01x04 - The Last Pharaoh

Episode transcripts for the TV series, "Queen Cleopatra". Aired: May 10, 2023.*
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Docudrama about Queen Cleopatra of Egypt of the Ptolemaic lineage from Macedonia, Greece, that ruled for 21 years, between the years 51 BC and 30 BC, ending with her su1c1de.
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01x04 - The Last Pharaoh

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What is a Pharaoh?

She is the sands and the sky.

See the sky ♪

And everything in between.

Catch the dream ♪

Egypt is her firstborn.

Standing tall until the end ♪

And when the moment comes

I'll survive ♪

I'm not falling down ♪

she must be ready to sacrifice everything

to protect what she loves most.

What have you done?

I did what I had to do

to protect what is mine.

My lord, Octavian,

he's willing to grant your request.

On one condition.

k*ll Antony.

All I want is your trust.

After the Battle of Actium,

Mark Antony enters a period

of clinical depression.

Their navy is gone.

Their m*llitary is splintered.

He does not speak to Cleopatra.

And her confidence in him is eroded.

And so, confidence

in their relationship is eroded.

"Can I trust him?"

"Does he trust me?"

There's a lot of doubt there.

Cleopatra knew

the full might of Rome

coming against Egypt

spelled the end for an independent Egypt.

There is no question that they are

in immediate jeopardy.

Cleopatra knows

that in order to protect the continuance

of Egypt as a dynastic state,

that she needs to protect her heirs.

So, she sends them away

to make sure that they are safe.

If her children don't survive,

particularly Caesarion,

who was her co-pharaoh

that's the end.

As the earthly incarnation

of the goddess !sis,

Cleopatra is also the earthly embodiment

of divine motherhood.

Just think about

how heart-wrenching it must have been

to send her children away.

And yet, she had no choice politically

or for their safety.

Pharaoh, we have to go.

I know, just give me a minute.

You two

You two are one blood, hm?

My blood.

Divine blood.

Don't you forget that.

I won't forget.

Pharaoh.

The things that are most precious

to Cleopatra are her children.

Because as long as they're safe,

as long as they're alive

she's alive.

And there's hope for Egypt.

Cleopatra is always a diplomat first

and a m*llitary strategist second.

It's clear now

that diplomacy isn't gonna work.

Cleopatra doesn't want w*r.

She doesn't feel

that Mark Antony is ready for w*r.

k*ll Antony.

His life for yours.

And your children's, of course.

I think Cleopatra would

consider k*lling Mark Antony.

He is no longer any use to her.

And has, quite frankly,

become a liability at this point.

She might believe

that she still has a chance

of coming to terms with Octavian.

Perhaps, even by betraying Mark Antony.

Because, after all, Mark Antony

was Octavian's primary enemy.

There's really no reason that Cleopatra

cannot remain queen of Egypt

if Mark Antony is out of the picture.

Mark.

Thyrsus sent a message from Octavian.

He says he can guarantee safety

for the children and I

if I k*ll you.

So that's why you are here.

No.

I turned him down.

We are in this together.

Yeah.

Like we were together in Actium.

I sent our children away

because I choose us.

I know that together,

no one can defeat us.

Rome and Egypt.

Where is he?

Those of us who are romantics,

we want this to be

the greatest love story of all time.

But Cleopatra was not a romantic.

She was a pragmatist.

Cleopatra is interested

in self-preservation, um,

of herself and also her children,

but her country, too.

And she believes, at this point,

that Mark Antony

is still the key to that partnership.

Tell Octavian we are done!

Mark Antony seems to be

a bit of a loose cannon.

He is now behaving irrationally,

he's taking it out on the messenger.

If Cleopatra is going to retain

her place on the throne,

she has to have Rome as her partner.

Tell that coward,

if he wants me dead, do it himself.

Mark Antony isn't going

to enter into any negotiations.

There's not gonna be

any other ending other than w*r.

