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Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:05,250 --> 00:00:07,958 [suspenseful music] 2 00:00:14,167 --> 00:00:16,125 Let us go. It's time. 3 00:00:17,083 --> 00:00:18,375 You're sure? 4 00:00:18,583 --> 00:00:19,917 [applause] 5 00:00:20,083 --> 00:00:21,708 There'll be no going back. 6 00:00:21,875 --> 00:00:23,208 I'm sure. 7 00:00:23,667 --> 00:00:26,167 [crowd cheering] 8 00:00:37,875 --> 00:00:40,417 MAN: We present you Ptolemy Caesar, 9 00:00:40,583 --> 00:00:44,500 king of kings and the one and only heir 10 00:00:45,292 --> 00:00:47,208 to the late Julius Caesar. 11 00:00:48,625 --> 00:00:51,083 The one and only heir. 12 00:00:51,208 --> 00:00:58,000 โ™ช 13 00:01:00,375 --> 00:01:02,625 [tense music] 14 00:01:03,375 --> 00:01:05,667 DEBORAH: Cleopatra is one of those 15 00:01:05,875 --> 00:01:07,375 enigmatic figures in history. 16 00:01:08,375 --> 00:01:10,500 PATRICK The image that most people have of Cleopatra 17 00:01:10,625 --> 00:01:14,292 today is entirely a product of popular culture. 18 00:01:15,917 --> 00:01:20,708 BOB: Cleopatra's reputation has been sullied by the Romans. 19 00:01:22,292 --> 00:01:25,583 They wanted to portray her as an arch-villain. 20 00:01:26,167 --> 00:01:29,167 SHELLEY: A whore who slept her way to the top. 21 00:01:29,708 --> 00:01:32,708 MELINDA: A sexually wanting female fatale. 22 00:01:35,083 --> 00:01:38,125 Today we are seeing a more empathetic view 23 00:01:38,292 --> 00:01:41,458 of Cleopatra, simply striving for survival. 24 00:01:41,667 --> 00:01:42,792 [thunder clapping] 25 00:01:44,417 --> 00:01:46,667 SIMON: Cleopatra is always willing to do 26 00:01:46,875 --> 00:01:48,292 anything to stay in power. 27 00:01:49,333 --> 00:01:52,792 To kill her siblings, whatever it takes. 28 00:01:54,042 --> 00:01:57,208 ROBERT: She can see the entire chess board 29 00:01:57,375 --> 00:01:59,833 and when she's outta moves, she makes up moves. 30 00:02:00,708 --> 00:02:03,500 KATHRYN: In an age where men dominated the world, 31 00:02:04,208 --> 00:02:06,000 she outsmarted them all. 32 00:02:06,167 --> 00:02:07,375 SOLDIER: Ha! 33 00:02:07,542 --> 00:02:13,417 โ™ช 34 00:02:28,542 --> 00:02:29,625 NARRATOR: Egypt. 35 00:02:30,833 --> 00:02:33,583 Once among the most powerful kingdoms on Earth, 36 00:02:34,875 --> 00:02:36,667 is recovering from turmoil. 37 00:02:39,708 --> 00:02:40,750 Six years earlier, 38 00:02:40,917 --> 00:02:42,458 a bloody coup... 39 00:02:42,917 --> 00:02:44,458 [shouting] 40 00:02:45,542 --> 00:02:48,417 Sent Egypt's King Ptolemy Auletes 41 00:02:48,542 --> 00:02:52,750 and his young daughter Cleopatra into exile in Rome. 42 00:02:54,042 --> 00:02:57,083 But now with the help of Roman soldiers, 43 00:02:57,208 --> 00:02:58,833 they return in triumph. 44 00:02:59,042 --> 00:03:00,792 [soldiers chanting] 45 00:03:01,958 --> 00:03:04,375 [crowd applauding] 46 00:03:09,333 --> 00:03:13,792 By Cleopatra's time, Egypt already has a very long history. 47 00:03:14,208 --> 00:03:16,750 Several thousand years of rule by Pharaohs, 48 00:03:16,917 --> 00:03:18,958 a brief period of Persian rule. 49 00:03:19,125 --> 00:03:21,500 And then in 332 B.C., Alexander the Great 50 00:03:21,667 --> 00:03:24,250 comes to liberate Egypt from the Persians. 51 00:03:24,375 --> 00:03:26,875 When he dies, his general Ptolemy 52 00:03:27,042 --> 00:03:31,417 takes over in Egypt and thus begins Ptolemaic dynasty. 53 00:03:33,375 --> 00:03:34,708 STACY: These are Macedonian Greeks 54 00:03:34,875 --> 00:03:36,542 who passed themselves off as the heirs 55 00:03:36,708 --> 00:03:38,167 to Alexander the Great 56 00:03:38,250 --> 00:03:39,875 whom they're not really related. 57 00:03:40,042 --> 00:03:42,000 And as Pharaohs, which they are not really either, 58 00:03:42,167 --> 00:03:43,208 but they've established themselves 59 00:03:43,375 --> 00:03:45,333 as the legitimate rulers of Egypt. 60 00:03:46,667 --> 00:03:48,000 NARRATOR: While the Ptolemys control 61 00:03:48,208 --> 00:03:49,750 the rich kingdom of Egypt, 62 00:03:50,542 --> 00:03:52,708 the military superpower of the ancient world 63 00:03:52,875 --> 00:03:54,208 is now Rome. 64 00:03:56,750 --> 00:03:59,875 And it's thanks to Rome that Auletes seizes back his crown. 65 00:04:03,500 --> 00:04:06,583 He immediately takes revenge on the uprising's leader... 66 00:04:10,792 --> 00:04:12,000 [screams] 67 00:04:12,500 --> 00:04:16,333 His eldest daughter, Berenice. 68 00:04:17,833 --> 00:04:20,458 [tense music] 69 00:04:23,375 --> 00:04:26,833 The greatest tradition of the Ptolemaic royal family 70 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:31,458 is rivalry and assassination, plotting, coups. 71 00:04:31,625 --> 00:04:34,000 This goes back all the way to the very beginning 72 00:04:34,125 --> 00:04:35,917 of the Ptolemaic dynasty. 73 00:04:36,875 --> 00:04:38,500 Look away if you wish. 74 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:45,792 โ™ช 75 00:05:01,958 --> 00:05:04,292 AMANDA: Auletes' deals with his usurping daughter, 76 00:05:04,417 --> 00:05:07,292 Berenice, in classic Ptolemy style. 77 00:05:07,417 --> 00:05:09,083 It's like a real life Game of Thrones 78 00:05:09,250 --> 00:05:10,667 with the Ptolemys. 79 00:05:12,208 --> 00:05:14,792 They seem to constantly be killing each other. 80 00:05:15,708 --> 00:05:17,583 PATRICK: Cleopatra grows up knowing 81 00:05:17,750 --> 00:05:20,417 that her other family members at any point in time 82 00:05:20,583 --> 00:05:22,375 could slip a dagger into her back. 83 00:05:23,875 --> 00:05:26,375 This is a nest of vipers. 84 00:05:27,375 --> 00:05:29,125 And she's going to survive in that environment 85 00:05:29,292 --> 00:05:31,333 and she's going to need to be willing 86 00:05:31,542 --> 00:05:32,917 to do those things herself as well. 87 00:05:34,583 --> 00:05:36,958 [seagulls screeching] 88 00:05:38,875 --> 00:05:40,542 [crowd cheering] 89 00:05:40,750 --> 00:05:42,333 NARRATOR: With Berenice's execution, 90 00:05:43,167 --> 00:05:46,833 14 year old Cleopatra becomes her father's oldest child 91 00:05:48,250 --> 00:05:49,958 and the future ruler of Egypt. 92 00:05:50,833 --> 00:05:52,250 DEBORAH: We know really almost nothing 93 00:05:52,458 --> 00:05:54,042 about Cleopatra's mother. 94 00:05:54,542 --> 00:05:57,500 She may have been killed by Cleopatra's older sister, 95 00:05:57,625 --> 00:05:59,500 Berenice, when she came to power. 96 00:06:01,417 --> 00:06:03,625 AARON: Cleopatra's Father Auletes 97 00:06:03,750 --> 00:06:06,792 looks to Cleopatra to continue the family line. 98 00:06:06,958 --> 00:06:10,125 It is Cleopatra that is serving as his protege. 99 00:06:10,625 --> 00:06:13,667 Everything that he's worked for as king, 100 00:06:13,833 --> 00:06:16,500 all of it is invested in Cleopatra 101 00:06:16,667 --> 00:06:20,958 and making sure that she comes to power in a secure Egypt. 102 00:06:22,292 --> 00:06:23,708 At this point in time, 103 00:06:23,875 --> 00:06:26,833 Egypt was filled with natural resources 104 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:28,167 and precious materials. 105 00:06:29,042 --> 00:06:32,000 It was known as the bread basket of the ancient world. 106 00:06:32,708 --> 00:06:34,750 STACY: It alone produces more grain than it consumes. 107 00:06:34,875 --> 00:06:37,833 It can feed Rome, it can also starve Rome. 108 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,750 BOB: The Ptolemys are ruling Egypt from Alexandria 109 00:06:41,875 --> 00:06:44,042 in the westernmost part of the country. 110 00:06:45,333 --> 00:06:48,208 Economically, it is the center 111 00:06:48,375 --> 00:06:51,458 of a great trade network funneling 112 00:06:51,583 --> 00:06:54,458 not only the agricultural product of Egypt, 113 00:06:54,583 --> 00:06:58,417 but also luxury products coming from further east 114 00:06:58,542 --> 00:07:01,417 and the coffers of the government are increasing 115 00:07:01,542 --> 00:07:04,667 exponentially with all of that mercantile activity. 116 00:07:04,875 --> 00:07:08,500 Culturally, Alexandria is the be all and end all. 117 00:07:08,708 --> 00:07:12,333 The Ptolemys brought scholars, men of letters, physicians. 118 00:07:12,750 --> 00:07:16,333 So the city of Alexandria shapes Cleopatra. 119 00:07:16,875 --> 00:07:18,583 MELINDA: Cleopatra learns everything 120 00:07:18,708 --> 00:07:20,167 she can get her hands on. 121 00:07:20,375 --> 00:07:23,292 Art and science, oratory, mathematics. 122 00:07:23,458 --> 00:07:25,750 But far more important, 123 00:07:25,875 --> 00:07:27,833 is that she knows nine languages. 124 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,583 Those nine languages include Ancient Egyptian, 125 00:07:30,750 --> 00:07:33,125 which believe it or not, none of the Ptolemys 126 00:07:33,292 --> 00:07:34,833 had known before. 127 00:07:35,792 --> 00:07:38,583 We don't know exactly what ethnicity Cleopatra had. 128 00:07:38,750 --> 00:07:40,833 The Ptolemys were Macedonian Greek, 129 00:07:40,958 --> 00:07:44,500 so it's very likely that Cleopatra was mostly Greek. 130 00:07:44,667 --> 00:07:47,333 That being said, there are some interesting gaps 131 00:07:47,542 --> 00:07:49,875 in the family tree, especially on her mother's side, 132 00:07:50,042 --> 00:07:52,417 in which some Egyptians could have intermarried 133 00:07:52,542 --> 00:07:55,042 with the family, but we really can't be sure. 134 00:07:59,208 --> 00:08:00,667 NARRATOR: In 51 B.C., 135 00:08:01,042 --> 00:08:03,500 four years after taking back his throne, 136 00:08:04,625 --> 00:08:07,167 Cleopatra's father dies of natural causes. 137 00:08:09,708 --> 00:08:14,000 And at age 18, she becomes queen of Egypt. 138 00:08:19,292 --> 00:08:21,917 [crowd applauding] 139 00:08:23,750 --> 00:08:26,750 But as a woman, she cannot rule alone. 140 00:08:30,875 --> 00:08:34,500 MELINDA: In Auletes will, he places Cleopatra 141 00:08:34,708 --> 00:08:36,667 as co-regent with Theos, 142 00:08:36,875 --> 00:08:39,875 her younger brother who's only ten years old. 143 00:08:41,500 --> 00:08:44,000 NARRATOR: Cleopatra will take Theos as her husband. 144 00:08:44,708 --> 00:08:46,458 MELINDA: Sibling marriage in ancient Egypt 145 00:08:46,625 --> 00:08:49,250 goes all the way back to the beginning of time. 146 00:08:49,833 --> 00:08:51,625 You have the myth of god Osiris 147 00:08:51,708 --> 00:08:53,875 who marries his sister wife, Isis. 148 00:08:54,542 --> 00:08:56,083 STACY: Sibling marriage is not something 149 00:08:56,250 --> 00:08:58,667 that was ever practiced in among Greek Macedonians. 150 00:08:58,792 --> 00:09:01,917 So the idea seems to enter the Ptolemaic history 151 00:09:02,083 --> 00:09:04,500 'cause they have pulled it from mythology. 152 00:09:05,417 --> 00:09:06,750 PATRICK: The assumption in this case 153 00:09:06,917 --> 00:09:09,292 was that because Cleopatra's co-ruler 154 00:09:09,417 --> 00:09:10,833 was so much younger than she was, 155 00:09:11,042 --> 00:09:13,000 that Cleopatra would be the dominant partner 156 00:09:13,167 --> 00:09:14,333 in that relationship. 157 00:09:14,500 --> 00:09:16,750 [applause] 158 00:09:16,917 --> 00:09:19,000 [tense music] 159 00:09:23,917 --> 00:09:25,708 NARRATOR: Cleopatra sees her brother's young age 160 00:09:25,875 --> 00:09:27,667 as a chance to grow her own power, 161 00:09:28,250 --> 00:09:29,667 but she's not alone. 162 00:09:31,875 --> 00:09:34,667 Theos attracts others looking to elevate their status. 163 00:09:36,875 --> 00:09:40,792 His advisor, Pothinus, and Sister, Arsinoe. 164 00:09:43,375 --> 00:09:46,625 BOB: Arsinoe plays this shadowy role. 165 00:09:46,792 --> 00:09:51,458 She seems to be a supporter of the faction of Theos. 166 00:09:51,583 --> 00:09:53,917 And so throughout the beginning of the reign, 167 00:09:54,042 --> 00:09:57,333 Cleopatra has to look at Arsinoe 168 00:09:57,500 --> 00:10:00,792 as a potential threat to her throne. 169 00:10:02,375 --> 00:10:03,875 Majesty, please relax with us. 170 00:10:04,042 --> 00:10:05,833 CLEOPATRA: Mm-hmm. Thank you, Pothinus. 171 00:10:05,917 --> 00:10:08,833 And what is the source of your new found generosity? 172 00:10:10,625 --> 00:10:13,500 Majesty, should we remind your sister 173 00:10:13,667 --> 00:10:15,333 what happens to Queens who try to upstage 174 00:10:15,500 --> 00:10:16,833 their male consorts? 175 00:10:17,375 --> 00:10:19,792 ARSINOE: As a student of our history, she should know. 176 00:10:21,500 --> 00:10:24,167 The same fate as advisors who mistake 177 00:10:24,292 --> 00:10:26,333 the king's power for their own. 178 00:10:30,417 --> 00:10:32,500 BOB: Pothinus can be regarded 179 00:10:32,667 --> 00:10:36,375 as a kind of a sinister force behind the throne. 180 00:10:36,542 --> 00:10:38,875 He has personal ambition 181 00:10:39,042 --> 00:10:44,583 and he tries to position Theos to become the leader 182 00:10:44,750 --> 00:10:47,792 by suppressing the power and aspirations of Cleopatra. 183 00:10:48,208 --> 00:10:51,042 There's a tremendous amount of wealth and manpower 184 00:10:51,208 --> 00:10:55,375 available to anyone who could take control of Egypt. 185 00:10:55,542 --> 00:10:59,667 Cleopatra has already shown inclinations 186 00:10:59,792 --> 00:11:02,292 to act on her own behalf. 187 00:11:02,708 --> 00:11:06,833 This minimizes the influence of those elite 188 00:11:07,042 --> 00:11:10,167 that make up the inner circle of Alexandria. 189 00:11:11,042 --> 00:11:14,500 MELINDA: Cleopatra's drive for autonomy is very risky. 