← All chapters

Cleopatra · Chapter

XI: Of the Tomb of the Divine Menkau-Ra; Of the Writing on the Breast of Menkau-Ra; Of the Drawing Forth of the Treasure; Of the Dweller in the Tomb; and of the Flight of Cleopatra and Harmachis from the Holy Place explained

Harmachis and Cleopatra enter the pyramid tomb of Pharaoh Menkau-Ra, unroll his mummy, and retrieve the hidden treasure of emeralds and gold, despite their fear of the curse and a mysterious shadow.

What happens

Harmachis and Cleopatra enter the pyramid tomb of Pharaoh Menkau-Ra, unroll his mummy, and retrieve the hidden treasure of emeralds and gold, despite their fear of the curse and a mysterious shadow. After their gruesome task, they flee the holy place as the stone door swings shut behind them.

Themes in this chapter

  • Fate and Destiny

    The treasure is said to be preserved for a specific hour of need, and Harmachis and Cleopatra believe they are fated to retrieve it to save Egypt from Rome.

  • Power and Corruption

    Cleopatra's lust for the treasure and her willingness to violate a sacred tomb for political and personal gain illustrate the corrupting influence of power.

Characters to notice

  • Harmachis

    Guides Cleopatra into the tomb, reads the ancient writings, and assists in unwrapping the mummy and retrieving the treasure.

  • Cleopatra

    Driven by greed and desperation, she insists on opening the tomb and unwrapping the mummy despite her fear, and ultimately faints from the ordeal.

Key passages

  • “I, Menkau-ra, the Osirian, aforetime Pharaoh of the Land of Khem, who in my day did live justly and ever walked in the path marked for my feet by the decree of the Invisible, who was the beginning and is the end, speak from my tomb to those who after me shall for an hour sit upon my Throne.”

    Menkau-Ra, the former Pharaoh of Egypt, who lived righteously according to divine will, addresses future rulers from his tomb.

    The inscription on the gold plate explains the purpose of the hidden treasure.

  • “Behold, I, Menkau-ra, the Osirian, having in the days of my life been warned of a dream that a time will come when Khem shall fear to fall into the hands of strangers, and her monarch shall have great need of treasure wherewith to furnish armies to drive the barbarian back, have out of my wisdom done this thing.”

    Menkau-Ra, warned in a dream that Egypt would one day need treasure to defend against invaders, wisely hid this wealth.

    The justification for the treasure's concealment is revealed.

  • “We were alone with the dead, whose rest we were about to break; and no sound of the murmuring air, and no sight of life came to dull the awful edge of solitude.”

    They were isolated with the corpse they intended to disturb, in a silence and darkness that intensified their dread.

    Describes the oppressive atmosphere inside the tomb.

Read this chapter freeBook page