Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile

Not to be confused with "Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile" (film).

Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile
Book no.	2
Series	The Royal Diaries
Also titled	Cleopatra
Author	Kristiana Gregory
Publisher	Scholastic
Published	September 1, 1999
Pages	221
ISBN	9780590819756
Setting	Alexandria, Ancient Egypt Ancient Rome
Timeline	January 57 BC – June 55 BC
Preceded by
Publication	Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor
Followed by
Chronology	Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South
Publication	Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles

It is most urgent that I record the troubling events of this week. Father has gone into hiding, having fled for his life. Through it is the twenty-third year of his reign, he is in danger of losing his throne. He is, of course, King Ptolemy Auletes, honored pharaoh of Egypt.

—Cleopatra VII

Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile is a fictional diary written by Kristiana Gregory. The book was published in September 1999 as a part of Scholastic's The Royal Diaries. It was the second book in the series and was followed by Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles. Cleopatra was adapted into a television film in 2000. The book has also been republished and translated for release around the world.

Cleopatra VII, the young princess of Ptolemaic Egypt, travels to Rome with her father, King Ptolemy XII Auletes, in 57 BC.

Dedication

"Dedicated with much love to my father, Hal Gregory, whose appreciation of ancient literature gave me the courage to peek at Plutarch and all the rest."

Book description

• Original
• My Story
• Mon Histoire
• Mon Histoire 2
• Mon Histoire 3

"3 Januarius, Morning
I could feel my insides shaking. Would this sister try to poison me? Yes, I believe so. As for my other older sister, Berenice—never! She and I adore each other even though I am eight years younger.
I took the cup and raised it toward Tryphaena as if toasting her, but really I was watching the liquid, looking for oil floating on its surface, or powder sticking to the sides of the cup. If I suspected poison and tossed it into the pool, she would have her guards behead me on the spot. If it was indeed poison, one sip and I could die....
My eyes closed as I took the first sip, as if savoring such an excellent taste, but really my thought was. O Isis, I am afraid.... My stomach turned with nervousness, or was it from a fearsome death beginning in me?"

"It's 57 BC, and Princess Cleopatra's father, the Pharaoh, has gone into hiding after an attempt on his life. Even his children don't know where he is. But Cleopatra fears that the assassin will eventually succeed–she must be ready to take the throne. She wants to be the best Pharaoh Egypt has ever known..."

"Partage le journal intime de Cléopâtre, et vis avec elle le destin captivant d'une jeune princesse égyptienne.
⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻
"27 février. La nouvelle est arrivée. Le messager était un petit garçon éthiopien qui et s'est écroulé à mes pieds. J'ai gardé ma distance de princesse, mais je lui ai souri quand il a levé les yeux.
J'ai porté la tablette jusqu'à la fenêtre, à la lumière. J'ai brisé le sceau, défait la ficelle et lu le message. Mon père qui se cache depuis des semaines se trouve au port, prêt à embarquer pour Rome.""

"«Princesse Cléopâtre, a dit le messager en lisant un rouleau de parchemin, votre soeur Tryphaéna souhaite que vous sachiez qu'étant donné que vous et votre père naviguez vers Rome, elle est maintenant reine et pharaon. Si l'un de vous remet jamais le pied en Égypte, il sera exécuté sur-le-champ.»
Partage le journal intime de Cléopâtre, et découvre le destin fascinant d'une future reine d'Egypte.
En fin d'ouvrage, un supplément historique sur Cléopâtre et la vie des pharaons dan l'Antiquité."

"Partage le journal intime de Cléopâtre, et vis le destin captivant d'une jeune princesse égyptienne.'
⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻
3 Janvier, 57 Avant J.-C.
«J'ai senti mes entrailles se tordre. Ma soeur essaierait-elle de m'empoisonner? Oui, je le crois... J'ai pris la coupe et l'ai levée vers Tryphaéna comme pour l'honorer, mais en réalité, je scrutais le liquide à la recherche de traces d'huile à la surface ou de trainées de poudre sur les parois. Si je jetais le contenu de mon verre dans le bassin, elle me ferait décapiter sur-le-champ par ses gardes. S'il s'gissait bien de poison, une seule gorgée, et c'était la mort.»"