190 00:11:14,625 --> 00:11:18,000 Consider that the last four Ptolemaic Queens 191 00:11:18,083 --> 00:11:20,250 who wanted sole rule were killed for it. 192 00:11:22,417 --> 00:11:25,625 NARRATOR: As a way to build influence beyond Alexandria, 193 00:11:26,792 --> 00:11:29,708 Cleopatra goes where few Ptolemys have been before. 194 00:11:30,875 --> 00:11:34,292 She travels 400 miles into Egypt's hinterland... 195 00:11:37,917 --> 00:11:39,792 to lead a sacred procession. 196 00:11:42,208 --> 00:11:43,667 [chanting] 197 00:11:43,833 --> 00:11:45,583 AMANDA: Cleopatra is a kind of chameleon 198 00:11:45,750 --> 00:11:47,500 who is able to move very easily 199 00:11:47,625 --> 00:11:49,917 between the Egyptian and Greek worlds. 200 00:11:54,542 --> 00:11:57,125 Alexandria is a largely Greek city, 201 00:11:57,208 --> 00:11:59,625 and so it was very different from the rest of Egypt 202 00:11:59,833 --> 00:12:02,333 where people spoke Egyptian and were following 203 00:12:02,500 --> 00:12:05,958 ancient Egyptian traditions that had been around for millennia. 204 00:12:07,542 --> 00:12:10,042 [crowd cheering] 205 00:12:14,375 --> 00:12:16,667 JACKIE: Cleopatra's siblings tended to focus 206 00:12:16,792 --> 00:12:19,583 all of their energy on guarding the support 207 00:12:19,708 --> 00:12:21,667 of the Alexandrian elite. 208 00:12:22,042 --> 00:12:25,000 Cleopatra, however, is also interested in gaining 209 00:12:25,208 --> 00:12:28,208 support of the wider Egyptian population. 210 00:12:28,375 --> 00:12:30,167 [crowd cheering] 211 00:12:30,375 --> 00:12:32,750 MELINDA: One of the first things that Cleopatra does, 212 00:12:32,958 --> 00:12:35,375 she institutes and enthrones, 213 00:12:35,542 --> 00:12:37,000 the new Buchis bull, 214 00:12:37,167 --> 00:12:40,833 the incarnation of the creator god Ptah, 215 00:12:41,042 --> 00:12:43,875 and a very, very important religious ceremony. 216 00:12:44,625 --> 00:12:47,167 [crowd cheering] 217 00:12:47,875 --> 00:12:52,250 I adore your majesty and praise your soul. 218 00:12:52,667 --> 00:12:55,500 Oh, great god, Self-created. 219 00:12:55,708 --> 00:13:01,625 โ™ช 220 00:13:01,708 --> 00:13:03,500 AMANDA: Cleopatra identifies herself 221 00:13:03,667 --> 00:13:05,833 with the Egyptian goddess Isis, 222 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:11,167 who is the goddess of fertility, of magic and of nature. 223 00:13:13,958 --> 00:13:15,625 And by doing this, she's making herself 224 00:13:15,792 --> 00:13:17,167 more popular with the Egyptians 225 00:13:17,375 --> 00:13:19,667 and she's seeking to legitimize her rule. 226 00:13:19,875 --> 00:13:22,375 [crowd cheering] 227 00:13:25,917 --> 00:13:28,333 DEBORAH: Is she doing this because she's actually 228 00:13:28,542 --> 00:13:31,125 really interested in these religious ceremonies 229 00:13:31,292 --> 00:13:33,375 or is she doing this just to be seen 230 00:13:33,583 --> 00:13:35,000 by the Egyptian population? 231 00:13:35,125 --> 00:13:36,875 That's anyone's guess. 232 00:13:38,833 --> 00:13:41,667 Cleopatra's main objective is to remain 233 00:13:41,833 --> 00:13:43,542 the sole leader of her country. 234 00:13:45,083 --> 00:13:48,083 Each one of her moves is calculated 235 00:13:48,250 --> 00:13:51,292 to ensure that she achieves that objective. 236 00:13:51,417 --> 00:13:54,042 [cheering] 237 00:13:54,208 --> 00:14:00,208 Being the sole and only ruler of Egypt. 238 00:14:07,625 --> 00:14:09,833 NARRATOR: Fueled by her popularity in the south, 239 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:11,958 Cleopatra jostles for power 240 00:14:12,042 --> 00:14:14,792 with her brother for the next two years. 241 00:14:15,208 --> 00:14:16,833 MELINDA: Cleopatra wants to be the sole ruler 242 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:18,333 and the only way that she can do this 243 00:14:18,542 --> 00:14:20,833 is by pushing her brother into the background. 244 00:14:21,667 --> 00:14:23,833 She alone is signing petitions. 245 00:14:23,958 --> 00:14:27,542 She alone is putting her signature on documents 246 00:14:27,708 --> 00:14:29,750 and she also has coins that are made 247 00:14:29,917 --> 00:14:32,458 in her own image to the point where people wonder 248 00:14:32,583 --> 00:14:36,208 if there happens to be another ruler alongside Cleopatra. 249 00:14:38,792 --> 00:14:40,042 NARRATOR: Her actions only sharpen 250 00:14:40,208 --> 00:14:41,500 her rivalry with her brother. 251 00:14:42,958 --> 00:14:44,292 ROBERT: The Ptolemys are always trying 252 00:14:44,458 --> 00:14:46,583 to plot against and kill one another. 253 00:14:46,792 --> 00:14:48,125 If you're going to survive, 254 00:14:48,208 --> 00:14:50,667 you need to be constantly on your guard, 255 00:14:50,875 --> 00:14:53,042 not just against a threat of an external coup, 256 00:14:53,208 --> 00:14:56,000 but against your own family members. 257 00:15:01,875 --> 00:15:04,250 [thunder clapping] 258 00:15:04,375 --> 00:15:07,958 NARRATOR: In 49 B.C., Theos and his faction 259 00:15:08,125 --> 00:15:11,000 make a move to get rid of Cleopatra once and for all. 260 00:15:11,667 --> 00:15:14,375 [ominous music] 261 00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:19,500 [Cleopatra screaming] 262 00:15:20,292 --> 00:15:22,167 [man grunting] 263 00:15:23,625 --> 00:15:25,417 [screaming and grunting] 264 00:15:25,583 --> 00:15:27,417 [man choking] 265 00:15:31,708 --> 00:15:36,000 BOB: In Alexandria, there was a significant portion 266 00:15:36,208 --> 00:15:41,208 of the population that were against Cleopatra 267 00:15:41,375 --> 00:15:44,667 and the proof of the pudding is Theos is successful 268 00:15:45,250 --> 00:15:49,167 in driving Cleopatra physically out of Alexandria. 269 00:15:49,375 --> 00:15:53,917 โ™ช 270 00:15:54,083 --> 00:15:56,083 SIMON: Cleopatra flees to the Sinai 271 00:15:56,250 --> 00:15:57,917 where she tries to raise an army. 272 00:15:59,375 --> 00:16:02,417 But she's held back by her brother's forces. 273 00:16:04,042 --> 00:16:06,583 And it looks like any attempt to retake 274 00:16:06,708 --> 00:16:08,458 Alexandra will be thwarted. 275 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:11,917 REBECCA: Cleopatra's extremely vulnerable. 276 00:16:12,083 --> 00:16:13,583 She's in the middle of the desert 277 00:16:13,792 --> 00:16:15,917 and really she has very few options. 278 00:16:18,833 --> 00:16:21,167 [pensive music] 279 00:16:21,333 --> 00:16:24,500 We can't wait any longer. We must withdraw. 280 00:16:24,875 --> 00:16:26,500 -Flee? -MAN: Survive. 281 00:16:26,667 --> 00:16:27,958 You are popular in the south. 282 00:16:28,125 --> 00:16:30,167 We can raise another army in time. 283 00:16:30,375 --> 00:16:31,625 I need one now. 284 00:16:33,333 --> 00:16:35,500 NARRATOR: Cleopatra knows just where to turn. 285 00:16:39,750 --> 00:16:42,208 Her father's former ally, Rome. 286 00:16:42,375 --> 00:16:44,958 [tense music] 287 00:16:47,625 --> 00:16:51,042 As an 11 year old in exile, Cleopatra witnessed 288 00:16:51,208 --> 00:16:55,125 her father cut a deal with Rome's greatest general. 289 00:16:56,208 --> 00:16:57,958 Welcome, Auletes. 290 00:17:00,042 --> 00:17:01,833 PRUDENCE: Magnus or Pompey the Great 291 00:17:02,042 --> 00:17:04,250 is Rome's premier general. 292 00:17:05,542 --> 00:17:08,875 He has conducted many successful military campaigns 293 00:17:09,042 --> 00:17:11,667 and he is emerging as one of the most powerful men 294 00:17:11,833 --> 00:17:13,500 in the ancient world. 295 00:17:15,458 --> 00:17:17,875 Auletes promises Pompey the equivalent 296 00:17:18,042 --> 00:17:21,083 to about three and a half billion dollars today. 297 00:17:21,250 --> 00:17:24,833 And in return, Pompey promises 10,000 Roman mercenaries 298 00:17:25,042 --> 00:17:27,250 to help Auletes take back his kingdom. 299 00:17:27,917 --> 00:17:29,083 MELINDA: Cleopatra learns from her father 300 00:17:29,208 --> 00:17:30,958 that Rome can be bought, 301 00:17:31,083 --> 00:17:33,667 but she also learns about the power of Rome 302 00:17:33,875 --> 00:17:36,792 and its ability to protect the dynasty 303 00:17:36,958 --> 00:17:39,000 and protect the throne in Egypt. 304 00:17:40,542 --> 00:17:44,042 NARRATOR: Like her father, Cleopatra asks Pompey for help, 305 00:17:44,958 --> 00:17:47,500 but now he has problems of his own. 306 00:17:48,708 --> 00:17:51,917 AMANDA: As Cleopatra clashes with her brother in Egypt, 307 00:17:52,083 --> 00:17:54,500 Pompey has found himself on the losing side 308 00:17:54,625 --> 00:17:56,667 in a civil war with Julius Caesar. 309 00:17:58,083 --> 00:17:59,833 NICOLA: Pompey goes to Egypt looking for help 310 00:18:00,042 --> 00:18:02,000 from his Egyptian allies. 311 00:18:02,208 --> 00:18:04,167 But as soon as he steps foot on shore, 312 00:18:05,333 --> 00:18:09,333 Cleopatra's brother Theos and his advisors have him killed. 313 00:18:13,208 --> 00:18:15,958 SIMON: Four days after Pompey's murder, 314 00:18:16,125 --> 00:18:19,042 Caesar follows his rival to Egypt. 315 00:18:20,375 --> 00:18:23,000 Theos hoping to carry favor 316 00:18:23,125 --> 00:18:26,708 with the victor has a strange gift for him. 317 00:18:26,875 --> 00:18:29,458 [ominous music] 318 00:18:31,542 --> 00:18:35,000 BOB: And Julius Caesar is revolted 319 00:18:35,542 --> 00:18:39,333 because Pompey was a noble Roman 320 00:18:39,958 --> 00:18:43,625 who did not deserve to be butchered 321 00:18:43,792 --> 00:18:45,708 like a sacrificial animal. 322 00:18:46,750 --> 00:18:50,167 MELINDA: At the time that Caesar appears in Alexandria, 323 00:18:50,333 --> 00:18:53,750 Cleopatra has miles of burning desert behind her. 324 00:18:53,958 --> 00:18:56,500 She has no food, no water, 325 00:18:56,708 --> 00:18:59,333 and her enemies want to take her head off. 326 00:18:59,958 --> 00:19:02,375 WOMAN: On the other hand, my sense of Cleopatra 327 00:19:02,583 --> 00:19:04,583 is that she's constantly thinking, 328 00:19:04,750 --> 00:19:08,125 constantly coming up with ideas to ensure her survival. 329 00:19:09,250 --> 00:19:10,833 NARRATOR: Despite the risk, 330 00:19:10,917 --> 00:19:13,625 Cleopatra decides to meet with Caesar in person. 331 00:19:14,875 --> 00:19:16,208 I'm going to Alexandria. 332 00:19:16,708 --> 00:19:17,875 Your majesty. Please. 333 00:19:18,042 --> 00:19:19,375 WOMAN: Send an emissary. 334 00:19:20,208 --> 00:19:22,375 I am my best ambassador. 335 00:19:23,375 --> 00:19:26,333 Cleopatra makes a calculation 336 00:19:26,542 --> 00:19:30,000 that if she wants to get Caesar on her side, 337 00:19:30,208 --> 00:19:32,417 she has to go to him directly 338 00:19:32,583 --> 00:19:36,167 and she has to show him that she is going to be 339 00:19:36,292 --> 00:19:40,417 a better partner than her younger brother Theos. 340 00:19:41,958 --> 00:19:46,500 MELINDA: Cleopatra is 200 miles behind enemy lines. 341 00:19:46,667 --> 00:19:49,250 She needs to get to Caesar in the palace 342 00:19:49,375 --> 00:19:51,375 and she needs to do it undetected. 343 00:19:55,708 --> 00:19:58,500 She decides that she's gonna take the small canals 344 00:19:58,667 --> 00:20:01,500 of the delta and find her way into the harbor 345 00:20:01,667 --> 00:20:04,833 of Alexandria and do so surreptitiously 346 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:06,417 in a small boat. 347 00:20:07,708 --> 00:20:11,375 SHELLEY: It has to be remembered Cleopatra is an outlaw. 348 00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:15,292 She could be killed, so it's a huge gamble for her. 349 00:20:18,500 --> 00:20:21,083 BOB: Cleopatra gets a trusted servant 350 00:20:21,250 --> 00:20:24,500 who puts her in a bundle of dirty laundry 351 00:20:25,292 --> 00:20:29,833 and convinces the guards that he's on his way 352 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,583 to wash the laundry. 353 00:20:33,833 --> 00:20:36,125 She doesn't try to come in with an army. 354 00:20:36,292 --> 00:20:38,250 She's coming in in a pile of laundry. 355 00:20:38,375 --> 00:20:41,208 I mean, it's brilliant. 356 00:20:44,333 --> 00:20:48,292 ROBERT: Cleopatra's decision to meet Caesar in person 357 00:20:48,458 --> 00:20:52,208 says a lot about the confidence that she has in herself. 358 00:20:52,625 --> 00:20:55,917 If she can get into a room with someone, 359 00:20:56,333 --> 00:20:59,750 she can convince them of whatever she wants. 360 00:21:00,292 --> 00:21:03,333 [ominous music] 361 00:21:13,542 --> 00:21:16,333 Please, Caesar, I just want to talk. 362 00:21:17,833 --> 00:21:18,875 Leave us. 363 00:21:19,042 --> 00:21:25,125 โ™ช 364 00:21:25,333 --> 00:21:27,625 AARON: Rome is dependent on Egypt for food. 365 00:21:27,792 --> 00:21:30,625 Egypt is itself incredibly wealthy, 366 00:21:30,792 --> 00:21:34,333 and Caesar knows that stabilizing Egypt 367 00:21:34,417 --> 00:21:36,208 is going to be necessary. 368 00:21:36,375 --> 00:21:39,625 He can't simply come back to Rome and leave Egypt 369 00:21:39,792 --> 00:21:43,333 in the midst of the Civil War between brother and sister. 370 00:21:44,667 --> 00:21:48,667 My father was a trusted and generous partner of Rome. 371 00:21:49,708 --> 00:21:55,417 He gave much gold and grain and I promise to do the same. 372 00:21:57,208 --> 00:21:58,708 What about your brother? 373 00:21:59,083 --> 00:22:00,542 Put us both on the throne... 374 00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:03,958 under your protection. 375 00:22:05,542 --> 00:22:09,458 And I can ensure we both respect the power of Rome. 376 00:22:09,583 --> 00:22:15,542 โ™ช 377 00:22:17,083 --> 00:22:18,708 You will have no choice. 