# Of the Disobedience of Harmachis; Of the Slaying of the Lion; and of the Speech of the Old Wife, Atoua explained — Cleopatra

> Chapter companion for Cleopatra by H. Rider Haggard.

## What happens

Harmachis recounts the aftermath of Ptolemy Aulêtes' mockery of a slain child, his own upbringing and training, and his defiance of his father's orders to hunt a lion. He slays the lion and is met by the old wife Atoua, who prophesies his destiny to overthrow the Macedonian rule and strike down the Roman lion, warning him to beware of Woman the Destroyer. She cleverly conceals her prophecy from a spy of Ptolemy by feigning madness.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fate and Destiny

Atoua's prophecy declares Harmachis as the destined deliverer of Egypt, foretelling his role in overthrowing the Macedonian and Roman powers, contingent on his purity.

### Power and Corruption

Ptolemy Aulêtes' cruel mockery of the slain child and his fear of Amenti illustrate the corruption of power and the moral decay of the Ptolemaic court.

### Patriotism and Rebellion

The prophecy and Harmachis's lion slaying symbolize the Egyptian resistance against foreign domination, with the lion representing Rome and the dead man representing the Ptolemy.

## Character check-ins

### Harmachis

The narrator and protagonist, now a young man of seventeen, who disobeys his father's command and slays a lion, demonstrating his strength and courage.

### Atoua

The old wife who prophesies over Harmachis after the lion slaying, calling him 'Royal' and 'the Deliverer,' and warning him of the great temptation to come.

### Ptolemy Aulêtes

The Piper Pharaoh, who mocked the head of a slain child and later trembled at the omen spoken by a sharp-tongued girl.

### Sepa

The High Priest who adopted Harmachis and forbade him from hunting lions, though his reasons remain mysterious.

## Key lines

> And the girl, who was sharp of tongue—for all of this I heard in after years—said to him that 'he did well to bow the knee, for this child was indeed Pharaoh, the greatest of Pharaohs, and his name was the Osiris and his throne was Death.'

A quick-witted girl told Ptolemy that he was right to kneel, because the dead child was truly the greatest Pharaoh, whose name was Osiris and whose throne was Death.

_The girl's omen foreshadows the theme of death and destiny, linking the slain child to the god Osiris._

> But the Alexandrians made a song on the matter, which is still sung about the streets. And this is the beginning of it— Ptolemy the Piper played Over dead and dying; Piped and played he well.

The people of Alexandria composed a mocking song about Ptolemy the Piper, which is still sung in the streets, beginning with lines about him playing his flute over the dead and dying.

_This song reflects the popular contempt for Ptolemy Aulêtes and his callousness._

> The lion there—he growls within the Capitol at Rome—and the dead man, he is the Ptolemy—the Macedonian spawn that, like a foreign weed, hath overgrown the land of Nile; with the Macedonian Lagidae thou shalt go to smite the lion of Rome.

The lion represents Rome growling from the Capitol, and the dead man is the Ptolemy, a Macedonian weed that has overrun Egypt; you will go with the Macedonian Lagidae to strike down the Roman lion.

_Atoua's prophecy uses allegory to identify the lion as Rome and the dead man as the Ptolemaic dynasty, foretelling Harmachis's role in their downfall._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cleopatra_se/chapters/ii-of-the-disobedience-of-harmachis-of-the-slaying-of-the-lion-and-of-the-speech-of-the-old-wife-atoua
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cleopatra_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cleopatra_se/chapters