doubt the sincerity, children—country—_all_ was forgotten in her wild
outburst of sorrow, and still the pitiful story drew to its close.
Cleopatra attempted suicide, but Cæsar’s messengers having now reached
the upper story, with scaling ladders, arrived in time to prevent, and
drew her dagger away, even threatening her with the destruction of
all her children if she did not desist. Now for a space she changed
her policy, but probably never her mind, which was evidently bent on
self-destruction. She arrayed herself in fine garments and received
Cæsar, delivering over to him, nominally, all her treasures, but
flying into a furious passion with a servant who betrayed that she was
withholding a part; alternate gusts of fury and grief swayed the now
enfeebled and broken body, and the tormented soul. At one instant she
drew herself up in queenly dignity, at another threw herself at Cæsar’s
feet, bathed in tears. He raised and tried to reassure her, pretending
that he intended her no harm, but never relinquishing the fixed purpose
of having her grace his triumph. While she, on her part, allowing
herself to seem comforted, was equally unchanged in her determination.
’Tis said that during this interview Octavius kept his eyes upon the
ground that neither the sight of her beauty nor her grief might move
him.
And now comes the last act of the theatrical and tragic story. A
basket of figs was sent up to the queen, and hidden in that, or in the
apartment, was the asp, the messenger of death. Crowned and arrayed
as for a festival she laid herself upon the bed where Antony had
expired, and received a bite from the irritated snake, which she had
tormented to his fatal task, she breathed her last. The passionate
devotion she had inspired was proven by the self-destruction of her
two maidens, Iras and Charmian, both of whom followed her example.
Many old stories have been, by modern criticism and research, proved
to be mythical tales, but this seems to hold its own. She had written
a pitiful entreaty to Cæsar that she might be buried in the same tomb
with Antony, the last proof that her love for him was indeed a true
affection. No sooner had Octavius received this than he suspected her
design, and again sent his messengers, if possible, to prevent it. But
they were too late, and we close with Plutarch’s words: “Iras, one of
her women, lay dying at her feet and Charmian, just ready to fall,
scarce able to hold up her head, was adjusting her mistress’ diadem.”
The picture is very touching. “And,” continues the narrative, “when
one that came in said, ‘Was this well done of your lady, Charmian?’
‘Perfectly well,’ she answered, ‘and as became the daughter of so many
kings.’ And as she said this she fell dead by the bedside.”
Thus the curtain was rung down on the last act of the tragedy. Though
faded in bloom, and torn with emotions the still beautiful queen, in
all the statuesque majesty of death, lay upon her couch, while as in
life her faithful maidens bore her company. So expired the last and
most noted queen of Egypt and Rome, long virtually master, took full
possession. Balked in his scheme of carrying Cleopatra captive, Cæsar
showed what his fixed determination had been by having a golden statue
of her made, with the asp upon her arm, and carried in his triumphal
procession.
Of the fate of Cleopatra’s children, history makes brief mention.
The young Cæsarion, whose rights his mother had always so carefully
guarded, had been sent away with his tutor to the town of far Berenike,
but the faithless man betrayed him to Octavian, who had both him and
Antony’s son, Antyllus, who had been declared an hereditary prince,
cruelly murdered. The younger children, though they soon pass from
the records and are lost to sight, had perchance a happier fate. The
young princess Cleopatra, Antony’s daughter, who doubtless possessed
at least a portion of her mother’s beauty, was married to Juba, the
so-called “literary king” of Mauritania, and Octavian, having removed
those members of the family that he considered in any way dangerous
to his own autocratic authority, permitted the sister to carry with
her the two younger brothers, Alexander and Ptolemy, and thus the once
mighty kingdom of Egypt lay prostrate under the foot of the temporary
master of the world and became a Roman province; and the history of the
Ptolemy race virtually ends with that of the world renowned queen, as
Tennyson says, “a name forever.”
Sam S. & Lee Shubert
direct the following theatres and theatrical attractions in America:
Lyric, Casino and Princess Theatres, New York.