378 00:22:23,208 --> 00:22:25,208 MELINDA: One of Cleopatra's great strengths 379 00:22:25,333 --> 00:22:28,167 is that she is a brilliant political tactician. 380 00:22:28,292 --> 00:22:31,333 She knows that Caesar is depleted 381 00:22:31,500 --> 00:22:33,500 because of the civil wars that he's fought. 382 00:22:33,708 --> 00:22:36,125 Cleopatra's going to offer him the money 383 00:22:36,292 --> 00:22:38,667 and the goods and the riches of Egypt, 384 00:22:38,833 --> 00:22:41,000 and she will be somebody that he can depend on. 385 00:22:42,958 --> 00:22:44,833 AMANDA: Caesar agrees to put Cleopatra 386 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:48,458 and her brother Theos on the throne as co-rulers. 387 00:22:48,625 --> 00:22:50,750 Caesar has the authority to do this because Auletes 388 00:22:50,875 --> 00:22:54,333 listed the state of Rome as the executor of his will. 389 00:22:54,500 --> 00:22:57,750 And now with Pompey gone, Caesar thinks that he is Rome. 390 00:22:59,500 --> 00:23:02,708 BOB: The establishment by Julius Caesar of Cleopatra 391 00:23:02,917 --> 00:23:07,167 and Theos is not acceptable to Theos and his faction. 392 00:23:07,333 --> 00:23:11,250 Because there is resentment that a foreigner in the form 393 00:23:11,417 --> 00:23:15,000 of Caesar is trying to control the affairs of Egypt. 394 00:23:16,125 --> 00:23:19,125 And resentment grows into a grudge, 395 00:23:19,292 --> 00:23:22,708 grows into opposition, eventually grows 396 00:23:22,875 --> 00:23:28,750 into an open revolt, and that leads to open warfare. 397 00:23:30,500 --> 00:23:34,125 NARRATOR: Within days, a 20,000 strong armed mob 398 00:23:34,292 --> 00:23:35,625 loyal to Theos rises up. 399 00:23:37,375 --> 00:23:39,833 Outnumbering Caesar's forces by five to one, 400 00:23:40,542 --> 00:23:44,333 they trap him in the royal palace with Cleopatra. 401 00:23:44,750 --> 00:23:48,167 AMANDA: Caesar has 4,000 battle weary troops. 402 00:23:48,333 --> 00:23:49,792 It's safe to say that he probably thought 403 00:23:49,917 --> 00:23:52,458 he was on a bit of a whistle stop tour through Egypt. 404 00:23:52,625 --> 00:23:55,125 He was going to take Pompey and go back to Rome 405 00:23:55,292 --> 00:23:57,708 and none of this is turning out the way that he expected. 406 00:23:57,875 --> 00:24:00,417 At this point, Cleopatra's sister, Arsinoe, 407 00:24:00,542 --> 00:24:02,667 joins the Alexandrian side 408 00:24:02,792 --> 00:24:05,667 and becomes the leader of that faction. 409 00:24:05,792 --> 00:24:08,208 Arsinoe's attack on the palace represents 410 00:24:08,417 --> 00:24:10,125 a serious level of threat. 411 00:24:10,333 --> 00:24:12,542 She poisons their water supply. 412 00:24:14,417 --> 00:24:16,875 She launches naval assaults. 413 00:24:17,083 --> 00:24:20,208 Caesar tries to reassure his men that reinforcements 414 00:24:20,375 --> 00:24:22,333 are on their way, but the truth is 415 00:24:22,542 --> 00:24:25,667 neither he nor Cleopatra can say when they're coming. 416 00:24:25,875 --> 00:24:27,042 Go now! 417 00:24:27,208 --> 00:24:28,583 [yelling] 418 00:24:28,750 --> 00:24:32,042 They're outnumbered. Time is running out. 419 00:24:32,667 --> 00:24:35,042 And if the palace falls, they will die. 420 00:24:35,208 --> 00:24:41,458 โ™ช 421 00:24:42,458 --> 00:24:45,083 [indistinct chatter] 422 00:24:45,583 --> 00:24:47,667 NARRATOR: As Arsinoe's forces trap Cleopatra 423 00:24:47,833 --> 00:24:49,708 and Caesar inside the royal palace-- 424 00:24:51,333 --> 00:24:52,875 ARSINOE: Let me in. 425 00:24:53,042 --> 00:24:55,000 NARRATOR: Cleopatra tries to break the deadlock. 426 00:24:55,208 --> 00:24:58,375 AMANDA: Caesar and Cleopatra are running short of options. 427 00:24:58,542 --> 00:24:59,792 [Arsinoe clears throat] 428 00:24:59,958 --> 00:25:02,583 But they do think they hold one trump card 429 00:25:02,708 --> 00:25:05,458 and this is Theos who is still under guard 430 00:25:05,625 --> 00:25:07,750 in the palace under their care. 431 00:25:09,125 --> 00:25:12,000 AMANDA: Caesar and Cleopatra agree to allow Theos 432 00:25:12,167 --> 00:25:14,333 to leave the palace with the assurance 433 00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:17,125 that he will ask the Alexandrians to stand down. 434 00:25:18,542 --> 00:25:21,958 Of course, he instead foments the rebellion even more. 435 00:25:22,083 --> 00:25:24,792 One might think that this is a plan that backfired, 436 00:25:24,958 --> 00:25:27,958 but it shows Cleopatra's political acumen. 437 00:25:28,125 --> 00:25:31,500 She's doing it so that Caesar can see 438 00:25:31,708 --> 00:25:33,750 that Theos is definitely not to be trusted. 439 00:25:33,875 --> 00:25:37,833 โ™ช 440 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:40,250 NARRATOR: After a grueling six month siege, 441 00:25:41,333 --> 00:25:44,917 Caesar's reinforcements finally reach Alexandria. 442 00:25:46,208 --> 00:25:49,708 Caesar's troops sally fourth from the Royal Palace, 443 00:25:49,875 --> 00:25:53,042 defeat the Alexandrian troops with the help of their allies 444 00:25:53,208 --> 00:25:54,792 and lift the siege of Alexandria. 445 00:25:57,917 --> 00:26:00,667 AMANDA: Theos reportedly tries to escape 446 00:26:00,833 --> 00:26:03,042 and his boat capsizes and he drowns. 447 00:26:04,250 --> 00:26:06,292 Although his body is never found, 448 00:26:06,458 --> 00:26:08,292 there is of course a theory that Caesar 449 00:26:08,458 --> 00:26:10,292 or Cleopatra's men had him killed. 450 00:26:10,500 --> 00:26:13,792 โ™ช 451 00:26:14,833 --> 00:26:17,458 MELINDA: The death of Cleopatra's brother, Theos 452 00:26:17,625 --> 00:26:19,875 removes an important obstacle 453 00:26:20,083 --> 00:26:22,667 in Cleopatra's way for sole rule. 454 00:26:24,542 --> 00:26:27,500 It also removes Arsinoe 455 00:26:27,667 --> 00:26:30,667 because she is captured by Caesar and sent to Rome. 456 00:26:34,625 --> 00:26:36,958 Egypt has truly fallen under Caesar's thumb. 457 00:26:38,708 --> 00:26:39,833 The people will blame you. 458 00:26:40,042 --> 00:26:41,458 Would you prefer to stay here? 459 00:26:41,625 --> 00:26:44,000 I could have you executed immediately. 460 00:26:44,167 --> 00:26:46,208 [loud spitting] 461 00:26:47,917 --> 00:26:50,250 AARON: Cleopatra is now queen of Egypt. 462 00:26:51,167 --> 00:26:56,333 She gains more through personal relationships and diplomacy 463 00:26:56,542 --> 00:26:59,583 than she ever could on the battlefield. 464 00:27:01,292 --> 00:27:02,792 ROBERT: This is her superpower. 465 00:27:02,958 --> 00:27:06,125 Somebody who can basically 466 00:27:06,292 --> 00:27:10,208 will what she wants to happen politically. 467 00:27:10,375 --> 00:27:14,000 [pensive music] 468 00:27:14,167 --> 00:27:17,625 PRUDENCE: Cleopatra would like to be the sole ruler of Egypt, 469 00:27:17,833 --> 00:27:20,167 but alas, she has another brother. 470 00:27:21,167 --> 00:27:25,667 So Caesar installs her next brother, Ptolemy XIV, 471 00:27:25,833 --> 00:27:28,833 at this time about 11 years old, as her co-ruler 472 00:27:29,042 --> 00:27:32,500 to uphold the tradition of the Ptolemaic dynasty. 473 00:27:32,708 --> 00:27:35,958 Cleopatra's greatest risk now comes from the man 474 00:27:36,125 --> 00:27:39,292 who helped her get back to the throne: Julius Caesar. 475 00:27:39,458 --> 00:27:42,500 They've made a powerful alliance, but at the same time 476 00:27:42,667 --> 00:27:44,958 she recognizes that that power could be taken 477 00:27:45,167 --> 00:27:48,000 quickly away if Julius Caesar turns against her. 478 00:27:48,167 --> 00:27:50,500 NARRATOR: To keep Caesar on her side, 479 00:27:50,583 --> 00:27:53,625 Cleopatra takes a calculated risk. 480 00:27:56,542 --> 00:27:58,958 While it might seem to Cleopatra's advantage 481 00:27:59,125 --> 00:28:02,042 to have Caesar make a hasty exit from Egypt, 482 00:28:03,208 --> 00:28:06,708 she invites Caesar on a cruise up the Nile 483 00:28:06,875 --> 00:28:08,750 to see the interior of Egypt. 484 00:28:08,917 --> 00:28:11,625 [trumpet fanfare] 485 00:28:11,750 --> 00:28:13,708 REBECCA: For Cleopatra, the trip down the Nile 486 00:28:13,875 --> 00:28:15,833 is a key piece of propaganda. 487 00:28:16,042 --> 00:28:19,958 So this shows everybody that she has the protection of Rome 488 00:28:20,125 --> 00:28:23,125 and that she is now the ultimate ruler of Egypt. 489 00:28:23,333 --> 00:28:25,667 [audience applause] 490 00:28:25,833 --> 00:28:27,458 AMANDA: Caesar knows that if he wanted 491 00:28:27,542 --> 00:28:29,583 to conquer Egypt he could, 492 00:28:29,750 --> 00:28:31,625 but he's still consolidating his power 493 00:28:31,792 --> 00:28:33,833 after this bruising civil war. 494 00:28:34,042 --> 00:28:36,750 And it's really useful for him to have an ally in charge 495 00:28:36,917 --> 00:28:39,833 of Egypt who he knows will report to him and him alone. 496 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:44,083 That's especially the case because all of Egypt's resources 497 00:28:44,208 --> 00:28:48,000 and fertility could just as easily go to fund and feed 498 00:28:48,083 --> 00:28:51,042 the army of one of his enemies as it could go to him. 499 00:28:53,708 --> 00:28:56,625 We've won. Why not enjoy yourself? 500 00:28:56,792 --> 00:28:58,792 My enemies never rest. 501 00:28:58,917 --> 00:29:01,208 The relationship between Caesar and Cleopatra 502 00:29:01,417 --> 00:29:03,833 has a clear political dimension. 503 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,792 Cleopatra is getting protection from the most powerful empire 504 00:29:06,958 --> 00:29:10,167 in the world, but there does seem to be a side 505 00:29:10,333 --> 00:29:14,833 to the relationship that is not merely pragmatic or political. 506 00:29:17,167 --> 00:29:18,917 AARON: With Cleopatra, I think we can 507 00:29:19,083 --> 00:29:21,333 talk about her emotional intelligence, 508 00:29:21,542 --> 00:29:25,542 her ability to give people what they're looking for you. 509 00:29:25,708 --> 00:29:29,000 Now, Caesar at this point has a reputation 510 00:29:29,208 --> 00:29:32,333 as a profound adulterer and womanizer 511 00:29:32,542 --> 00:29:34,250 throughout the Mediterranean world. 512 00:29:34,458 --> 00:29:36,667 Well, I think it was a meeting of the minds, 513 00:29:36,833 --> 00:29:41,000 but whether it was really a deep-seated love affair 514 00:29:41,208 --> 00:29:43,708 or whether it was a love affair 515 00:29:43,833 --> 00:29:46,417 of convenience is an open question. 516 00:29:47,792 --> 00:29:49,833 NARRATOR: After nearly a year in Egypt, 517 00:29:50,042 --> 00:29:52,625 Caesar finally departs to fight the last 518 00:29:52,750 --> 00:29:56,167 of Pompey's supporters and end the Civil War. 519 00:29:59,250 --> 00:30:02,625 And he's left Cleopatra behind as his new ally. 520 00:30:02,792 --> 00:30:06,625 She's guaranteed Egypt's resources. 521 00:30:06,833 --> 00:30:10,875 He's given her in exchange 12,000 soldiers, 522 00:30:11,042 --> 00:30:13,708 and she's also pregnant with his child. 523 00:30:13,875 --> 00:30:17,625 It would be impossible to stress how advantageous 524 00:30:17,750 --> 00:30:20,708 it was for Cleopatra to have Caesar's child. 525 00:30:20,875 --> 00:30:25,250 It cements this impossibly important union for her 526 00:30:25,417 --> 00:30:29,208 with Rome, and it ties Caesar tremendously to her fortunes. 527 00:30:29,375 --> 00:30:32,625 Cleopatra has Rome on her side with Caesar. 528 00:30:32,792 --> 00:30:34,917 She has Egypt in her pocket. 529 00:30:35,083 --> 00:30:37,083 She is as powerful, 530 00:30:37,250 --> 00:30:39,792 and more importantly for her, as secure 531 00:30:41,083 --> 00:30:42,917 as she has seemingly been... 532 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:45,542 ...in her entire life 533 00:30:45,750 --> 00:30:51,208 โ™ช 534 00:30:51,208 --> 00:30:53,833 โ™ช 535 00:30:54,042 --> 00:30:56,167 NARRATOR: Four years after becoming queen, 536 00:30:56,333 --> 00:30:59,667 Cleopatra's new alliance with Caesar gives her the power 537 00:30:59,875 --> 00:31:02,875 she needs to create a strong and stable Egypt. 538 00:31:03,042 --> 00:31:05,833 Cleopatra is very clever about how she uses victory 539 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:07,583 in the Alexandrian war 540 00:31:07,750 --> 00:31:10,292 as an excuse to have a complete purge 541 00:31:10,458 --> 00:31:14,208 and ensure that it's only her allies and supporters 542 00:31:14,375 --> 00:31:15,958 who are left standing. 543 00:31:17,208 --> 00:31:18,583 She wants to show her people 544 00:31:18,750 --> 00:31:20,875 that she's a totally competent ruler, 545 00:31:21,042 --> 00:31:22,875 rebuilding the economy 546 00:31:23,083 --> 00:31:25,125 and really get the country back up and running. 547 00:31:25,292 --> 00:31:26,750 AMANDA: It's easy to forget today, 548 00:31:26,958 --> 00:31:28,708 but among Cleopatra's many accolades 549 00:31:28,917 --> 00:31:30,542 was that she was an astute businesswoman. 550 00:31:30,708 --> 00:31:34,792 The main industries of Egypt were all under royal control, 551 00:31:34,958 --> 00:31:39,208 exporting wheat, linen, flax, papyrus, gold. 552 00:31:39,375 --> 00:31:42,500 So if Egypt's economy did well, which indeed it did 553 00:31:42,667 --> 00:31:45,125 after emerging from the doldrums of civil war, 554 00:31:45,250 --> 00:31:47,542 much of that was down to Cleopatra herself. 555 00:31:47,708 --> 00:31:50,042 We've recently found the papyrus 556 00:31:50,208 --> 00:31:55,833 in which an official asks for some favors. 