cleopatra

The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne,
Burn'd on the water...
...she did lie
In her pavilion—cloth-of-gold of tissue--
O'er-picturing that Venus where we see
The fancy outwork nature: on each side her
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With divers-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid did. (Act 2, Scene 2)
Antony and Cleopatra. Shakespeare

Cleopatra VII Philopator (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ; Late 69 BC– August 12, 30 BC), known to history as Cleopatra, was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
Cleopatra was an extremely beautiful,talented and wise ruler of Egypt. She used politics and statecraft to save Egypt from Roman conquest. She succeeded in preserving the unique culture of Egypt from the Romans at the cost of her own life!
Her love affairs with Julius Ceaser and Mark Antony are part of folklore now.
The people of Egypt loved their Queen and followed her blindly.
Cleopatra's foreign policy goal, in addition to preserving her personal power, was to maintain Egypt's independence from the rapidly expanding Roman Empire. By trading with Eastern nations—Arabia and possibly as far away as India—she built up Egypt's economy, bolstering her country's status as a world power. By allying herself with Roman general Mark Antony, Cleopatra hoped to keep Octavian, Julius Caesar's heir and Antony's rival, from making Egypt a vassal to Rome. Ancient sources make it clear that Cleopatra and Antony did love each other and that Cleopatra bore Antony three children; still, the relationship was also very useful to an Egyptian queen who wished to expand and protect her empire.