Octavian has declared w*r

on Cleopatra.

She understands

that neither she nor Mark Antony

were going to get away from this.

In the spring of 30 BC,

Octavian, as he enters Egypt,

sends a mammoth, uh, army.

It's, it's the biggest

army invasion in Roman history

until this point.

With the defections

from Cleopatra's forces to Octavian

and Mark Antony's losses

at the Battle of Actium,

Octavian's legions now heavily outnumber

those of Cleopatra and Antony.

Octavian wants to finish this

once and for all.

Egypt is unusually wealthy

in terms of their material wealth.

Octavian needs this

to pay his troops.

Octavian wants to annex Egypt badly.

Rome will treat them as their breadbasket

and not care if they impoverish Egypt.

Octavian's army marches

towards Pelusium.

Octavian could have sailed

straight for Alexandria

but he does not.

He regroups and moves his forces by land.

This is important

because, along the way,

Octavian is securing

alliance after alliance.

He is keen

to get the local population

against Mark Antony

and in turn, against Cleopatra.

Octavian has released

this vicious propaganda against Cleopatra,

so even though Mark Antony was the one

who was unfaithful to his sister,

Cleopatra is framed

as this great seductress.

As a temptress, as a drunk, as a witch.

It's misogynistic and it's xenophobic.

So, she's a thr*at.

The Roman senators see this woman

influence two of its great heroes

and they've had enough.

It's about time,

as far as they're concerned,

for Octavian to put an end

to Cleopatra's meddling in Roman affairs.

That's the perfect strategy

to gain the allegiance

of any of Mark Antony's remaining allies.

Octavian is ensuring

that when it comes time

for the final battle

with Mark Antony and Cleopatra,

that he will have no enemies to his rear.

As Octavian's army

marches towards Alexandria,

Mark Antony is in a serious depression.

Cleopatra attempts to improve his mood

by throwing a lavish banquet.

The reason that Cleopatra

throws the banquet

is part of the religious ideology

of this area.

Mark Antony, as the manifestation

of the god Dionysus,

is the god of revelry

and this banquet would have served

to support and reinvigorate

that religious message of him

as a legitimate eastern monarch.

It's directly challenging Rome.

It's saying, "We are in power."

It's a declaration

that she doesn't care what Rome thinks.

It's a dangerous call for w*r.

As Octavian's army

approaches Alexandria,

Antony and Cleopatra's forces

at this point,

are disorganized, they're demoralized.

The Commander of Pelusium has surrendered.

And defected to Octavian.

Octavian is receiving defections

from the Egyptian side

and from other allies

that used to be with Egypt

and they're now going over to Rome.

That two-faced Pelusium commander

will never see his wife or daughter again.

Not in this lifetime.

It will take more than that

to stop Octavian now.

I know.

It will take the help of the gods.

Lucky for you, you have one right here.

Octavian is no match for us.

Friends.

Even in the best of times,

there are traitors amongst us.

We know that in our own land,

some have betrayed Egypt,

opening their gates to Octavian's forces.

No one betrays Egypt

and gets away with it.

Your enemies are our enemies.

To Mark Antony.

The Egyptian people

must have been extremely nervous

about the Roman Army marching upon them.

Because Rome up until this point,

they've been seen as a support

and now they've essentially

become an enemy.

It's too late for Cleopatra

to get on Octavian's side.

She's in quite deep now with Mark Antony.

Are you asleep?

No.

So, she really does have

everything to lose at this point.

It's not only her own life

and her position,

but it's her country.

- How long?

- We have time.

- And eyes?

- Our scouts have eyes on them.

Tell the cavalry we leave now.

Thank you, Maelius.

The one advantage

that Cleopatra has

is that she's defending

her home territory.

And she knows

from prior experience with Julius Caesar,

that the Egyptians are no lovers of Rome.

Egypt does not want to be

under Roman control or Roman occupation.

Mark Antony

is an accomplished m*llitary mind.