557 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,833 And we have a subscript, which we think is written 558 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:04,208 in Cleopatra's own hands that says, "make it happen." 559 00:32:05,083 --> 00:32:10,083 She is micromanaging her country and trying to ensure 560 00:32:10,250 --> 00:32:12,500 that everything is working properly. 561 00:32:12,667 --> 00:32:14,083 And that again speaks volumes 562 00:32:14,250 --> 00:32:16,250 of her administrative capabilities. 563 00:32:18,042 --> 00:32:22,000 NARRATOR: Protected by Rome, Cleopatra rules Egypt in peace. 564 00:32:23,542 --> 00:32:25,875 And she soon gets a chance to turn her relationship 565 00:32:26,042 --> 00:32:29,458 with Caesar into a lasting personal bond. 566 00:32:30,083 --> 00:32:33,292 In 47 B.C., Cleopatra gives birth 567 00:32:33,458 --> 00:32:36,667 to her first child, the son of Julius Caesar. 568 00:32:38,417 --> 00:32:39,792 MELINDA: The name that Cleopatra gives her son 569 00:32:39,958 --> 00:32:42,250 by Caesar is Ptolemy Caesar. 570 00:32:42,417 --> 00:32:44,542 But his nickname by the Alexandrians 571 00:32:44,708 --> 00:32:48,583 is Caesarion, meaning Little Caesar or Caesar's son. 572 00:32:49,958 --> 00:32:52,000 AARON: With the birth of Caesarion, 573 00:32:52,167 --> 00:32:57,000 Cleopatra now has a direct, permanent link 574 00:32:57,125 --> 00:33:00,708 to the most powerful man in Rome. 575 00:33:02,417 --> 00:33:06,000 She can utilize Caesar as her link 576 00:33:06,167 --> 00:33:07,792 to the Roman government, 577 00:33:07,875 --> 00:33:09,708 turn Caesar to her advantage 578 00:33:09,875 --> 00:33:12,625 and further secure her own position. 579 00:33:14,583 --> 00:33:18,208 For Cleopatra, Caesarion presents the prospect 580 00:33:18,375 --> 00:33:23,708 of extending the alliance with Rome into a new generation. 581 00:33:23,875 --> 00:33:27,250 Of course, she cannot prove his paternity 582 00:33:27,417 --> 00:33:31,208 and others could certainly claim otherwise. 583 00:33:31,375 --> 00:33:35,167 โ™ช 584 00:33:35,333 --> 00:33:36,875 NARRATOR: Since Caesarion's name alone 585 00:33:37,042 --> 00:33:38,667 cannot tie him to Caesar, 586 00:33:38,875 --> 00:33:44,000 in 46 B.C., the 22-year-old Cleopatra 587 00:33:44,125 --> 00:33:46,667 makes one of the boldest decisions of her life. 588 00:33:46,833 --> 00:33:50,833 โ™ช 589 00:33:50,958 --> 00:33:55,708 Cleopatra travels to Rome to basically ask, 590 00:33:55,875 --> 00:33:58,333 "Please recognize our son." 591 00:33:59,208 --> 00:34:01,333 KATHRYN: It is a major risk for Cleopatra 592 00:34:01,500 --> 00:34:03,625 to take the young Caesarion to Rome, 593 00:34:03,792 --> 00:34:05,833 which compared to Alexandria 594 00:34:06,042 --> 00:34:08,500 is an unpleasant and potentially dangerous place for her to be. 595 00:34:08,667 --> 00:34:12,292 PATRICK: But for her, the rewards are worth it 596 00:34:12,417 --> 00:34:14,917 because if Caesarion is acknowledged, 597 00:34:15,083 --> 00:34:18,292 then not only will he be the heir to Ptolemaic Egypt, 598 00:34:18,458 --> 00:34:21,333 he would also have access to Caesar's legacy in Rome, 599 00:34:21,500 --> 00:34:24,500 an entirely different form of power, 600 00:34:24,708 --> 00:34:28,042 authority and a potential future to go along with that. 601 00:34:29,542 --> 00:34:33,000 AARON: If Caesar refuses to recognize Caesarion, 602 00:34:33,125 --> 00:34:36,000 that really changes the relationship 603 00:34:36,167 --> 00:34:38,583 between Cleopatra and Rome. 604 00:34:39,875 --> 00:34:41,458 If you so much as look at the boy, 605 00:34:41,583 --> 00:34:43,125 there'll be whispers in the Senate. 606 00:34:43,292 --> 00:34:44,750 Why all the commotion? 607 00:34:44,917 --> 00:34:47,000 He's not even a citizen of Rome. 608 00:34:47,708 --> 00:34:49,917 ROBERT: One of the key people that Cleopatra meets 609 00:34:50,125 --> 00:34:52,042 while she's in Rome is Marc Antony. 610 00:34:52,208 --> 00:34:53,625 Now, Marc Antony, by this time 611 00:34:53,833 --> 00:34:55,500 had distinguished himself on the battlefield. 612 00:34:55,708 --> 00:34:58,292 He had been instrumental in various campaigns 613 00:34:58,417 --> 00:35:01,083 in Northern Gaul. But not only that, 614 00:35:01,208 --> 00:35:04,333 he had come to be Caesar's right-hand man. 615 00:35:06,375 --> 00:35:09,875 Caesar... hold your son. 616 00:35:10,042 --> 00:35:14,667 โ™ช 617 00:35:14,833 --> 00:35:17,833 ROBERT: Caesar doesn't say, "This is my son," 618 00:35:18,042 --> 00:35:21,375 but he allows Caesarion to use his name, 619 00:35:21,542 --> 00:35:23,958 which is kind of like a tacit admission. 620 00:35:24,167 --> 00:35:27,333 AARON: Caesar's recognition of Caesarion 621 00:35:27,417 --> 00:35:30,500 is more personal than it is formal. 622 00:35:30,708 --> 00:35:34,333 But it is the informal personal connections 623 00:35:34,542 --> 00:35:36,500 that matter to Cleopatra. 624 00:35:36,667 --> 00:35:41,208 It is the idea that she has Caesar's personal support 625 00:35:41,375 --> 00:35:45,083 and his willingness to work on her behalf. 626 00:35:47,500 --> 00:35:49,833 BOB: At the time of Cleopatra's visit to Rome, 627 00:35:49,917 --> 00:35:54,750 Julius Caesar's power is exponentially expanding. 628 00:35:54,875 --> 00:36:00,792 He's becoming the more dominant single force in Roman politics. 629 00:36:03,083 --> 00:36:06,125 Caesar houses Cleopatra, not in the city of Rome, 630 00:36:06,292 --> 00:36:08,333 but in his villa. 631 00:36:08,458 --> 00:36:11,167 But at the same time, Caesar's lawfully wedded Roman wife, 632 00:36:11,333 --> 00:36:13,667 Calpurnia is there in Rome. 633 00:36:13,875 --> 00:36:16,458 AMANDA: Rome is scandalized. 634 00:36:16,625 --> 00:36:18,333 There are already a lot of concerns 635 00:36:18,542 --> 00:36:21,167 that he is seeking to have far too much power. 636 00:36:21,375 --> 00:36:23,958 And so consorting with an Egyptian queen, 637 00:36:24,125 --> 00:36:25,875 supreme ruler in her own right, 638 00:36:26,042 --> 00:36:27,417 certainly doesn't help matters. 639 00:36:29,042 --> 00:36:31,667 [crowd cheering] 640 00:36:31,875 --> 00:36:36,333 โ™ช 641 00:36:36,542 --> 00:36:41,250 In late 46 B.C., Julius Caesar gets what's called a Triumph. 642 00:36:43,208 --> 00:36:46,500 A Roman Triumph is a giant military parade 643 00:36:46,708 --> 00:36:49,708 and a show of Rome's might and power. 644 00:36:50,708 --> 00:36:52,417 PATRICK: When Caesar appears in public for the Triumph, 645 00:36:52,542 --> 00:36:55,333 he has his face painted red because red is the color 646 00:36:55,417 --> 00:36:57,500 of the god Jupiter, the chief Roman god. 647 00:36:57,667 --> 00:37:00,833 Just for a day, Caesar is becoming a god. 648 00:37:02,208 --> 00:37:04,500 NARRATOR: Caesar's Triumph celebrates his victories 649 00:37:04,667 --> 00:37:07,667 in Egypt, the Middle East, North Africa, 650 00:37:07,792 --> 00:37:12,000 and Gaul where he defeated the Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix. 651 00:37:12,833 --> 00:37:18,708 There is a long Roman tradition of publicly executing enemies. 652 00:37:20,708 --> 00:37:24,708 This was the climax of the Roman Triumph... 653 00:37:24,833 --> 00:37:26,500 [man grunts] 654 00:37:26,667 --> 00:37:29,750 ...where the captured enemy would be strangled to death 655 00:37:29,917 --> 00:37:33,208 [audience cheers] 656 00:37:33,375 --> 00:37:35,583 ...in front of the entire Roman crowd. 657 00:37:35,750 --> 00:37:39,792 โ™ช 658 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:43,750 [distant crowd din] 659 00:37:45,542 --> 00:37:48,000 AMANDA: One of the prisoners to be paraded through the city 660 00:37:48,125 --> 00:37:52,833 in this Triumph is Arsinoe, Cleopatra's 18-year-old sister. 661 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:55,750 [ominous music] 662 00:38:00,375 --> 00:38:02,333 [softly] Please... 663 00:38:02,458 --> 00:38:05,625 You have to help me. I know you will. Please. 664 00:38:06,583 --> 00:38:08,375 I'm going to lose everything. 665 00:38:10,042 --> 00:38:12,250 You are my queen. I am nothing. 666 00:38:12,917 --> 00:38:14,250 Nothing... 667 00:38:17,125 --> 00:38:18,792 I can't help you. 668 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,750 โ™ช 669 00:38:22,958 --> 00:38:24,375 Then why are you here? 670 00:38:26,042 --> 00:38:27,417 To remind myself... 671 00:38:28,375 --> 00:38:30,417 ...how dangerous you are. 672 00:38:30,583 --> 00:38:32,125 STACY: I don't think that Cleopatra 673 00:38:32,292 --> 00:38:34,250 can rest completely comfortably 674 00:38:34,375 --> 00:38:36,333 until her sister has been dealt with. 675 00:38:36,542 --> 00:38:38,333 I don't think that one ever lost sight 676 00:38:38,542 --> 00:38:40,667 entirely of one's siblings as a Ptolemy. 677 00:38:42,750 --> 00:38:44,167 NARRATOR: But Cleopatra's plan 678 00:38:44,375 --> 00:38:47,417 to finally rid herself of Arsinoe fails. 679 00:38:49,708 --> 00:38:52,708 [crowd booing] 680 00:38:55,458 --> 00:38:58,833 Arsinoe is a young, frail girl. 681 00:39:00,583 --> 00:39:02,875 Although she is ferociously ambitious, 682 00:39:03,042 --> 00:39:07,417 she really engenders pity from the Roman population. 683 00:39:09,542 --> 00:39:13,250 Julius Caesar does not want to... 684 00:39:13,417 --> 00:39:16,125 portray himself to the Roman public 685 00:39:16,292 --> 00:39:18,083 as some kind of a savage barbarian. 686 00:39:18,250 --> 00:39:21,083 [crowd jeers] 687 00:39:21,250 --> 00:39:22,833 The princess... 688 00:39:24,042 --> 00:39:25,333 ...will be spared. 689 00:39:25,500 --> 00:39:29,833 [crowd cheering] 690 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:34,000 Given the murderous nature of the Ptolemaic dynasty, 691 00:39:35,208 --> 00:39:37,583 the idea that Arsinoe is still alive 692 00:39:37,750 --> 00:39:39,792 is extremely worrying to Cleopatra. 693 00:39:41,042 --> 00:39:44,542 She will always be a rival as long as she still lives. 694 00:39:44,708 --> 00:39:52,542 โ™ช 695 00:39:52,542 --> 00:39:55,917 There's a vile rumor circling that my sister is still alive. 696 00:39:56,042 --> 00:39:58,500 [sighs] She'll be confined to the temple of Artemis 697 00:39:58,667 --> 00:40:00,292 and live there under Roman guards. 698 00:40:00,458 --> 00:40:02,667 No, she was supposed to be executed, not exiled. 699 00:40:02,833 --> 00:40:07,542 Caesar keeping Arsinoe alive indicates that, for Caesar, 700 00:40:07,708 --> 00:40:10,500 Cleopatra ultimately is little more than a political tool. 701 00:40:10,625 --> 00:40:15,083 Knowing that he needs Egypt, he needs those resources, 702 00:40:15,292 --> 00:40:17,375 Caesar still acknowledges the fact 703 00:40:17,542 --> 00:40:18,833 that he might have to turn against her. 704 00:40:19,042 --> 00:40:21,667 โ™ช 705 00:40:21,833 --> 00:40:23,750 NARRATOR: To protect her position, 706 00:40:23,958 --> 00:40:26,750 Cleopatra travels between Rome and Egypt 707 00:40:26,958 --> 00:40:28,667 for the next two years, 708 00:40:28,875 --> 00:40:31,083 maintaining her relationship with Caesar. 709 00:40:31,625 --> 00:40:35,917 BOB: When she was out of Egypt, the country was secure. 710 00:40:36,458 --> 00:40:38,708 There were no revolts and there was no attempt 711 00:40:38,875 --> 00:40:41,000 at a palace coup to overthrow her. 712 00:40:41,125 --> 00:40:43,333 So she was very, very confident 713 00:40:43,542 --> 00:40:45,583 that she could be in Rome 714 00:40:45,750 --> 00:40:48,875 and her country was functioning and loyal to her. 715 00:40:50,500 --> 00:40:52,000 [crowd jeering] 716 00:40:52,208 --> 00:40:54,417 BARRY: Caesar's enemies seeing the Queen of Egypt 717 00:40:54,542 --> 00:40:57,583 in the outskirts of Rome with her son, the future king, 718 00:40:57,750 --> 00:41:00,417 and knowing that she's Caesars mistress, 719 00:41:00,542 --> 00:41:03,333 stokes all of their worst fears, 720 00:41:03,500 --> 00:41:05,208 that Caesar wants to become a king, 721 00:41:05,375 --> 00:41:07,667 and that his loyalty is to Cleopatra. 722 00:41:07,875 --> 00:41:10,417 This is not an outlandish concern 723 00:41:10,583 --> 00:41:12,500 because Rome after all at this time, 724 00:41:12,625 --> 00:41:16,250 is still a republic, which has elected officials. 725 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:20,792 Rome established that republic by overthrowing a monarchy. 726 00:41:23,750 --> 00:41:27,292 BOB: Cicero, one of Rome's leading statesmen, 727 00:41:27,500 --> 00:41:29,500 indicates that there's a rumor 728 00:41:29,708 --> 00:41:33,125 that Cleopatra is in fact pregnant yet again 729 00:41:33,292 --> 00:41:36,042 with another child of Julius Caesar. 730 00:41:37,542 --> 00:41:41,792 If that child happened to be a boy, 731 00:41:41,958 --> 00:41:47,500 that son being born in Rome to a Roman citizen 732 00:41:47,708 --> 00:41:50,833 would certainly trump Caesarion's position 733 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:55,000 as the heir of Julius Caesar in Italy. 734 00:41:55,167 --> 00:42:00,792 โ™ช 735 00:42:00,958 --> 00:42:03,542 Cleopatra's relationship with Caesar 736 00:42:03,708 --> 00:42:08,125 gives her immense power and immense possibilities. 737 00:42:09,917 --> 00:42:13,625 But it's all... blown apart. 738 00:42:13,792 --> 00:42:16,333 -[knife scraping] -[Caesar grunting and groaning] 739 00:42:16,458 --> 00:42:18,167 -[squelching] -Caesar: Ah! 740 00:42:18,625 --> 00:42:21,167 -[gasping] -[stabbing scrape] 741 00:42:22,375 --> 00:42:24,167 [thudding] 742 00:42:24,333 --> 00:42:26,333 AMANDA: On March 15th, 44 B.C., 743 00:42:26,500 --> 00:42:30,000 Caesar is assassinated by a group of senators 744 00:42:30,125 --> 00:42:33,042 who are worried that he is seeking to install a monarchy. 