Suicide of Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, commits suicide by allowing an asp to bite her, choosing death over capture by Octavian's forces.
Setting
Cleopatra's private chamber in the royal palace of Alexandria, a lavishly decorated room with high ceilings and marble floors, overlooking the harbor. The room is filled with opulent furnishings and artifacts of Egyptian and Hellenistic design.
Characters
Cleopatra VII
primary
A woman of striking beauty with a regal bearing, in her late 30s, with a slender yet graceful build. Her features are delicate, with high cheekbones, full lips, and piercing almond-shaped eyes. Her skin is smooth and lightly tanned, and her long, dark hair is intricately braided and adorned with golden beads and a diadem.
Charmion
primary
A woman in her early 30s, slender yet strong from years of devoted service, with olive-toned skin and dark, almond-shaped eyes that reflect both sorrow and resolve. Her black hair is neatly braided and pinned back, revealing delicate gold earrings shaped like lotus flowers.
Iras
secondary
A young Egyptian woman in her early 20s, with a slender yet graceful build. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes are reddened from weeping, and her olive skin is flushed with emotion. Her black hair is neatly braided and adorned with simple golden pins, framing a face marked by quiet devotion.
Roman Guard
background
A muscular Roman soldier in his late 20s, with a square jaw, short-cropped dark hair, and sun-weathered skin. His shoulders are broad from years of military training, and his stance betrays the discipline of a legionnaire. His dark brown eyes remain fixed ahead, though they occasionally flicker toward the scene unfolding before him.
Dialog
Cleopatra VII
Charmion, my faithful one, come closer. Let your hands be the last to adorn me as a queen.
Charmion
Your Serenity, your diadem sits as befits the last daughter of Isis. Yet my heart rebels against this hour.
Cleopatra VII
The asp's kiss comes swifter than Octavian's mercy. Better this death than chains through Rome's streets.
Charmion
Philtatē, may Anubis guide you gently. The gods themselves will weep at our passing.
Cleopatra VII
Lay me beside Antony with the royal insignia. Let no Roman hand disturb our rest.
Charmion
It shall be done, my queen. The sacred oils are prepared...the lotus garlands woven...
Cleopatra VII
Then farewell, my Egypt. I come to meet my ancestors in the Field of Reeds.