This article's content is marked as Mature The page contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
Cleopatra VII, known throughout the game as Princess/Queen Cleopatra is one of the two secondary antagonists of the 2017 action videogame Assassin's Creed: Origins, alongside Julius Caesar. She starts the game as the aspiring Pharaoh of Egypt, fighting against her younger brother and co-ruler Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII for sole domination. She was originally aided by the Proto-Assassin Bayek of Siwa and his wife Aya, who was a personal agent of the aspiring Queen.
Once she had gained the throne however, Cleopatra revealed that she had little interest in the affairs of her subjects. Betraying many of the people that she had once called allies, the new Pharaoh's only concerns were maintaining her position of absolute power, securing the future of both herself and her son and maintaining friendly relations with the people that she believed mattered. It was a decision that would cost the new Pharaoh and her allies dearly.
For her video game appearance, Cleopatra was voiced by Zora Bishop.
Appearance[]
Cleopatra is depicted as a beautiful young woman. As befitting of her status as both a princess and later a Pharaoh, her clothes and the accessories she wore were of the highest quality. Her black hair was braided and was shown either decorated with golden ringlets or an innate headwear. These, in addition to the golden braclet's on her right arm and the bejeweled necklace worn about her neck, were a symbol of both Cleopatra's wealth and power.
Personality[]
Cleopatra appeared to be quite witty and charismatic at first, displaying a very charming and enthusiastic attitude who loved to surround herself with lavish parties and decor. With these qualities she was easily able to win over the mass Egyptian crowds to her favor promising that she would bring prosperity to Egypt. She offered to help the main protagonists of the story, Bayek and Aya, in getting revenge on their sons killers only in exchange they would help her get the throne from her corrupt brother, Ptollemy XIII. Cleopatra was also quite determined. Eager to get the throne she so desperately wanted no matter the cost.
However, beneath her charming exterior was a ruthless, seductive, and determined political manipulator willing to get rid of anyone if it meant they were in obstacle in getting her throne. She never really meant to help Bayek and Aya claim vengeance, betraying them as soon as she acquired her throne. She then allied herself with the main antagonists of the game, The Order of the Ancients and her lover, Julius Caesar who was revealed to be the puppet of the order.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
To be added.
Meeting Bayek[]
To be added.
Treachery[]
To be added.
A Deadly Threat[]
A few days following Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra was staying in a villa on the outskirts of the Eternal City in the company of her son Caesarion. Their peace was interrupted when a figure stepped out of the shadows; it was Aya. Cleopatra angrily confronted the woman that she had once called an ally. Whilst Caesarion continued to play innocently in the background, the Queen of Egypt chastised her former agent for ruining everything. Fully aware of the role that Aya played in the death of her lover, Cleopatra declared that if she had just left well enough alone, her son would have succeeded his father as the ruler of Rome.
Feeling nothing but disgust and contempt for the Queen that betrayed her, Aya told Cleopatra flat out that this plan would never have worked. The people of Rome now considered Caesar a tyrant, and all that Cleopatra's actions had done was to earn her the mockery title of "a dead tyrant's whore". Angered by this statement, Cleopatra glared at Aya, warning her to watch her tone when speaking to a Pharaoh. Ignoring this statement, Aya looked the corrupt ruler right in the eye and proclaimed her disappointment in Cleopatra. She called her the Queen of "liars and snakes", who betrayed everything that the people who aided her fought for and who handed Egypt into the hands of their enemies.
Pushed beyond her limit, Cleopatra attempted to strike Aya, proclaiming that she was Egypt. To the Pharaoh's astonishment however, Aya not only intercepted the strike, but activated her hidden blade, holding it threateningly in front of Cleopatra's face. In that moment, Cleopatra finally realised that Aya had renounced her allegiance to her. She no longer cared about Cleopatra's position and was perfectly prepared to kill the God Queen right then and there. The only thing that stopped Aya's hand that day was Caesarion's presence, as the Hidden One had no desire to murder a mother in front of her child.
Yet even so, Aya made it perfectly clear that she was now done with Cleopatra. In a small act of mercy, Caesar's killer told the Pharaoh that she would be given one more chance to prove herself as the ruler of Egypt. Although she spared the latter on this occasion, Aya warned Cleopatra that if they ever met again, it would result in the Queen's death. Before departing, the founding-mother of the Assassin Order coldly reminded Cleopatra and her son that they were now the last of the Pharaoh's. Shaken by these declarations, Cleopatra embraced Caesarion, allowing Aya to leave the villa unnoticed.
Later Life and Legacy[]
Note: The information in this section is based off of supplementary Assassin's Creed material outside of the Assassin's Creed Origins game. The canonicity of this information is questionable and liable to change in the future.