745 00:42:33,208 --> 00:42:35,083 โ™ช 746 00:42:35,250 --> 00:42:38,875 This throws everything into disarray for Cleopatra. 747 00:42:39,042 --> 00:42:42,667 โ™ช 748 00:42:47,042 --> 00:42:48,500 Caesar is dead. 749 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:52,042 They murdered him. You're not safe here anymore. 750 00:42:53,625 --> 00:42:56,667 For Cleopatra, this is a disaster beyond reckoning. 751 00:42:56,833 --> 00:42:58,833 Suddenly her patron is gone. 752 00:42:59,042 --> 00:43:02,750 Suddenly her position in Rome couldn't be more precarious. 753 00:43:02,917 --> 00:43:06,875 โ™ช 754 00:43:07,542 --> 00:43:11,542 Cleopatra has gone from being as secure 755 00:43:11,708 --> 00:43:14,625 as she has ever been in her entire life 756 00:43:14,792 --> 00:43:18,375 to overnight she finds herself under threat 757 00:43:18,542 --> 00:43:22,208 and her entire position called into question. 758 00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:27,083 NARRATOR: Soon after the brutal murder, 759 00:43:27,250 --> 00:43:31,208 Marc Anthony presents Caesar's will to the Roman public. 760 00:43:33,042 --> 00:43:38,583 To the people of Rome, I leave 75 denarii each. 761 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:42,125 The rest of my estate will fall to my-- 762 00:43:45,583 --> 00:43:48,167 ...to my principle heir Gaius Octavius. 763 00:43:48,375 --> 00:43:52,000 The big winner in Caesar's will 764 00:43:52,208 --> 00:43:55,792 is his grandnephew, Gaius Octavius. 765 00:43:57,875 --> 00:44:00,583 He is named as Caesar's heir, 766 00:44:00,792 --> 00:44:02,708 heir to most of Caesar's fortune, 767 00:44:02,875 --> 00:44:06,083 and Caesar offers him posthumous adoption. 768 00:44:07,750 --> 00:44:11,292 Caesarion's mere existence is a threat to Octavian. 769 00:44:12,875 --> 00:44:14,667 This puts Cleopatra in 770 00:44:14,875 --> 00:44:17,542 an extremely uncomfortable and dangerous position. 771 00:44:17,708 --> 00:44:20,500 [music crescendos, ends] 772 00:44:20,708 --> 00:44:22,708 NARRATOR: Fearing for her safety, 773 00:44:22,875 --> 00:44:25,708 Cleopatra flees Rome for Egypt. 774 00:44:25,875 --> 00:44:28,625 Cleopatra's possible second pregnancy 775 00:44:28,750 --> 00:44:31,667 that seems not to have had anything come of it. 776 00:44:31,833 --> 00:44:33,833 There's certainly no birth recorded. 777 00:44:35,417 --> 00:44:37,167 AARON: With Caesar's assassination, 778 00:44:37,333 --> 00:44:40,667 Cleopatra realizes she can no longer cultivate 779 00:44:40,875 --> 00:44:43,042 dependencies with those above her. 780 00:44:43,208 --> 00:44:46,500 She has to get others dependent on her 781 00:44:46,625 --> 00:44:49,000 from a position of advantage. 782 00:44:51,250 --> 00:44:53,542 NARRATOR: Caesar's death leaves Cleopatra again exposed 783 00:44:53,708 --> 00:44:55,292 to her greatest rival... 784 00:44:55,500 --> 00:44:58,708 โ™ช 785 00:44:58,833 --> 00:45:01,083 her sister, Arsinoe, 786 00:45:01,292 --> 00:45:05,542 who Caesar banished to the Roman controlled city of Ephesus. 787 00:45:05,708 --> 00:45:10,333 โ™ช 788 00:45:13,208 --> 00:45:15,500 Arsinoe now thinks it's her chance 789 00:45:15,708 --> 00:45:17,333 to stake a claim to the Egyptian throne. 790 00:45:19,083 --> 00:45:22,208 Arsinoe reaches out to some of Egypt's priestly class 791 00:45:22,375 --> 00:45:25,125 who recognize her claim to the throne over Cleopatra's. 792 00:45:25,250 --> 00:45:27,333 [applause] 793 00:45:27,500 --> 00:45:29,000 And she quite likely colludes 794 00:45:29,167 --> 00:45:31,417 with the now 15-year-old Ptolemy XIV, 795 00:45:31,625 --> 00:45:32,958 who is Cleopatra's co-ruler. 796 00:45:34,083 --> 00:45:37,208 NARRATOR: With Arsinoe deep in Roman territory, 797 00:45:39,667 --> 00:45:42,542 Cleopatra cannot strike back directly, 798 00:45:42,708 --> 00:45:45,375 so she tries a different tactic. 799 00:45:46,708 --> 00:45:50,542 So what great prize did our sister promise 800 00:45:50,708 --> 00:45:52,792 to win your support, hm? 801 00:45:56,208 --> 00:45:59,292 That one day you would rule together as equals? 802 00:46:00,375 --> 00:46:03,417 MELINDA: Shortly after Cleopatra comes back to Egypt, 803 00:46:03,583 --> 00:46:06,208 Ptolemy XIV disappears from the record. 804 00:46:09,167 --> 00:46:13,125 Many historians believe that Cleopatra poisoned her brother. 805 00:46:15,083 --> 00:46:17,917 BARRY: Cleopatra was famous for her knowledge on poisons, 806 00:46:18,042 --> 00:46:21,875 and supposedly she even tested poisons on prisoners. 807 00:46:24,042 --> 00:46:27,500 AARON: Removing this base of support from Arsinoe, 808 00:46:27,667 --> 00:46:29,958 removing the potential threat... 809 00:46:31,542 --> 00:46:34,042 ...this is what she has literally been raised to do, 810 00:46:34,208 --> 00:46:36,375 which is to backstab her siblings. 811 00:46:37,792 --> 00:46:39,542 She is having to rule, 812 00:46:40,917 --> 00:46:44,083 and to plan and to plot, 813 00:46:45,500 --> 00:46:51,167 to turn herself into an ironed-fisted monarch. 814 00:46:51,375 --> 00:46:56,333 โ™ช 815 00:46:56,333 --> 00:46:59,000 [dramatic music] 816 00:46:59,167 --> 00:47:03,375 NARRATOR: In 44 B.C., after 7 years on the Egyptian throne, 817 00:47:03,542 --> 00:47:06,708 Cleopatra finally gets what she's been striving for. 818 00:47:06,875 --> 00:47:08,958 Absolute power. 819 00:47:09,542 --> 00:47:12,542 With the death of Ptolemy XIV, an opening has been created 820 00:47:12,667 --> 00:47:17,667 for Caesarion to be installed alongside Cleopatra as co-ruler. 821 00:47:18,417 --> 00:47:21,917 Having Caesarion as her co-ruler is really perfect 822 00:47:22,042 --> 00:47:25,625 for Cleopatra, because he's a baby. 823 00:47:25,750 --> 00:47:28,208 She controls him completely. 824 00:47:29,250 --> 00:47:31,792 NARRATOR: By making her three-year-old son king, 825 00:47:31,958 --> 00:47:35,333 Cleopatra tightens her own grip on the throne. 826 00:47:36,917 --> 00:47:40,792 For the next two years, she rules over a stable Egypt. 827 00:47:40,958 --> 00:47:43,708 Meanwhile, Rome is in chaos. 828 00:47:43,875 --> 00:47:46,750 [dramatic percussion] 829 00:47:46,875 --> 00:47:50,500 The assassination of Julius Caesar precipitates 830 00:47:50,667 --> 00:47:52,375 a horrific civil war... 831 00:47:53,667 --> 00:47:57,667 ...in which Marc Anthony, Caesar's trusted general, 832 00:47:57,833 --> 00:48:02,292 and Octavian, Caesar's grandnephew, 833 00:48:02,417 --> 00:48:06,208 join forces and pursue the assassins 834 00:48:06,375 --> 00:48:11,083 across the Mediterranean in order to bring them to justice. 835 00:48:12,292 --> 00:48:16,333 After the defeat of Caesar's assassins on the battlefield, 836 00:48:16,500 --> 00:48:19,500 Octavian and Anthony split the empire between them. 837 00:48:19,708 --> 00:48:21,833 ROBERT: So Marc Anthony controls 838 00:48:21,958 --> 00:48:24,167 the eastern part of the empire, 839 00:48:24,375 --> 00:48:27,708 which includes Greece and Syria and Turkey and Libya. 840 00:48:27,875 --> 00:48:31,125 Octavian rules the territories to the west 841 00:48:31,333 --> 00:48:35,625 like Gaul and Spain, and he's basically close to Rome 842 00:48:35,750 --> 00:48:37,833 where he can cultivate his image. 843 00:48:38,000 --> 00:48:39,917 BARRY: The alliance between the two men 844 00:48:40,125 --> 00:48:42,417 is anything but natural. They are rivals. 845 00:48:42,583 --> 00:48:45,375 Neither one has any reason to trust the other. 846 00:48:45,542 --> 00:48:48,042 And the Roman world it's holding its breath 847 00:48:48,208 --> 00:48:51,292 wondering when the two of them will come to blows. 848 00:48:51,375 --> 00:48:53,208 [seagulls cawing] 849 00:48:53,375 --> 00:48:57,750 In order to shore up his position against Octavian, 850 00:48:57,875 --> 00:49:02,125 Antony decides to engage in military campaigning. 851 00:49:02,292 --> 00:49:07,000 This, for the Romans, is the classical way of getting ahead. 852 00:49:07,167 --> 00:49:10,625 This is a way for Antony to stay in the forefront 853 00:49:10,792 --> 00:49:13,333 of Roman politics. 854 00:49:13,542 --> 00:49:16,500 To do this though, he needs resources 855 00:49:16,625 --> 00:49:18,667 and so as many Roman generals have in the past, 856 00:49:18,833 --> 00:49:20,333 he turns to Egypt, 857 00:49:20,500 --> 00:49:22,333 believing that there shouldn't be any problems 858 00:49:22,417 --> 00:49:24,833 with him getting whatever food and manpower 859 00:49:25,042 --> 00:49:26,542 and resources he needs. 860 00:49:29,833 --> 00:49:34,167 Cleopatra sees in Antony's need for funds an opportunity. 861 00:49:34,250 --> 00:49:39,208 As opposed to hurrying to donate, 862 00:49:39,375 --> 00:49:41,208 she thinks how she can negotiate. 863 00:49:41,375 --> 00:49:44,625 She wants something from Antony. 864 00:49:44,792 --> 00:49:46,542 Majesty, 865 00:49:46,708 --> 00:49:49,458 your presence is requested in Tarsus by General Mark Antony. 866 00:49:50,833 --> 00:49:52,708 Requested? 867 00:49:52,833 --> 00:49:54,458 Demanded. 868 00:49:55,167 --> 00:49:58,333 He doesn't have time to meet with intermediaries. 869 00:49:58,542 --> 00:50:00,542 Neither do I. 870 00:50:11,083 --> 00:50:13,625 PATRICIA: Antony, who is based out of Tarsus in Turkey 871 00:50:13,833 --> 00:50:15,375 at this point, 872 00:50:15,542 --> 00:50:18,500 sends several letters to Cleopatra summoning her 873 00:50:18,708 --> 00:50:22,125 and she refuses to respond and to visit him. 874 00:50:23,500 --> 00:50:27,125 ROBERT: This is a huge bet on herself. 875 00:50:27,292 --> 00:50:31,875 Mark Antony now has to come begging Cleopatra for money, 876 00:50:32,042 --> 00:50:34,833 which is a remarkable rise for a woman 877 00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:39,125 who once hid to meet Caesar in a carpet bag. 878 00:50:39,292 --> 00:50:42,000 SHELLEY: Cleopatra knows 879 00:50:42,208 --> 00:50:45,958 she can put Antony off for the short term. 880 00:50:46,125 --> 00:50:48,333 but in the long term, 881 00:50:48,458 --> 00:50:54,375 she realizes that she has to have the Romans on her side. 882 00:50:59,167 --> 00:51:02,250 When Cleopatra finally comes to Antony, she comes to him, 883 00:51:02,417 --> 00:51:07,667 not as a subject, bringing money or tribute or taxes, 884 00:51:07,875 --> 00:51:12,667 but as a sovereign over a great power meeting an equal. 885 00:51:14,792 --> 00:51:19,000 AMANDA: Cleopatra is a master of political theater, 886 00:51:19,125 --> 00:51:21,250 but even Cleopatra outdoes herself 887 00:51:21,417 --> 00:51:23,250 with her appearance in Tarsus. 888 00:51:24,417 --> 00:51:28,333 She comes in on a barge, the sails are purple, 889 00:51:28,458 --> 00:51:32,125 the barge is painted gold, the oars are made of silver. 890 00:51:32,292 --> 00:51:35,167 The oarsmen are keeping time to the sound of flutes. 891 00:51:35,292 --> 00:51:37,000 And in the midst of all of it, 892 00:51:37,167 --> 00:51:39,250 Cleopatra is dressed as Aphrodite, 893 00:51:39,417 --> 00:51:44,083 the Greek goddess of beauty, pleasure, and fertility. 894 00:51:44,250 --> 00:51:46,250 SIMON: She has to charm him. 895 00:51:46,417 --> 00:51:49,000 She has to form an alliance with him 896 00:51:49,125 --> 00:51:51,042 and she knows that the best form of alliance 897 00:51:51,208 --> 00:51:52,750 is a personal one. 898 00:51:52,875 --> 00:51:54,750 [thrilling percussive instrumental] 899 00:52:18,500 --> 00:52:20,667 Please. 900 00:52:20,875 --> 00:52:24,792 Antony was a partier. He was a lady's man. 901 00:52:24,958 --> 00:52:28,333 He liked to drink, he liked to gamble, he liked pleasure. 902 00:52:28,542 --> 00:52:31,500 And so, she's really speaking right to Antony's soul. 903 00:52:35,125 --> 00:52:37,583 CLEOPATRA: You certainly drink more than Caesar. 904 00:52:37,750 --> 00:52:42,167 I have 60,000 men waiting to be paid. 905 00:52:42,375 --> 00:52:45,167 Must we talk all night about Caesar? 906 00:52:45,375 --> 00:52:47,708 I might be able to help 907 00:52:47,875 --> 00:52:52,125 if you fix one of Caesar's greatest mistakes. 908 00:52:53,375 --> 00:52:55,333 NARRATOR: Cleopatra agrees to provide Antony 909 00:52:55,458 --> 00:52:57,250 with gold and grain for his army, 910 00:52:57,375 --> 00:53:00,292 but not without conditions. 911 00:53:00,375 --> 00:53:02,333 In exchange for all she's doing for Antony, 912 00:53:02,500 --> 00:53:04,458 Cleopatra wants something in return. 913 00:53:07,208 --> 00:53:10,792 She gets Antony to agree to Arsinoe's execution. 914 00:53:11,875 --> 00:53:14,250 NARRATOR: As ruler of Rome's Eastern Empire, 915 00:53:14,458 --> 00:53:16,542 Antony controls Ephesus 916 00:53:16,708 --> 00:53:19,625 where Arsinoe lives in exile under Roman Guard. 917 00:53:23,042 --> 00:53:24,875 SIMON: Political violence is a necessity 918 00:53:25,042 --> 00:53:27,083 of Cleopatra's position, 919 00:53:27,292 --> 00:53:29,958 both as a Ptolemaic queen of Egypt, 920 00:53:30,125 --> 00:53:34,917 but also as a player in the Roman Republic. 921 00:53:37,417 --> 00:53:43,292 She exists in a world where power is a murderous game... 922 00:53:46,375 --> 00:53:48,833 ...and it's either a case of kill... 923 00:53:51,000 --> 00:53:52,583 ...or be killed. 924 00:54:05,167 --> 00:54:07,333 NARRATOR: Soon after Cleopatra agrees 925 00:54:07,500 --> 00:54:09,583 to fund Mark Antony's army, 926 00:54:09,708 --> 00:54:12,875 she invites him to Alexandria to cement their new alliance. 