That is a very serious

home-field advantage for them.

He and Octavian's forces

meet right outside of Alexandria.

Come on!

Mark Antony is a soldier.

He knows what goes into winning a battle.

He enjoys going into battle.

He enjoys fighting alongside of his men.

Antony and Cleopatra's forces have had

some time to rest and recuperate.

Whereas, Octavian's forces

have been on the active march

and so, uh, Antony's forces

are at least fresh.

What's going on?

Is there water and provisions

for the wounded?

Yes, yes, it's done.

- And the armory, has it been checked?

- As we speak.

Based on previous experience,

Cleopatra knows the vulnerability

of Alexandria's water sources.

She knows

that they can be poisoned.

I want two guards stationed at every well

and every water supply.

The other disadvantage

that Mark Antony and Cleopatra face

is simply the lack of supplies and force.

They do not have the troops,

and they no longer have the supply lines.

Cleopatra is a lover,

not a fighter.

She understands

that w*r can go either way,

she feels that Mark Antony

doesn't really understand

the lay of the land in Alexandria.

Maybe he has bit off

- more than he can chew here.

- Come on!

She's nervous.

We have won the battle, but

But what?

They have more troops, Cleopatra.

I know.

We are not done yet.

Are we?

No.

We are not done yet.

Good.

He's really worried.

Which makes Cleopatra worried.

But she sends him off to the next battle.

There's this huge siege.

Mark Antony is getting desperate.

He has his archers fire offers of gold

to any of Octavian's forces who defect.

He's having to break the siege.

Mark Antony makes a bold

and risky move against Octavian.

He launches a land

and naval att*ck simultaneously.

Their forces do meet

right outside of Alexandria

which is a deciding, significant battle.

General, the Egyptian naval fleet

has defected to Octavian.

No, that can't be true.

I'm afraid it is, General.

No. No, no, no, no. No.

At this point,

nothing is stopping Octavian

from landing in Alexandria.

What was that?

Go and check what is happening, please.

- Okay.

- Quickly.

Cleopatra was convinced

the gates around Alexandria

could not be breached.

They were well protected.

When Octavian and his troops

make that breach,

it is clear to Cleopatra,

the Egyptian troops have defected.

Which means the country

is in the hands of Octavian.

For most of us,

if we were in Cleopatra's situation,

um, the end is nigh.

I think we would have

a nervous breakdown, panic att*ck.

Our defenses are down,

we have to go.

Cleopatra is probably feeling

defiant at this point.

If they are here, it means the general

Quiet, Iras.

Pharaoh, we have to go now.

Now even if Cleopatra manages

to hold on to her throne

or successfully passes it on

to one of her children,

Egypt is going to be a province

of the Roman Empire.

- Pharaoh, we need to

- I said be quiet!

This needs to get to Antony.

Pharaoh, we have to go now.

Her life's work, her legacy,

it's in danger, if not gone.

Hurry.

Hurry!

Cleopatra gathers all her wealth

in her mausoleum in her tomb.

This is one of her last bargaining chips.

Octavian needs this treasure

to pay his troops.

Cleopatra's tomb

is only partially finished.

She's barricaded inside.

I won't let Octavian capture me.

We're going to burn it all down.

That bastard touches nothing.

Cleopatra is threatening

to set her tomb on fire

and to go up in flames

with her entire treasure.

Cleopatra!

Did you hear that?

- Mark?

- They're coming. They're coming for us.

Drop something now.

Get a rope, quick!

Hold on, my love!

Pull!

Mark Antony has to actually

be hauled up through a window.

Mark Antony has attempted

to commit su1c1de

after receiving a note from Cleopatra.

We don't know

what was in that note.

Shakespeare would have us believe

Cleopatra fabricated her own su1c1de

in the hopes that that would prompt

Mark Antony to commit su1c1de.

The bravest thing to do,

according to a Roman person,

is to commit su1c1de.

And this is a way to maintain

your valor and your dignity

even in the face of death.