Plot

Cleopatra VII is the twelve-year-old Princess of Egypt living in Alexandria. She starts a diary in January 57 BC to record that an attempt has been made on the life of her father, King Ptolemy XII Auletes. He has subsequently gone into hiding and Cleopatra remains unaware of his whereabouts. Her older sister, Tryphaena, has already taken over his bedchambers. Cleopatra begins to fear Tryphaena, who desires to be queen. Her good friend, Olympus, helps her learn of her father's plans to gather support in Rome. At the end of February, Olympus sends word that Cleopatra's father is ready to set sail and to watch out for Tryphaena's allies. She makes her way to the harbor with her loyal servant Neva and guard Puzo.

After setting sail, word comes that Tryphaena has crowned herself queen. Cleopatra and her father arrive in Rome in mid-May. There they stay with a wealthy citizen, named Tullus Atticus. Cleopatra keeps her father from being mocked by Roman officials, such as Pompey the Great, since she speaks their language. Soon after their arrival, news comes from Egypt that Tryphaena has been killed by her father's supporters. Unfortunately, the victory is short-lived since Cleopatra's other older sister Berenice has now seized the throne for herself. Later, Cleopatra meets Marc Antony, the chief cavalry officer whom will lead the Roman soldiers to Egypt. She finds him annoying while also enjoying his presence.

Cleopatra dislikes Rome and becomes homesick, but perks up when Tullus Atticus invites her to his summer villa. There she spends a lot of time with her new friend, Julia, the wife of Pompey and daughter of Julius Caesar. Over the summer, she learns of Puzo's and Neva's feelings for each other. Cleopatra forbids them from acting affectionate to avoid repercussions from her father. In the fall, she returns to Rome to learn that her father has wasted time by not meeting with any officials. Their departure is delayed until the next year. In February 56 BC, Cleopatra meets Cicero, a Roman orator and lawyer she admires. The two are friendly until he makes an argument against helping Egypt to the Senate.

After yet another delay, Cleopatra is "low in spirit" and does not write again until the following winter. She meets Cicero unexpectedly during Saturnalia and rebukes him. Later, Cicero withdraws his complaints, which finally allows Cleopatra and her father to leave with Roman support. Before leaving, she receives a kiss from Marc Antony. Cleopatra and her father leave by sea, while Marc Antony travels with the soldiers by land. They arrive in early March 55 BC. King Ptolemy successfully reclaims his throne and orders Berenice to be executed via beheading. Once everything has settled down, Cleopatra secretly has Neva and Puzo married and travels up the Nile to learn more about the country she will rule one day.

Epilogue

Cleopatra, following Egyptian custom, married her younger brother Ptolemy XIII. They became co-rulers upon their father's death in 51 BC. Three years earlier, Julia died in childbirth which "loosened the political ties" between her father Julius Caesar and husband Pompey. Being Caesar's "last obstacle," Pompey sought asylum in Egypt. He was immediately beheaded in a misguided attempt to win favor with Caesar by the thirteen-year-old Ptolemy. When Caesar arrived days later, Ptolemy presented him Pompey's severed head. Caesar allegedly wept at the sight. Cleopatra later met Caesar by having herself rolled into a rug and bought to his quarters. They became lovers and had a son, Ptolemy XV Caesarion in 47 BC.

Following Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, he was succeeded by his legal heir Octavian. The following year, Cicero was assassinated on Marc Antony's order. Cleopatra and Marc Antony later fell in love and had three children together, Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene, and Ptolemy Philadelphus. The couple tried to defend Alexandria against Octavian, but his army arrived after winning a "crucial battle at sea" against the couple. Cleopatra arranged for Caesarion to flee Egypt, but he was murdered before reaching safety. Marc Antony stabbed himself in response to the military defeat. He was carried to Cleopatra's hiding place and died in her arms. Cleopatra then took her own life by allowing a deadly snake to bite her.

After Cleopatra's and Marc's Antony's deaths, their children were sent to Italy to be taken care of by Antony's fourth wife Octavia. The boys eventually disappeared. Their sister went on to marry King Juba II of Mauretania and had two children, Ptolemy and Drusilla. Some accounts state that Drusilla married Marcus Antonius Felix, the governor of Judea. Additionally, Cleopatra was close friends with Olympus, her personal physician, until her death.