927 00:54:13,917 --> 00:54:17,875 Through Antony, Cleopatra had a Roman leader 928 00:54:18,042 --> 00:54:19,667 who was in the palm of her hand. 929 00:54:19,833 --> 00:54:23,417 This was not the same relationship with Caesar. 930 00:54:23,583 --> 00:54:26,958 This was not her cow-towing to a superior. 931 00:54:27,125 --> 00:54:31,875 This was now her in a position where she was the superior. 932 00:54:33,792 --> 00:54:36,000 It's not only gold this one wants. 933 00:54:36,208 --> 00:54:37,958 Then what else? 934 00:54:38,083 --> 00:54:40,375 A victory to outshine Caesar. 935 00:54:41,500 --> 00:54:45,625 Up to this time, Antony has not defeated 936 00:54:45,750 --> 00:54:48,750 quote, "a foreign enemy of stature," 937 00:54:48,875 --> 00:54:51,333 so he needs a big win. 938 00:54:51,500 --> 00:54:54,208 So, he looks for military success against 939 00:54:54,375 --> 00:54:56,500 the so-called Parthians. 940 00:54:56,583 --> 00:54:59,833 Parthia is a region of the world 941 00:55:00,042 --> 00:55:04,333 that basically goes from what is now Eastern Turkey 942 00:55:04,458 --> 00:55:06,333 over toward Afghanistan. 943 00:55:06,542 --> 00:55:09,333 Parthia has inflicted a humiliating defeat 944 00:55:09,417 --> 00:55:12,708 on the Roman army at the battle of Carrhae, in 53 B.C. 945 00:55:12,875 --> 00:55:15,125 and killed the Roman General, Crassus. 946 00:55:15,208 --> 00:55:18,375 Caesar was planning to make war on Parthia 947 00:55:18,583 --> 00:55:20,208 when he was assassinated. 948 00:55:20,375 --> 00:55:23,708 This war against Parthia is on the agenda for Rome 949 00:55:23,875 --> 00:55:26,667 and it's Antony who wants to fulfill this destiny. 950 00:55:26,792 --> 00:55:29,958 Lord Antony, how are your plans for Parthia? 951 00:55:31,167 --> 00:55:33,042 Preparations are underway. 952 00:55:33,208 --> 00:55:35,208 CLIFFORD: There's every reason to believe 953 00:55:35,375 --> 00:55:37,542 that Cleopatra saw Antony's campaigns, 954 00:55:37,708 --> 00:55:39,833 not simply as an extension of Roman power, 955 00:55:40,042 --> 00:55:43,125 but as a mechanism to extend her own power as well. 956 00:55:43,292 --> 00:55:46,375 We think of Cleopatra as the queen of Egypt, 957 00:55:46,542 --> 00:55:49,125 but earlier versions of the Ptolemaic Kingdom 958 00:55:49,292 --> 00:55:51,750 had tentacles of power that stretched up 959 00:55:51,917 --> 00:55:53,333 along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean 960 00:55:53,500 --> 00:55:55,583 towards Asia Minor. 961 00:55:55,792 --> 00:55:59,042 Funding Antony's army gives Cleopatra a lot of clout. 962 00:55:59,208 --> 00:56:03,292 If he was, in fact, successful in conquering the Parthians, 963 00:56:03,500 --> 00:56:07,042 an enormous chunk of Asia Minor 964 00:56:07,208 --> 00:56:10,250 would be brought to Cleopatra's realm, 965 00:56:10,458 --> 00:56:14,542 restoring Egypt to its former position of glory 966 00:56:14,708 --> 00:56:19,333 by adding to it as much territory as she possibly can. 967 00:56:19,542 --> 00:56:23,000 Why don't I show you the real Alexandria? 968 00:56:26,875 --> 00:56:30,292 SHELLEY: Several times during Antony's visits to Alexandria, 969 00:56:30,417 --> 00:56:34,833 they would go out incognito to visit taverns 970 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:37,333 and drink together. 971 00:56:37,542 --> 00:56:39,667 CLEOPATRA: Come, this way. 972 00:56:39,875 --> 00:56:43,750 Sources describe Antony and Cleopatra's social relationship 973 00:56:43,875 --> 00:56:47,125 as debaucherous, as rowdy, and as fun. 974 00:56:47,292 --> 00:56:49,750 They tell us about a drinking society 975 00:56:49,875 --> 00:56:52,625 that the couple co-founded in Alexandria 976 00:56:52,750 --> 00:56:55,500 called the Inimitable Livers Association, 977 00:56:55,667 --> 00:56:59,583 a frat party in an ancient context, if you will, 978 00:56:59,750 --> 00:57:02,833 in which participants would compete to see 979 00:57:02,958 --> 00:57:06,667 who could drink the most without passing out or dying. 980 00:57:06,875 --> 00:57:09,958 BOB: Antony falls in love with Cleopatra 981 00:57:10,125 --> 00:57:14,458 and what emerges is one of the most passionate love affairs 982 00:57:14,625 --> 00:57:17,875 ever recorded in the ancient world. 983 00:57:19,875 --> 00:57:23,125 MELINDA: Antony and Cleopatra's relationship takes on 984 00:57:23,292 --> 00:57:25,083 a new dimension in 40 B.C. 985 00:57:25,250 --> 00:57:27,250 Cleopatra gives birth to twins, 986 00:57:27,375 --> 00:57:31,000 Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, 987 00:57:31,125 --> 00:57:33,458 meaning the sun and the moon. 988 00:57:33,625 --> 00:57:37,667 BOB: The naming of the children suggest 989 00:57:37,792 --> 00:57:44,458 that Mark Antony and Cleopatra are now master and mistress 990 00:57:44,583 --> 00:57:46,833 of the universe 991 00:57:47,042 --> 00:57:49,167 because what they're announcing to the world 992 00:57:49,292 --> 00:57:53,708 is we now have the sun and the moon in our hands. 993 00:57:55,208 --> 00:57:58,667 NARRATOR: As Cleopatra deepens her relationship with Antony, 994 00:57:58,875 --> 00:58:00,667 back in Rome, 995 00:58:00,875 --> 00:58:03,000 his partnership with Octavian grows more tenuous. 996 00:58:03,125 --> 00:58:05,917 In order to cement his alliance with Octavian, 997 00:58:06,042 --> 00:58:08,708 Antony marries Octavian's sister, Octavia. 998 00:58:08,875 --> 00:58:11,292 He has multiple children with her. 999 00:58:11,500 --> 00:58:14,792 This is a basic way of cementing a bond 1000 00:58:14,917 --> 00:58:17,708 between two powerful individuals and two powerful families. 1001 00:58:17,875 --> 00:58:20,542 But despite this, Antony is not discreet 1002 00:58:20,667 --> 00:58:22,667 about his extramarital affairs 1003 00:58:22,875 --> 00:58:24,833 and he continues his relationship with Cleopatra. 1004 00:58:25,000 --> 00:58:28,375 Roman wives are used to looking the other way, 1005 00:58:28,542 --> 00:58:31,917 but still, this is a fairly spectacular dalliance 1006 00:58:32,083 --> 00:58:35,375 that might provoke Octavian and rub him the wrong way, 1007 00:58:35,542 --> 00:58:37,625 to see his sister mistreated in this manner. 1008 00:58:40,458 --> 00:58:44,625 NARRATOR: After four years of preparation, in 36 B.C., 1009 00:58:44,833 --> 00:58:48,917 Antony leads an army funded by Cleopatra into Parthia. 1010 00:58:49,042 --> 00:58:51,625 AMANDA: Antony's strategy is to invade Parthia 1011 00:58:51,750 --> 00:58:54,833 by way of Armenia, which is a Roman ally. 1012 00:58:55,042 --> 00:58:58,458 On his way, he picks up 6,000 cavalry that are given to him 1013 00:58:58,625 --> 00:59:00,500 by the Armenian King. 1014 00:59:07,542 --> 00:59:11,417 BOB: Antony now has a well-financed army, 1015 00:59:11,542 --> 00:59:14,500 60,000 Roman soldiers, 1016 00:59:14,667 --> 00:59:20,042 30,000 allies, almost 100,000 strong. 1017 00:59:21,792 --> 00:59:24,667 -[grunting] -[swords clanging] 1018 00:59:24,875 --> 00:59:28,708 AARON: If Antony defeats Parthia, 1019 00:59:28,875 --> 00:59:31,792 he becomes more important in Roman politics. 1020 00:59:33,708 --> 00:59:38,708 And this, in turn, allows Cleopatra to exercise 1021 00:59:38,833 --> 00:59:42,083 a greater degree of control over Roman politics. 1022 00:59:43,667 --> 00:59:45,333 AMANDA: But unfortunately, 1023 00:59:45,500 --> 00:59:49,333 Antony's invasion of Parthia is an unmitigated disaster. 1024 00:59:49,500 --> 00:59:53,708 He winds up losing 24,000 men 1025 00:59:53,875 --> 00:59:58,292 and then the 6,000 Armenian cavalry he was given betray him 1026 00:59:58,417 --> 01:00:00,000 at the orders of their king. 1027 01:00:00,167 --> 01:00:02,500 It's one of the worst defeats in Roman history. 1028 01:00:02,667 --> 01:00:05,208 The Parthian unit that causes Antony the most problems 1029 01:00:05,375 --> 01:00:07,042 are the mounted archers. 1030 01:00:09,042 --> 01:00:12,917 We get the English phrase, "a parting shot," 1031 01:00:13,083 --> 01:00:16,667 and that derives from the Parthian tactic 1032 01:00:16,833 --> 01:00:22,250 of seemingly fleeing, but actually shooting back. 1033 01:00:30,708 --> 01:00:34,458 AARON: Antony's loss to Parthia is almost the best thing 1034 01:00:34,542 --> 01:00:36,917 that could possibly happen to Cleopatra 1035 01:00:37,083 --> 01:00:40,875 because she needs Antony personally invested in her. 1036 01:00:41,042 --> 01:00:44,667 She needs Antony personally dependent on her. 1037 01:00:44,875 --> 01:00:51,167 So, Cleopatra actively invests in Antony's reputation, 1038 01:00:51,292 --> 01:00:53,000 in building him back up. 1039 01:00:53,125 --> 01:00:56,500 CLIFFORD: With the full funding of Cleopatra, 1040 01:00:56,708 --> 01:00:59,667 Antony launches a campaign of revenge in Armenia. 1041 01:00:59,875 --> 01:01:02,833 He deposes the king who had previously betrayed him 1042 01:01:03,042 --> 01:01:06,750 and declares the best possible victory that he could obtain. 1043 01:01:10,708 --> 01:01:13,250 NARRATOR: Cleopatra celebrates Antony's victory 1044 01:01:13,417 --> 01:01:15,750 with a Roman-style triumph. 1045 01:01:18,208 --> 01:01:21,333 Then, at a second, more lavish event, 1046 01:01:21,458 --> 01:01:23,292 she dares to challenge Rome. 1047 01:01:24,083 --> 01:01:27,542 It will become known as the Donations of Alexandria. 1048 01:01:27,750 --> 01:01:29,167 -CLEOPATRA: It's time. -ANTONY: You sure? 1049 01:01:31,208 --> 01:01:32,750 There'll be no going back. 1050 01:01:33,708 --> 01:01:35,042 I'm sure. 1051 01:01:39,208 --> 01:01:40,917 [dramatic instrumental] 1052 01:01:44,417 --> 01:01:45,958 AMANDA: In this ceremony, 1053 01:01:46,125 --> 01:01:49,583 Antony gives lands to his children by Cleopatra. 1054 01:01:49,750 --> 01:01:53,000 They are claiming rule over a kingdom 1055 01:01:53,208 --> 01:01:58,500 that stretches from the Nubian Desert to Southwest Asia 1056 01:01:58,583 --> 01:02:01,958 to Eastern Mediterranean to Europe. 1057 01:02:02,125 --> 01:02:05,542 I mean, they were claiming land, namely Parthia, 1058 01:02:05,708 --> 01:02:07,917 that they hadn't even conquered yet. 1059 01:02:08,083 --> 01:02:10,292 This is Cleopatra making a statement. 1060 01:02:10,458 --> 01:02:12,667 Egypt is going to dominate 1061 01:02:12,833 --> 01:02:14,625 and she will be the most powerful person 1062 01:02:14,792 --> 01:02:16,167 in the ancient world. 1063 01:02:16,333 --> 01:02:22,167 This is an amazing power grab by Cleopatra, 1064 01:02:22,375 --> 01:02:28,083 but it's also a challenge to Rome and the Romans. 1065 01:02:33,167 --> 01:02:35,458 NARRATOR: News of Cleopatra's brazen claim 1066 01:02:35,625 --> 01:02:38,208 makes its way rapidly to Rome. 1067 01:02:38,375 --> 01:02:42,375 And one statement pushes Octavian to the breaking point. 1068 01:02:44,000 --> 01:02:45,333 "At the end of the ceremony... 1069 01:02:45,500 --> 01:02:47,500 [applause] 1070 01:02:47,667 --> 01:02:49,500 ...the royal couple... 1071 01:02:49,625 --> 01:02:50,833 [applause] 1072 01:02:51,042 --> 01:02:53,458 ...presented a teenage boy 1073 01:02:53,625 --> 01:02:56,000 to the adoring spectators. 1074 01:02:56,125 --> 01:03:00,333 ANTONY: We present you, Ptolemy Caesar. 1075 01:03:00,542 --> 01:03:02,875 "The one and only heir... 1076 01:03:03,042 --> 01:03:05,375 To the late Julius Caesar. 1077 01:03:08,083 --> 01:03:13,917 Octavian sees himself as the true heir of Julius Caesar. 1078 01:03:14,083 --> 01:03:20,542 So, he sees Caesarion being named as the heir of Caesar 1079 01:03:20,708 --> 01:03:23,292 as a personal insult. 1080 01:03:24,958 --> 01:03:28,208 At the very least, Octavian recognizes 1081 01:03:28,333 --> 01:03:32,917 that an ascendant Egyptian empire is a potential reality. 1082 01:03:33,083 --> 01:03:37,417 He recognizes that Cleopatra is now a threat. 1083 01:03:46,333 --> 01:03:48,417 STACY: Octavian is one of those people in history 1084 01:03:48,583 --> 01:03:50,000 who was as powerful as he was 1085 01:03:50,167 --> 01:03:52,167 because he was so seriously underestimated. 1086 01:03:53,542 --> 01:03:56,667 When first he arrives on the scene, 1087 01:03:56,750 --> 01:03:58,708 he's got no military experience whatsoever. 1088 01:03:58,875 --> 01:04:02,458 And he's a very deliberative, controlling person. 1089 01:04:04,583 --> 01:04:06,250 AARON: I think somewhat ironically, 1090 01:04:06,375 --> 01:04:09,000 there's a tremendous amount in common 1091 01:04:09,167 --> 01:04:12,292 between Octavian and Cleopatra. 1092 01:04:13,292 --> 01:04:18,833 Octavian in Rome is able to create this mythology 1093 01:04:19,042 --> 01:04:23,750 around himself as the heir, the successor, 1094 01:04:23,917 --> 01:04:28,167 the embodiment of Caesar as a divine being. 1095 01:04:28,333 --> 01:04:31,958 Very much the same way that Cleopatra is presenting herself 1096 01:04:32,125 --> 01:04:34,458 as the goddess Isis. 1097 01:04:36,917 --> 01:04:39,167 NARRATOR: To fight back against Cleopatra, 1098 01:04:39,375 --> 01:04:42,458 Octavian violates one of Rome's most sacred spaces, 1099 01:04:42,625 --> 01:04:45,083 the Temple of Vesta. 1100 01:04:50,042 --> 01:04:52,250 AMANDA: The Temple of Vesta happens to be 1101 01:04:52,375 --> 01:04:55,375 where a lot of Rome's elites store their wills. 1102 01:04:55,542 --> 01:04:58,125 It is forbidden for a man to enter the temple 1103 01:04:58,292 --> 01:05:00,792 and it's also forbidden to unseal a will 1104 01:05:00,958 --> 01:05:02,875 before a man has died. 1105 01:05:10,792 --> 01:05:12,917 But none of this stops Octavian. 