Just stay.

Just stay.

Cleopatra

Shh, shh

He wants to die with Cleopatra.

And he dies in Cleopatra's arms.

Octavian, our astute politician,

who is also ruthless

does not want Cleopatra dead

at the hands of the Romans

because she becomes a martyr.

And all those Egyptians

who have defected to Octavian

are gonna rise up in rebellion.

This is a Pharoah.

You do not k*ll

a Pharaoh.

To get into her barricaded tomb,

Octavian's men break through the roof.

Light the torch.

You, put that fire out, come on!

Seize her!

Seize her!

I am mistress of the two lands.

Thea Neotera.

I'm a god.

Do not disrespect me.

I would die for Egypt.

What would you die for?

No.

No. No!

Stop!

No!

The soldiers take her to the palace

where she used to receive ambassadors.

Octavian comes in.

They've never met before.

Looks like your African sorcery

failed you this time.

Pharaoh?

You know, your witchcraft

must be very strong

to turn two great sons of Rome

against their own

because the talk

of your beauty flatters you

immensely.

What are you smiling about?

Witch!

You're a lot shorter

than I thought you'd be.

You know

your children look just like you.

Especially your eldest.

They'll be a great comfort to you in Rome.

At this point,

Cleopatra believes

that her children are safe.

She has sent them away

with trusted members of her household.

And so, she believes

she has nothing to fear.

You should have just taken my offer

when you had the chance.

I'm going to enjoy

dragging you through the streets.

And those

bastard half-breeds of yours.

They're gonna watch.

She realizes that Octavian

has captured her children.

And it always amazes me

that she doesn't crumple at that point.

Get her out of here now!

One of the most important things

that any, uh, Roman m*llitary leader can do

to gain the support and love

of the Roman people

is to have a remarkable celebration

of his m*llitary victory called a triumph.

To complete his victory,

Octavian needs

to bring Cleopatra back to Rome

to parade her in his triumph.

See that this gets to Octavian.

Trust me,

he's gonna want to read it.

Don't worry,

we'll all be here when you get back.

Cleopatra writes a letter to Octavian

requesting that she and Antony

be permitted to be buried together

and to allow her son to inherit Egypt.

What we're seeing

is this last moment of Cleopatra

clinging to this overarching goal

throughout her entire life

of trying to make sure

that the Ptolemaic Dynasty

will not die out.

That Egypt does not become

a province of the Roman Empire.

We'll do it together.

It's the right thing to do.

Worthy of a God.

She has a plan.

Cleopatra always has a plan.

She's researched poisons

that won't be painful,

that won't distort her body.

She decides how she's going to die.

And she decides

with whom she is going to die.

It's not Octavian,

it's not the Roman Senate,

it's Cleopatra.

She is in control.

When Octavian receives that letter,

he knows Cleopatra

is not going to come back to Rome

and she has committed su1c1de.

Being taken in a Roman triumph

would have been tremendously humiliating.

It's very unlikely that Cleopatra

would've been treated with velvet gloves.

Defeated enemies

are usually k*lled right afterwards.

So she knew that her death

was on the horizon anyway.

There was no way

Octavian could have allowed her to live.

Octavian knows it's over.

We do not know the method

with which Cleopatra committed su1c1de.

The one that every film producer loves

is that she d*ed as the result

of the bite of the Egyptian cobra or asp.

The cobra is a symbol of royalty.

So even if the asp

was not a part of her su1c1de,

it was a perfect symbol to represent

that she was leaving this world

as queen of Egypt.

Cleopatra and Mark Antony,

their burials have never been found.

We don't know whether or not

she got her last request,

that they get buried together.

The quest of archaeologists

looking for Cleopatra's tomb

futile.

Octavian is not going

to allow a tomb

with the remains

of Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

That would have become

a center point for rebellion.

It was not the Roman tradition

to entomb bodies.

They didn't mummify bodies, they cremated.