It is not clear how seriously Cleopatra took Aya's threat, but following Caesar's death, things began to go downhill for her. According to the Roman officials, Caesar's will completely excluded his son Caesarion. All of the former dictators wealth, power and possessions were instead transferred to his nephew and adopted son Octavian, who would later become Augustus, the First Emperor of Rome. With nothing to show from her alliance with Caesar and fearing what Octavian might do to her family, Cleopatra fled back to Egypt.
Despite her escape, Cleopatra knew full well that the balance of power within the Mediterranean lay firmly within Rome's quarters. Knowing that her and Egypt's only hope of survival lay in staying within the Republic's good graces, she seduced and eventually began a relationship with another high ranking Roman official. The man Cleopatra chose was a former officer from Caesar's army, Marcus Antonius (Mark Anthony). Together with Octavian, Anthony had become one of the most powerful men in the Roman Republic following Caesar's demise. By 32 BC. he effectively ruled over the Republic's eastern territories. It is possible that the Queen of Egypt's plans were aided by fellow members of the Order of the Ancients.
Unfortunately for Cleopatra, her attempts to maintain both her power and the status quo ended in failure. In 32 BC, Octavian and Anthony led the Republic into civil war, battling each other for complete control of Rome and all its territories. Despite Cleopatra's support, Anthony lost the war and shortly after the couples return to Egypt, he committed suicide. With her last remaining supporter dead, Cleopatra found herself surrounded by enemies on all sides. Octavian's army was closing in and the Order of the Ancients abandoned her, shifting its allegiance from Egypt to Rome and Octavian.
Trapped within her own palace, Cleopatra was once again confronted by Aya. Now going by the name of Amunet, the Hidden One had returned to fulfil the promise that she had made almost a decade previously. There are two conflicting accounts about what happened next:-
- According to Amunet's epitaph in the Villa Auditore, Italy and Assassin legend, the assassin killed Cleopatra by infiltrating the palace in secret and then getting a venomous snake to bite the doomed Queen.
- In the Assassins Creed Origin comic books however, Amunet merely conversed with Cleopatra, making it clear that the Queen and her Kingdom were destined to be consumed by the Roman Empire. Accepting defeat, Cleopatra pleaded with her former friend to at least save Caesarion, a request that Amunet honored. Before leaving, Amunet, knowing what would happen to Cleopatra if the Romans captured her, gave the Queen a small vial; a final gift and an easy way out. Refusing to be taken back to Rome as a prisoner, where she would face torture and death, Cleopatra chose to drink this poison, ending her life and reign on her own terms.
Whatever the case, by the time Octavian reached the palace, Cleopatra, the last Queen of Egypt, was dead. With her died the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the Egyptian Empire and the title of Pharaoh. For the next several centuries, Egypt would remain a part of the Roman Empire. From within it's shadows, the Order of the Ancients and their enemies the Hidden Ones waged a secret war, fighting for control and influence over the Empire's rulers.
Trivia[]
- Like several of the other characters depicted within the Assassins Creed franchise, Cleopatra was based off of a real historical figure of the same name. Many of the myths and legends attributed to her, such as her divine beauty and being smuggled into the palace to meet with Caesar were depicted in the game.
- As mentioned in the Later Life and Legacy section of this article, there are two conflicting accounts concerning Cleopatra's death. This ironically matches real world history, where amateur and professional historians continue to debate how Cleopatra died. As of 2023 the two most popular theories are that she committed suicide either by snake bite or poison.
- Cleopatra's declaration of "I am Egypt" is reminiscent of Darth Sidious' proclamation in Revenge of the Sith, where the future Emperor proclaims "I am the Senate".
- Alongside Flavius, Septimius and Caesar, Cleopatra was indirectly responsible for the creation of The Assassin Brotherhood. Her betrayal, inspired Bayek and Aya to form a group that directly opposed the Order of the Ancients, whilst protecting the will of the people.
[]
Villains | ||
Surtr | Sinmara | Hades | Juno | Instruments of the First Will Persephone| Builder | Aita | Hermes | Loki | Hel | Isfet | Apep
Cult of Kosmos (Peloponnesian War) Order of the Ancients
Knight Templars Mongolian Templars Egyptian Templars Italian Templars Spanish Templars Byzantine Templars Chinese Templars Japanese Templars Caribbean Templars
Portuguese Templars Louisiana Templars Colonial Templars/American Templars British Templars Parisian Templars Austrian Templars Russian Templars German Templars 21st Century Templars (Abstergo Industries, mainly)
Assassin Brotherhood & Their Allies Bellatores Dei
The Tyranny of King Washington Jack the Ripper Mythological Creatures |