1106 01:05:13,083 --> 01:05:15,500 He enters the temple and he gets his hands 1107 01:05:15,667 --> 01:05:17,292 on Mark Antony's will. 1108 01:05:19,208 --> 01:05:22,083 ROBERT: Octavian is one of those politicians 1109 01:05:22,250 --> 01:05:26,083 for whom shared power is not enough. 1110 01:05:26,250 --> 01:05:30,375 So, when he sees an opportunity to take total power, 1111 01:05:30,542 --> 01:05:32,000 he's going to go for it. 1112 01:05:33,750 --> 01:05:40,042 The noble Mark Antony, upon his death, 1113 01:05:40,208 --> 01:05:46,500 leaves all his lands and his wealth to his children. 1114 01:05:46,708 --> 01:05:48,667 Not those by my sister... 1115 01:05:51,208 --> 01:05:53,917 ...but those by Queen of Eunuchs, 1116 01:05:54,083 --> 01:05:57,792 a worshiper, a beast god. 1117 01:05:57,958 --> 01:06:01,458 Octavian's reading of Antony's will 1118 01:06:01,625 --> 01:06:06,708 suggests that Antony's intention is to move the seat of power 1119 01:06:06,875 --> 01:06:09,292 from Rome to Alexandria, 1120 01:06:09,458 --> 01:06:14,167 abolishing the Republic and replacing it with a monarchy. 1121 01:06:14,333 --> 01:06:17,833 He is clearly under the spell of a foreign witch, Cleopatra. 1122 01:06:18,042 --> 01:06:19,333 [men shouting] 1123 01:06:19,542 --> 01:06:21,375 AMANDA: The Romans are weary of civil war 1124 01:06:21,583 --> 01:06:24,083 and so they might not look too kindly upon the idea 1125 01:06:24,208 --> 01:06:26,375 that Octavian is trying to spark another war 1126 01:06:26,542 --> 01:06:28,042 against a fellow Roman. 1127 01:06:28,208 --> 01:06:30,167 Instead, he's able to paint Cleopatra 1128 01:06:30,375 --> 01:06:31,875 as the real enemy of state 1129 01:06:32,042 --> 01:06:34,708 and Antony essentially as her dupe. 1130 01:06:34,875 --> 01:06:41,000 AARON: Antony has been seduced by a sorceress in Cleopatra, 1131 01:06:41,208 --> 01:06:44,333 who has stripped him of his manhood. 1132 01:06:44,500 --> 01:06:48,333 She is opposed, of course, to everything that the good, 1133 01:06:48,458 --> 01:06:51,875 proper, patriarchal Roman empire stands for. 1134 01:06:52,042 --> 01:06:54,833 AMANDA: After two years 1135 01:06:55,042 --> 01:06:57,000 of painting Cleopatra as a foreign queen 1136 01:06:57,125 --> 01:06:59,125 who plans to conquer Rome, 1137 01:06:59,250 --> 01:07:01,500 Octavian is able to convince the Senate 1138 01:07:01,708 --> 01:07:03,625 to declare war on Egypt. 1139 01:07:03,833 --> 01:07:06,042 Really, it's a war on Antony, 1140 01:07:06,208 --> 01:07:08,000 with Cleopatra as the scapegoat. 1141 01:07:08,167 --> 01:07:11,125 NARRATOR: As Rome turns on Antony, 1142 01:07:11,250 --> 01:07:14,375 Cleopatra's kingdom is also under threat. 1143 01:07:14,542 --> 01:07:18,042 And in 32 B.C., the two of them unite 1144 01:07:18,208 --> 01:07:21,167 against their common enemy, Octavian. 1145 01:07:21,375 --> 01:07:22,875 Will everything be ready in time? 1146 01:07:23,042 --> 01:07:25,083 Yes, majesty. 1147 01:07:28,167 --> 01:07:30,500 CLIFFORD: As Antony gathers his forces, 1148 01:07:30,667 --> 01:07:34,167 Cleopatra supports him in two very substantial ways. 1149 01:07:34,333 --> 01:07:37,708 A huge influx of gold with which he can pay his soldiers 1150 01:07:37,917 --> 01:07:41,708 and a fleet of her own, of some 60 ships. 1151 01:07:41,917 --> 01:07:44,208 Cleopatra is a foreign queen 1152 01:07:44,375 --> 01:07:49,250 and if they go invading Octavian in Rome together, 1153 01:07:49,417 --> 01:07:52,667 this feeds right into Octavian's propaganda. 1154 01:07:52,833 --> 01:07:56,583 So, their plan is to draw Octavian away from Rome 1155 01:07:56,750 --> 01:07:58,500 and fight the battle at sea. 1156 01:07:58,708 --> 01:08:02,500 NARRATOR: Cleopatra joins Antony in western Greece, 1157 01:08:02,708 --> 01:08:04,792 near the Bay of Actium. 1158 01:08:04,958 --> 01:08:09,542 Their combined force now includes 100,000 soldiers 1159 01:08:09,708 --> 01:08:13,833 and a fleet of 500 warships, equal to Octavian's. 1160 01:08:14,042 --> 01:08:16,167 BOB: In the winter of 31 B.C., 1161 01:08:16,333 --> 01:08:20,458 the forces of Octavian moved more rapidly 1162 01:08:20,625 --> 01:08:22,542 than Antony anticipated. 1163 01:08:22,750 --> 01:08:28,000 Octavian's forces create an unexpected blockade, 1164 01:08:28,167 --> 01:08:32,375 which cuts off the supply line of Antony. 1165 01:08:32,583 --> 01:08:35,833 So, it becomes more and more difficult for him 1166 01:08:35,958 --> 01:08:37,750 to acquire reinforcements. 1167 01:08:43,250 --> 01:08:46,125 BARRY: As the weeks and months pass, 1168 01:08:46,333 --> 01:08:49,125 Antony's army condition gets worse and worse. 1169 01:08:49,250 --> 01:08:51,250 They are deprived of food. 1170 01:08:51,417 --> 01:08:53,208 They are in a malarial area. 1171 01:08:53,375 --> 01:08:56,958 They are probably suffering from dysentery 1172 01:08:57,167 --> 01:09:01,583 and quite a few of his allies defect to Octavian. 1173 01:09:02,292 --> 01:09:03,542 As a way of maintaining discipline, 1174 01:09:03,750 --> 01:09:06,583 he orders the execution of an allied king 1175 01:09:06,750 --> 01:09:08,500 and even of a Roman Senator. 1176 01:09:11,875 --> 01:09:15,667 STACY: At this point, Cleopatra finds herself in a multi-ethnic, 1177 01:09:15,833 --> 01:09:17,125 all-male military camp 1178 01:09:17,250 --> 01:09:19,000 where she's quite unwelcome as a woman 1179 01:09:19,125 --> 01:09:20,500 and as an Eastern monarch. 1180 01:09:24,875 --> 01:09:30,833 Octavian's forces are here and here, land and sea. 1181 01:09:31,042 --> 01:09:33,500 [sighing] 1182 01:09:33,625 --> 01:09:36,167 We draw them North and our ships-- 1183 01:09:36,375 --> 01:09:39,333 There is the other option, Sir. 1184 01:09:39,458 --> 01:09:42,833 There are some senior advisors in Antony's camp, 1185 01:09:43,042 --> 01:09:47,000 in his army, that see Cleopatra as toxic. 1186 01:09:47,208 --> 01:09:49,417 So, maybe if Antony would stop taking decisions 1187 01:09:49,542 --> 01:09:52,833 from this foreign queen and just hand her over, 1188 01:09:53,042 --> 01:09:54,167 this thing would be over. 1189 01:09:54,375 --> 01:09:59,167 There's no other option. We fight by sea. 1190 01:10:02,375 --> 01:10:05,292 NARRATOR: But Antony does not betray Cleopatra. 1191 01:10:08,167 --> 01:10:10,708 BARRY: It's all too easy for us historians 1192 01:10:10,875 --> 01:10:13,625 to say, "We don't do love, we don't do emotions. 1193 01:10:13,792 --> 01:10:16,458 "It's all rationality and cold statecraft." 1194 01:10:16,583 --> 01:10:18,333 But we know as human beings 1195 01:10:18,458 --> 01:10:20,333 that often the most powerful thing 1196 01:10:20,458 --> 01:10:22,917 for why people do something is love. 1197 01:10:23,125 --> 01:10:25,125 And I find it difficult to explain 1198 01:10:25,292 --> 01:10:27,000 some of Antony's behavior 1199 01:10:27,167 --> 01:10:28,583 if we don't add love to the equation. 1200 01:10:31,417 --> 01:10:34,417 PRUDENCE: Cleopatra has a way of taking circumstance, 1201 01:10:34,583 --> 01:10:37,500 even a bad circumstance, and using it to her advantage. 1202 01:10:37,708 --> 01:10:41,000 Just when we think it has to be all over for her, 1203 01:10:41,167 --> 01:10:42,958 she has another plan. 1204 01:10:43,042 --> 01:10:44,875 I'm not afraid to go down fighting. 1205 01:10:47,333 --> 01:10:50,250 Perhaps we don't fight at all. 1206 01:10:50,417 --> 01:10:53,333 Octavian wants to end it here. 1207 01:10:53,500 --> 01:10:56,583 But if we pack our sails, we can outrun his fastest ships. 1208 01:10:56,750 --> 01:10:58,583 Flee? 1209 01:11:00,042 --> 01:11:01,417 Survive. 1210 01:11:02,375 --> 01:11:05,333 It's unusual to bring your sails with you 1211 01:11:05,417 --> 01:11:07,208 into an ancient naval battle. 1212 01:11:07,375 --> 01:11:09,333 The reason is that you wanted your ships to be as light 1213 01:11:09,542 --> 01:11:11,250 and maneuverable as possible. 1214 01:11:11,417 --> 01:11:14,000 But by having sails on their ships 1215 01:11:14,208 --> 01:11:15,917 where the enemy presumably won't, 1216 01:11:16,083 --> 01:11:17,542 they will have an advantage 1217 01:11:17,708 --> 01:11:19,125 because with the wind at their backs, 1218 01:11:19,292 --> 01:11:21,000 they'll move much more quickly 1219 01:11:21,125 --> 01:11:22,708 than the enemy can in following them. 1220 01:11:23,750 --> 01:11:26,333 AMANDA: Sensing an unwinnable situation, 1221 01:11:26,542 --> 01:11:30,125 Cleopatra convinces Antony to make a tactical retreat. 1222 01:11:30,292 --> 01:11:32,667 And what they'll do is line up their ships 1223 01:11:32,833 --> 01:11:35,708 as if they're preparing to engage in battle with Octavian. 1224 01:11:35,875 --> 01:11:38,000 But instead, they'll maneuver to make a gap 1225 01:11:38,208 --> 01:11:40,667 in the opposing forces, they'll sail through 1226 01:11:40,833 --> 01:11:43,250 and hopefully, live on to fight another day. 1227 01:11:46,833 --> 01:11:49,292 SIMON: Faced with all the desertions of troops, 1228 01:11:49,458 --> 01:11:51,500 Antony doesn't have enough men now 1229 01:11:51,667 --> 01:11:54,333 to man this enormous number of ships. 1230 01:11:54,500 --> 01:11:56,333 And so, he's faced with a dilemma. 1231 01:11:56,458 --> 01:11:58,042 If he abandons them, 1232 01:11:58,208 --> 01:12:00,500 Octavian may use the ships against him. 1233 01:12:00,708 --> 01:12:02,875 And so he takes the difficult decision 1234 01:12:03,042 --> 01:12:05,542 to burn some of his feet. 1235 01:12:05,708 --> 01:12:07,292 Fire! 1236 01:12:09,833 --> 01:12:12,458 BARRY: The stakes at Actium couldn't be higher. 1237 01:12:12,625 --> 01:12:14,792 If Octavian can defeat Antony and Cleopatra, 1238 01:12:14,958 --> 01:12:17,333 then he will have control of the Roman Empire. 1239 01:12:17,542 --> 01:12:19,833 But what if Antony and Cleopatra are able to escape? 1240 01:12:20,042 --> 01:12:23,583 Then they might be able to live and fight again another day 1241 01:12:26,333 --> 01:12:29,708 . 1242 01:12:31,375 --> 01:12:35,333 She has risked her entire power, her entire kingdom, 1243 01:12:35,458 --> 01:12:41,083 the survival of her entire dynasty on one man, Antony. 1244 01:12:45,125 --> 01:12:49,417 NARRATOR: On the morning of September 2nd, 31 B.C., 1245 01:12:49,542 --> 01:12:52,167 Antony's warships advance out of Actium 1246 01:12:52,375 --> 01:12:54,750 with Cleopatra's vessels in the rear. 1247 01:12:54,917 --> 01:12:57,292 AARON: During the course of the battle, 1248 01:12:57,458 --> 01:13:00,667 Antony's forces are able to open up the center 1249 01:13:00,875 --> 01:13:04,667 of Octavian's line and give his ships 1250 01:13:04,875 --> 01:13:09,875 a means of escaping the narrow bay of Actium. 1251 01:13:11,042 --> 01:13:13,500 Then the fog of war seems to take over. 1252 01:13:13,667 --> 01:13:17,375 Our sources are confused about what exactly is going on. 1253 01:13:17,542 --> 01:13:20,458 But what we do know is that Cleopatra's ships 1254 01:13:20,625 --> 01:13:22,500 now try to make an escape into the open ocean. 1255 01:13:22,708 --> 01:13:24,750 Antony tries to follow her. 1256 01:13:24,875 --> 01:13:28,750 His formation is completely broken up. 1257 01:13:29,833 --> 01:13:32,250 And the Roman Forces of Octavian 1258 01:13:32,417 --> 01:13:35,417 are able to take advantage of the situation 1259 01:13:35,542 --> 01:13:39,375 and cause the destruction of almost the entire fleet. 1260 01:13:41,625 --> 01:13:43,250 The impact of Actium 1261 01:13:43,417 --> 01:13:46,667 on Cleopatra and Mark Antony is catastrophic. 1262 01:13:47,708 --> 01:13:50,375 Most of the army defects to Octavian 1263 01:13:50,542 --> 01:13:53,000 so they are not going to recover from this loss. 1264 01:13:53,167 --> 01:13:56,250 And the dream of Egypt at the center of a world empire 1265 01:13:56,417 --> 01:13:57,667 has been shattered. 1266 01:13:59,208 --> 01:14:02,667 Like other great battles such as Waterloo or Gettysburg, 1267 01:14:02,833 --> 01:14:05,458 it really reshapes what the world will look like 1268 01:14:05,667 --> 01:14:07,542 for centuries and millennia to come. 1269 01:14:09,542 --> 01:14:11,208 As soon as she's back in Egypt, 1270 01:14:12,042 --> 01:14:14,542 Cleopatra forges a plan to protect her dynasty. 1271 01:14:16,542 --> 01:14:19,542 Caesarion now has a huge target on his back 1272 01:14:20,042 --> 01:14:24,417 because Octavian is looking for a way to murder 1273 01:14:24,583 --> 01:14:28,208 the last challenger to his rule. 1274 01:14:28,875 --> 01:14:30,083 Be safe. 1275 01:14:31,583 --> 01:14:35,125 So she takes Caesarion along with a huge pot of gold 1276 01:14:35,292 --> 01:14:37,667 and sends him off to India. 1277 01:14:38,250 --> 01:14:40,417 In the hope not only to protect him 1278 01:14:40,542 --> 01:14:43,708 but hopefully one day he'll be able to raise an army 1279 01:14:43,875 --> 01:14:47,583 and perhaps even come back and challenge Octavia. 1280 01:14:49,000 --> 01:14:51,833 โ™ช 1281 01:14:58,125 --> 01:15:01,000 After Actium, Cleopatra becomes immensely resourceful. 1282 01:15:01,208 --> 01:15:04,708 She begins to cast about for all possible means of escape. 1283 01:15:05,417 --> 01:15:07,500 For every possible way to insulate her kingdom 1284 01:15:07,625 --> 01:15:09,583 from Octavian's approach. 1285 01:15:11,208 --> 01:15:13,458 Antony takes the opposite attack. 1286 01:15:13,875 --> 01:15:17,833 Antony is quite frankly depressed after this loss, 1287 01:15:18,042 --> 01:15:20,750 it marks the end of his role as one of 1288 01:15:20,917 --> 01:15:22,833 the two strongest men in the Roman State. 