I think Cleopatra and Mark Antony

were cremated.

This is the true turning point in history.

Egypt totally loses its independence.

It's over.

It becomes a province of Rome.

Egypt's long history

as a great civilization ends.

Egypt now becomes

the grain basket of Rome.

Rome would not have been able

to go on militarily

without being able to spend

vast amounts of Egyptian wealth.

Rome tapped the bank of Egypt

and impoverished it.

It really ends Egypt as the dynastic land

that we think of today.

Cleopatra is the last pharaoh of Egypt.

Shortly thereafter,

Octavian has the Senate

declare him Emperor.

The Emperor Augustus.

He wanted to be ruler forever.

That was his idea

of what a dictator should be.

Ironically, like Cleopatra before,

Octavian is elevated as a living god.

Cleopatra's death

was one of the final phases

of what we consider to be ancient Egypt.

We still have

Cleopatra's other three children.

The children

of Mark Antony and Cleopatra,

they'll represent a thr*at to Octavian.

They will come for you and me ♪

Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene

and little Ptolemy Philadelphus

are taken back to Rome.

From my deepest scar ♪

Oh-oh-oh ♪

However, there is no way

that he could permit Caesarion to live.

Caesarion was raised

to be a Pharoah.

He could rise up,

he could say, "I am Caesar's son.

I should be ruling Rome."

He's just too big a thr*at to Octavian.

So he is ex*cuted.

He, he is k*lled.

When Octavian takes

the children back to Rome,

he parades them

behind an effigy of Cleopatra

with a snake or an asp clasped to her arm.

He humiliates them publicly

by having them walk behind

this effigy of their mother

and weighing them down with gold chains.

The chains were supposedly so heavy

that they were stumbling

and they could barely walk.

People actually felt sympathy

for the children,

but after that,

he sent them, surprisingly,

to live with his sister, Octavia,

who was Mark Antony's wife

when these children were conceived.

So the long-suffering Octavia

brings up Mark Antony's children.

The two boys fall off

the historical radar,

but Cleopatra Selene

marries Juba of Mauretania.

So, Cleopatra Selene, ironically,

becomes another African queen.

Cleopatra Selene rules over

a sumptuous court

at the capital of Mauretania,

much like Alexandria.

Cleopatra Selene's court

is also filled

with literature and philosophy and art.

Selene, like her mother before her,

has constructed a tomb.

It's one of the most impressive

of the ancient world.

We know from some

of the remains in her tomb

and from the sides of their palaces,

that she actually took Egyptian statues

to her palaces

to continue that connection

to her mother and her homeland.

She has a son

who becomes her and her husband's heir.

She named that son, Ptolemy,

after Cleopatra's father.

That dynasty continues, though,

because her granddaughter

marries into the Roman Imperial family.

And so Cleopatra lives on.

Even in antiquity,

she lived on through her daughter

and she lived on through her grandson.

Cleopatra is significant

in that she is the last ruler

of an independent, powerful Egypt.

We think about

female empowerment.

There is no Rome without Egypt.

This is a woman exercising power.

Cleopatra was trying

to save the country

that she loved from destruction.

I am !sis.

Queen of Kings!

I would die for Egypt.

What would you die for?

She has become an icon.

I resisted Cleopatra

for a really long time.

Uh, in my scholarly life.

I said, "I am not gonna study you.

I'm not gonna study you."

I would have this recurring dream

where there was this shadowy figure,

certainly an ancient person,

clearly a woman,

who would say to me,

"You have to tell my story."

"You have to do it."

I want people to know

the story of Cleopatra

because she was an African queen.

And that's a fact that's been buried,

it's been erased, it's been white-washed.

Generation after generation

are absolutely mesmerized by Cleopatra.

Her story resonates,

I think, with every woman.

Cleopatra was one

of the most influential rulers

the world has ever known.

Her legacy as the most famous

of all African Queens is assured.

She will live on until

there's no one else to tell her story.
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