Historical Note

The historical note first addresses that information about Cleopatra's early life is often "contradictory and confusing." Her physical appearance and the age she was when she met Marc Antony are among the things most widely speculated about by historians. The note quotes a passage from Plutarch, which describes Cleopatra's beauty and her ability to speak several languages. The method of recordkeeping during her time is described along with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. The note then speculates that Cleopatra, who was literate and interested in other cultures, may have recorded her own thoughts that could possibly be discovered some day like the aforementioned scrolls.

In the form of a bullet point list, the historical note discusses events from before and after Cleopatra's lifetime. Among the topics are a brief overview on the history of Ancient Egypt and Alexander the Great. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which destroyed the resort towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum is mentioned since Cleopatra may have stayed there during her time in Rome. It ends with bullet points on Octavian and Cleopatra's suicide at the young age of thirty-nine. A family tree of the Ptolemy family is included along with details on Cleopatra's family and other historical figures mentioned in the book. Twenty-three pictures and three maps round out the section.

Characters

Main article: List of Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile characters

• Cleopatra VII is the twelve-year-old daughter of the King of Egypt. She decides to travel to Rome with her father, fearing that her oldest sister may try to have her killed.
• Ptolemy XII Auletes, the King of Egypt who flees Alexandria after attempts are made on his life. He is granted little respect in Rome due to his vices, but Cleopatra helps bolster his presence.

Adaptation

Cleopatra movie on VHS

Main article: Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile (film)

Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile was adapted into a short television film in 2000. The movie was released on video tape the same year and on DVD in 2008. It starred Elisa Moolecherry as Cleopatra.

Author

Main article: Kristiana Gregory

Kristiana Gregory is an American children's author. She has written five books in Dear America, three in The Royal Diaries, and three in My America. In the "About the Author" section, Gregory wrote about studying Cleopatra in the fifth grade, picturing her with "beautiful clothes and jewels and [...] floating down the river in a fancy boat". She enjoyed researching Cleopatra and had never imagined "that she was so intelligent and could speak several languages."

Editions

• Physical
• eBook
• Audio

Cleopatra VII: Figlia del Nilo
Diari nella storia
9788845125515
(April 2001)

Cleopatra: Hija del Nilo
Spanish edition
9788478886852
(July 2002)

Κλεοπάτρα: Η κόρη του Νείλου
Greek edition
9789603978329
(2004)

Kleopatra VII: Córka Nilu
Polish edition
9788373912144
(2004)

Cléopâtre, fille du Nil
Mon Histoire
9782070511556
(September 2005)

คลีโอพัตราที่ 7 ธิดาแห่งแม่น้ำไนล์
Thai edition
9786167018089
(2010)

Cleopatra
My Royal Story
9781407116174
(April 2010)

کلئوپاترا دختر نیل
Persian edition
9786001037078
(2012)

کلئوپاترا دختر نیل اثر
Persian edition
9789651262104
(2015)

Cléopâtre, fille du Nil
Folio Junior edition
9782070587063
(September 2016)

尼罗河的女儿
History Behind the Diary
9787020120598
(April 2017)

Cléopâtre, fille du Nil
Mon Histoire reprint
9782075109321
(February 2019)

Cleopatra
My Royal Story eBook
B00IZCODEY
(April 2014)

• Narrator: Unknown
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Published: January 2002
• No. of discs: Unknown
• ISBN: 9780439732482
• Note: Published as a part of Scholastic's READ 180 program.

---

• Narrator: Josephine Bailey
• Publisher: Tantor Media
• Published: June 1, 2006
• Running time: 3 hours and 37 minutes
• No. of discs: 3
• ISBN: 9781400102433

Cleopatra audio sample

Notes

• The illustration on the cover of the original edition was done by American artist Tim O'Brien.
• The cover of the My Royal Story edition was illustrated by Richard Jones.

See also

The Royal Diaries navigation
← Publication → Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles ← Chronology → None Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South

My Royal Story navigation
← Publication → Anne Boleyn and Me Marie Antoinette ← Chronology → Egyptian Princess Catherine of Aragon

External links

• Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile at Scholastic (archive)
• Interview with Kristiana Gregory about Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile at Scholastic (archive)
• Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile Discussion Guide at Scholastic (archive)
• Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile at Scholastic Canada (archive)
• Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile Discussion Guide at Scholastic Canada (archive)
• Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile at Teaching Books