Garrick Theatre, Chicago.
Lyric Theatre, Philadelphia.
Shubert Theatre, Brooklyn.
Belasco Theatre, Washington.
Belasco Theatre, Pittsburg.
Empire Theatre, Newark.
New Theatre, Utica.
Grand Opera House, Syracuse.
Baker Theatre, Rochester.
Shubert Theatre, Providence.
Worcester Theatre, Worcester.
Hyperion Theatre, New Haven.
Lyceum Theatre, Baltimore.
Lyceum Theatre, Buffalo.
Colonial Theatre, Cleveland.
Rand’s Opera House, Troy.
Garrick Theatre, St. Louis.
Sam S. Shubert Theatre, Norfolk, Va.
Grand Opera House, Columbus.
New Theatre, Cincinnati.
Mary Anderson Theatre, Louisville.
New Theatre, Richmond, Va.
New Theatre, Lexington, Ky.
New Theatre, Mobile.
New Theatre, Atlanta.
Shubert Theatre, Milwaukee.
Lyric Theatre, New Orleans.
New Marlowe Theatre, Chattanooga.
New Theatre, Detroit.
Grand Opera House, Davenport, Iowa.
New Theatre, Toronto.
New Sothern Theatre, Denver.
Sam S. Shubert Theatre, Kansas City.
Majestic Theatre, Los Angeles.
Belasco Theatre, Portland.
Shubert Theatre, Seattle.
Majestic Theatre, San Francisco.
Mme. Bernhardt in repertoire.
E. H. Sothern & Julia Marlowe in repertoire.
Mrs. Patrick Campbell in repertoire.
Margaret Anglin in repertoire.
Virginia Harned in “The Girl in Waiting.”
Drina De Wolfe and Charles Cartwright in a new play.
Cyril Maude and Winifred Emery in repertoire.
Arnold Daly in repertoire.
Henry Miller in a new play.
Louis Mann and Clara Lipman in “Julie Bonbon.”
Guy Standing in a new play.
Mary Shaw in “The Love That Blinds.”
Henry Woodruff in “Brown of Harvard.”
W. H. Thompson in “Money Talks.”
“A Midsummer’s Eve,” by Evelyn Greenleaf Sutherland.
A new play by George Hazleton.
“The Secret Orchard,” by Channing Pollock.
De Wolf Hopper in “Happyland.”
Paula Edwardes in “Princess Beggar.”
Eddie Foy in “The Earl and the Girl.”
Jefferson De Angelis in “Fantana.”
Julia Sanderson in “The Motor Girl.”
Marguerite Clark, in a new opera.
Christie Macdonald in a new opera.
“Mexicana,” with Louis Harrison.
“The Social Whirl,” with Adele Ritchie, Jos. Coyne and Ross &
Fenton.
“The Babes and the Baron.”
“The Blue Moon.”
“Veronique.”
Peter F. Dailey in a new musical comedy.
“Queen Xixi of Ix.”
The following attractions also play exclusively in their theatres:
DAVID BELASCO’S ATTRACTIONS:
Mrs. Leslie Carter in a new play.
Blanche Bates in “The Girl of the Golden West.”
David Warfield in “The Music Master.”
Bertha Galland in a new play.
HARRISON GRAY FISKE’S ATTRACTIONS:
Mrs. Fiske in “The New York Idea.”
“Leah Kleschna.”
Mme. Kalich in “Therese Raquin.”
WALTER LAWRENCE’S ATTRACTIONS:
Henry E. Dixey in “The Man on the Box.”
Cyril Scott in “The Prince Chap.”
“Mrs. Temple’s Telegram.”
Carlotta Nillson in a new play.
ROBERT HUNTER’S ATTRACTIONS:
“Before and After.”
You cannot go wrong in selecting one of these play-houses for an
evening’s entertainment in whatever city you may happen to be.
[Illustration: BALZAC’S DROLL STORIES]
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