1289 01:15:23,042 --> 01:15:25,458 And he knows that he is going to have to submit 1290 01:15:25,667 --> 01:15:27,167 to Octavian's power. 1291 01:15:27,333 --> 01:15:29,833 Cleopatra tries to negotiate, 1292 01:15:30,042 --> 01:15:32,750 tries to do what she had always done throughout her life. 1293 01:15:32,875 --> 01:15:36,958 Figure out what can she give to Octavian 1294 01:15:37,083 --> 01:15:41,750 that will give her some degree of flexibility. 1295 01:15:47,375 --> 01:15:48,625 So? 1296 01:15:50,083 --> 01:15:54,500 He said I could remain queen, if I hand you over. 1297 01:15:56,167 --> 01:15:57,292 Dead or alive? 1298 01:15:59,125 --> 01:16:00,167 He doesn't care. 1299 01:16:02,625 --> 01:16:04,000 And do you? 1300 01:16:05,958 --> 01:16:09,167 I think there was this common bond 1301 01:16:09,333 --> 01:16:10,917 between Antony and Cleopatra 1302 01:16:11,042 --> 01:16:13,875 and just as Antony would not abandon her at Actium, 1303 01:16:14,042 --> 01:16:15,792 Cleopatra would not abandon him. 1304 01:16:17,875 --> 01:16:20,500 Rejecting Octavian's offer, 1305 01:16:20,625 --> 01:16:23,208 Cleopatra prepares for his inevitable invasion 1306 01:16:24,250 --> 01:16:26,292 by constructing her own tomb. 1307 01:16:27,375 --> 01:16:29,792 Cleopatra begins to build a mausoleum 1308 01:16:29,958 --> 01:16:33,833 into which she piles as many treasures as she can 1309 01:16:34,042 --> 01:16:36,250 possibly transport across Alexandria. 1310 01:16:36,792 --> 01:16:39,333 What does any Roman ruler want? 1311 01:16:39,458 --> 01:16:42,042 They want goods, they want treasure 1312 01:16:42,208 --> 01:16:45,417 and this she can use to bargain with Octavian 1313 01:16:45,583 --> 01:16:49,708 for her kingdom, and her life. 1314 01:16:50,500 --> 01:16:54,083 โ™ช 1315 01:17:01,542 --> 01:17:04,000 In the summer of 30 B.C., 1316 01:17:04,167 --> 01:17:10,500 Octavian renews his campaign against Antony and Cleopatra 1317 01:17:10,667 --> 01:17:12,833 by actually invading Egypt. 1318 01:17:14,125 --> 01:17:17,000 Octavian lands his fleets on the East and the West coast 1319 01:17:17,125 --> 01:17:20,708 of Alexandria and his forces then surround the city. 1320 01:17:23,958 --> 01:17:26,042 AMANDA: Mark Antony leads his cavalry 1321 01:17:26,208 --> 01:17:27,750 against Octavian's troops. 1322 01:17:27,917 --> 01:17:29,958 And he earns a surprise victory. 1323 01:17:30,083 --> 01:17:34,292 Even so, in the next few days, most of his troops defect. 1324 01:17:34,917 --> 01:17:36,000 Wake up! 1325 01:17:37,125 --> 01:17:40,667 For Antony, it is simply unbelievable 1326 01:17:40,833 --> 01:17:44,333 that he has been outmaneuvered by Octavian. 1327 01:17:44,500 --> 01:17:46,083 Traitor! 1328 01:17:46,292 --> 01:17:49,125 He believes that it must be the work of Cleopatra. 1329 01:17:49,333 --> 01:17:50,708 You sold me out. 1330 01:17:51,042 --> 01:17:52,292 You sold me out! 1331 01:17:54,167 --> 01:17:55,292 You're wrong. 1332 01:17:59,542 --> 01:18:01,208 Cleopatra doesn't betray Mark Antony. 1333 01:18:01,375 --> 01:18:03,708 She may have realized that it was not going to pacify 1334 01:18:03,917 --> 01:18:05,500 Octavian in the first place. 1335 01:18:05,708 --> 01:18:08,000 She may have been utterly loyal to Mark Antony. 1336 01:18:08,208 --> 01:18:10,625 We really have no insight into her thinking at that moment. 1337 01:18:16,792 --> 01:18:19,000 NARRATOR: Taking refuge in her tomb, 1338 01:18:19,083 --> 01:18:21,917 Cleopatra makes a surprising declaration. 1339 01:18:23,042 --> 01:18:25,292 Cleopatra sends the message to Antony 1340 01:18:25,500 --> 01:18:27,125 that she's committed suicide. 1341 01:18:27,625 --> 01:18:29,667 Why does she do this? 1342 01:18:30,083 --> 01:18:32,417 This is the great question. 1343 01:18:32,583 --> 01:18:34,667 Some historians seem to think that 1344 01:18:34,833 --> 01:18:37,167 Cleopatra announces her death publicly 1345 01:18:37,375 --> 01:18:39,375 in order to warn Antony. 1346 01:18:39,500 --> 01:18:43,542 To give him time to escape or to die by suicide if he wishes. 1347 01:18:44,375 --> 01:18:47,083 BARRY: Did she want to get rid of him as a way to survive 1348 01:18:47,208 --> 01:18:49,167 and to present herself to Octavia in saying, 1349 01:18:49,292 --> 01:18:50,667 "Look what I did for you? 1350 01:18:50,875 --> 01:18:52,208 I got rid of Antony." 1351 01:18:52,375 --> 01:18:53,792 We can't rule that out. 1352 01:18:54,458 --> 01:18:57,333 PRUDENCE: In any case, Antony receives a message 1353 01:18:57,542 --> 01:18:59,250 that Cleopatra is dead. 1354 01:18:59,375 --> 01:19:04,625 This causes him to immediately try to take his own life. 1355 01:19:04,750 --> 01:19:06,208 [banging on door] 1356 01:19:06,375 --> 01:19:07,667 Open the door. 1357 01:19:08,083 --> 01:19:10,958 The Romans had a very rigid idea of what constituted 1358 01:19:11,083 --> 01:19:13,750 an honorable suicide, particularly for someone 1359 01:19:13,917 --> 01:19:18,375 of Antony's standing and this was death by the sword. 1360 01:19:20,083 --> 01:19:23,792 Unfortunately, Antony misses his vital organs. 1361 01:19:24,000 --> 01:19:27,250 So we think that his death was quite painful and long. 1362 01:19:29,375 --> 01:19:31,000 In his dying moments, 1363 01:19:31,167 --> 01:19:35,833 Antony warns Cleopatra, "Do not trust Octavian." 1364 01:19:36,708 --> 01:19:39,167 [heavy breathing] 1365 01:19:39,333 --> 01:19:41,125 Don't believe his lies. 1366 01:19:41,542 --> 01:19:45,292 He'll parade you in Rome. 1367 01:19:45,500 --> 01:19:47,125 [sobbing] 1368 01:19:47,792 --> 01:19:49,125 His prize. 1369 01:19:57,042 --> 01:19:58,458 PRUDENCE: With Antony's death, 1370 01:19:58,625 --> 01:20:01,042 Cleopatra has lost her last ally. 1371 01:20:01,875 --> 01:20:03,292 She's now alone, 1372 01:20:04,917 --> 01:20:09,167 fighting for her kingdom and fighting for her life. 1373 01:20:09,333 --> 01:20:17,292 โ™ช 1374 01:20:17,292 --> 01:20:19,167 [fire crackling] 1375 01:20:21,958 --> 01:20:23,583 STACY: Cleopatra seems truly unnerved 1376 01:20:23,708 --> 01:20:25,292 by the death of Mark Antony. 1377 01:20:27,958 --> 01:20:30,917 She very rarely, on the historical record anyway, 1378 01:20:31,042 --> 01:20:34,042 loses her calm and her poise and here she does. 1379 01:20:35,583 --> 01:20:37,458 The grief seems really sincere. 1380 01:20:45,042 --> 01:20:46,583 REBECCA: If nothing else, 1381 01:20:46,750 --> 01:20:49,375 Cleopatra is extremely resourceful. 1382 01:20:49,500 --> 01:20:51,167 She's very strategic. 1383 01:20:51,292 --> 01:20:53,750 And so we may imagine that at this point, 1384 01:20:53,958 --> 01:20:56,042 even though all hope seems lost, 1385 01:20:56,208 --> 01:20:59,458 that she's still planning and plotting for a way out. 1386 01:21:14,875 --> 01:21:16,500 You'll come with me to Rome. 1387 01:21:18,167 --> 01:21:21,375 You'll live under my protection, in your own home. 1388 01:21:23,333 --> 01:21:27,500 I call you now, in all but name. 1389 01:21:38,042 --> 01:21:40,167 SHELLEY: Cleopatra has been to Rome. 1390 01:21:40,375 --> 01:21:43,625 Cleopatra knows what a triumph is like. 1391 01:21:43,833 --> 01:21:48,292 She will not give Octavian the satisfaction 1392 01:21:48,500 --> 01:21:51,417 of seeing her paraded through the streets of Rome. 1393 01:21:53,042 --> 01:21:56,875 That's when she decides that she will commit suicide. 1394 01:21:59,792 --> 01:22:02,667 PRUDENCE: Most likely way for Cleopatra to kill herself 1395 01:22:02,792 --> 01:22:04,542 is some sort of poison. 1396 01:22:04,667 --> 01:22:06,000 Your majesty. 1397 01:22:07,250 --> 01:22:10,083 How that was applied, I think we don't know. 1398 01:22:10,625 --> 01:22:16,458 The traditional story is that Cleopatra hid a viper 1399 01:22:16,583 --> 01:22:20,333 in a bowl of fruit and at the appropriate time, 1400 01:22:20,542 --> 01:22:25,583 was able to reach over into the basket and got bitten. 1401 01:22:27,000 --> 01:22:31,208 The snake ties into the Roman portrayal of Cleopatra 1402 01:22:31,417 --> 01:22:33,667 being very sly and being very cunning. 1403 01:22:33,833 --> 01:22:38,125 And of course, a certain element of her being a seductress. 1404 01:22:40,708 --> 01:22:42,833 Cleopatra, I don't think would have abandoned herself 1405 01:22:43,000 --> 01:22:45,000 to a very uncertain end. 1406 01:22:45,208 --> 01:22:47,500 She was a woman who made crisp decisions and entrusting 1407 01:22:47,667 --> 01:22:49,792 your fate to-- to a snake doesn't sound like 1408 01:22:49,958 --> 01:22:51,333 it would have been among them. 1409 01:22:52,833 --> 01:22:54,250 Everything seems to have pointed to a death 1410 01:22:54,375 --> 01:22:56,042 that was very well controlled. 1411 01:22:59,208 --> 01:23:01,458 There are a couple of hypotheses, 1412 01:23:01,625 --> 01:23:05,000 one being that she carried with her at all times, 1413 01:23:05,125 --> 01:23:07,167 a hairpin coated in poison. 1414 01:23:07,333 --> 01:23:10,625 So, should she ever need to make a hasty exit, she could. 1415 01:23:14,583 --> 01:23:16,167 In my view, 1416 01:23:16,333 --> 01:23:19,458 Cleopatra was a very, very principled individual, 1417 01:23:20,208 --> 01:23:23,500 and once her principles were destroyed, 1418 01:23:23,625 --> 01:23:28,292 she chose to take her life rather than to compromise, 1419 01:23:28,417 --> 01:23:32,250 rather than to be second best, rather than be humiliated. 1420 01:23:33,375 --> 01:23:36,208 It's a noble death. It's a very calculated death. 1421 01:23:36,375 --> 01:23:39,167 Women tended in Roman history to get points for doing things 1422 01:23:39,292 --> 01:23:42,667 like swallowing hot coals and gashing their innards out. 1423 01:23:42,875 --> 01:23:45,875 And there's an enormous respect for Cleopatra at this point 1424 01:23:46,042 --> 01:23:49,083 who proves herself to be a woman of valor. 1425 01:23:49,208 --> 01:23:51,292 NARRATOR: With her death, Cleopatra becomes 1426 01:23:51,458 --> 01:23:56,583 the last independent ruler in Egypt's 3,000-year history. 1427 01:23:57,042 --> 01:23:59,958 Cleopatra's death is the end of an empire. 1428 01:24:00,125 --> 01:24:01,458 It's the end of the Ptolemies 1429 01:24:01,625 --> 01:24:04,167 and it's the end of Egypt as we know it. 1430 01:24:04,375 --> 01:24:08,000 Cleopatra's suicide was a final act of defiance 1431 01:24:08,208 --> 01:24:10,292 against the Romans and against the men 1432 01:24:10,417 --> 01:24:11,917 who wanted to have her paraded 1433 01:24:12,083 --> 01:24:13,333 through the streets as a prisoner. 1434 01:24:13,500 --> 01:24:15,292 When Cleopatra's backed into a corner, 1435 01:24:15,458 --> 01:24:17,750 she almost always finds a way out. 1436 01:24:17,917 --> 01:24:20,042 Even at her death, there's a victory. 1437 01:24:22,458 --> 01:24:27,167 DEBORA: Octavian decides that he wants to either eliminate 1438 01:24:27,375 --> 01:24:30,125 or control Cleopatra's legacy. 1439 01:24:30,250 --> 01:24:34,833 The one competing heir, Caesarion, is killed. 1440 01:24:37,667 --> 01:24:40,250 Octavian is well aware that even after her death, 1441 01:24:40,458 --> 01:24:43,792 Cleopatra is a potent symbol of Egyptian power. 1442 01:24:43,958 --> 01:24:45,833 Perhaps a figurehead 1443 01:24:46,042 --> 01:24:48,417 for any Egyptian rebellion against Rome. 1444 01:24:48,583 --> 01:24:52,167 So he eradicates all of her statues, 1445 01:24:52,292 --> 01:24:54,917 all of her images on temple buildings 1446 01:24:55,042 --> 01:24:58,000 and in this way, crushes the potential use 1447 01:24:58,167 --> 01:24:59,833 of her personality. 1448 01:25:00,000 --> 01:25:04,250 She becomes little more than a character 1449 01:25:04,375 --> 01:25:08,792 within the rise of Octavian to Augustus. 1450 01:25:08,958 --> 01:25:11,083 The first emperor of the Roman world. 1451 01:25:11,250 --> 01:25:16,167 And his portrayal of her as this ultimate femme fatal, 1452 01:25:16,375 --> 01:25:18,958 unfortunately, is the image that carries on 1453 01:25:19,083 --> 01:25:20,625 even into the present day. 1454 01:25:21,042 --> 01:25:23,375 โ™ช 1455 01:25:23,833 --> 01:25:27,333 People are always going to be fascinated and titillated 1456 01:25:27,500 --> 01:25:29,958 by this idea of a powerful woman 1457 01:25:30,083 --> 01:25:32,292 who's exercising influence over men. 1458 01:25:32,458 --> 01:25:34,792 This was true for the Romans who were writing the stories 1459 01:25:34,958 --> 01:25:37,708 that we still rely on for our understanding of Cleopatra. 1460 01:25:38,750 --> 01:25:42,875 It's always easier to believe that a woman was beautiful 1461 01:25:43,083 --> 01:25:45,208 and seductive than it is to believe 1462 01:25:45,375 --> 01:25:47,250 that she was actually intelligent and adept. 1463 01:25:48,583 --> 01:25:50,292 I think if you look at the record, 1464 01:25:50,458 --> 01:25:53,250 she comes down to us as a remarkably capable 1465 01:25:53,417 --> 01:25:55,667 and quite brilliant woman. 1466 01:25:57,750 --> 01:26:01,833 At a time when women were largely seen as property, 1467 01:26:01,958 --> 01:26:08,042 Cleopatra had taken the remains of a broken and decrepit empire, 1468 01:26:08,208 --> 01:26:11,292 that was running along at best on fumes. 1469 01:26:11,417 --> 01:26:15,125 And turned it into a potential superpower 1470 01:26:15,333 --> 01:26:19,000 that was able to challenge the Roman Empire itself. 1471 01:26:19,208 --> 01:26:23,792 If not for a single instance in history 1472 01:26:24,000 --> 01:26:25,750 at the battle of Actium, 1473 01:26:25,958 --> 01:26:29,375 we very well might be speaking Egyptian today. 1474 01:26:29,500 --> 01:26:33,667 โ™ชโ™ช 116054

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