Mark Gagnon

do what she needed to do to maintain power, she was able to do it.

And through her skills politically, she was able to conquer and control so much of Egypt and even lead a quasi-rebellion against the Roman emperor Octavian.

And she really tried to preserve her country's independence during this massive period of historical change.

And whether she succeeded partially or failed ultimately, it depends how you judge her goals.

But there's no question that she was one of the most capable rulers of her era.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of Cleopatra.

I mean, kind of a baddie, dude.

Like, that's sort of sick.

I might say the original baddie.

The original, right?

The OG.

I mean, there is something to be said.

Like, yeah, is it possible that she, like...

would cozy up to powerful men in order to get power for herself.

It's like, yeah, kind of, but also men controlled all the power.

So like if she was able just to be like, hey, I'm the queen, you guys got to cozy up to me, then it might be a different story.

But like she needs Rome and the Roman emperor is going to be a dude.

So inevitably it's like, yeah, that's what she's going to have to do.

It's also kind of a smart strategy for the Egyptians in a way.

Like if I was Ptolemy XII, I would have been like, hey, Cleopatra, you're in charge.