Cleopatra's father died in 51 BC than she would be saying that a year had past in the year 50 BC. BC years run backwords, so to speak.

on Nov. 1 2010 at 4:41 pm
TheWaitress SILVER, Denton, Texas
8 articles 2 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'd rather run away with my imagination than run away alone" - Me :)

Thanks for your feedback, yea this was a school project for history class and I had to finish it quickly, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

daneshzg GOLD said...
on Oct. 30 2010 at 5:33 pm
daneshzg GOLD, West Vancouver, Other
11 articles 0 photos 39 comments
though one bad part of this essay was that you seemingly rushed the last paraghraph. next time, try to stop for a while when you feel tired, then go back to the essay when you are fully operational.

daneshzg GOLD said...
on Oct. 30 2010 at 5:27 pm
daneshzg GOLD, West Vancouver, Other
11 articles 0 photos 39 comments
i enjoyed this greatly, not the kind of story that takes space, but still beautifully composed.

on Jan. 24 2010 at 4:11 pm
TheWaitress SILVER, Denton, Texas
8 articles 2 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'd rather run away with my imagination than run away alone" - Me :)

Thanks very much!

on Jan. 24 2010 at 11:02 am
Sydney Charvat BRONZE, The Woodlands, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 1 comment
This is really good! I like how you incorporated actual quotes about her life :)