Cleopatra · Chapter
XII: Of the Coming Back of Harmachis; Of the Greeting of Charmion; and of the Answer of Cleopatra to Quintus Dellius, the Ambassador of Antony the Triumvir explained
Harmachis and Cleopatra escape the pyramid tomb at dawn, sharing a tender moment as they wash in a canal.
What happens
Harmachis and Cleopatra escape the pyramid tomb at dawn, sharing a tender moment as they wash in a canal. Cleopatra later holds court to receive Quintus Dellius, Antony's ambassador. Despite Harmachis's hopes, Cleopatra rebukes him publicly and delays their marriage, while Charmion's influence grows. Cleopatra gives Dellius a cryptic answer, hinting at her eventual submission to Antony, and Harmachis is left humiliated and betrayed.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Betrayal
Harmachis's love for Cleopatra is intertwined with his betrayal of her trust and his own political hopes, while Cleopatra's promises prove hollow.
Power and Corruption
Cleopatra's manipulation of Harmachis and the court, her sale of the pyramid gems, and her strategic dalliance with Antony illustrate the corrupting influence of power.
Characters to notice
- Harmachis
Returns from the pyramid with Cleopatra, hopes for marriage and to strengthen Egypt, but is publicly shamed by Cleopatra and mocked by the court.
- Cleopatra
Emerges from the tomb exhausted but regal; rebukes Harmachis in court, gives a non-committal answer to Dellius, and delays her promise of marriage.
- Charmion
Observes Harmachis's fall with triumph; is revealed as a keeper of the Queen's secrets and exerts influence over Cleopatra's decisions.
- Quintus Dellius
Antony's ambassador, delivers a message to Cleopatra and receives her ambiguous reply; mocks Harmachis in court.
Key passages
“How fair she seemed, even in her disarray, her long hair streaming down her breast! how deadly fair she seemed in the faint light—this woman the story of whose beauty and whose sin shall outlive the solid mass of the mighty pyramid that towered over us!”
Harmachis reflects on Cleopatra's beauty, noting that her legend will outlast even the pyramids.
Highlights the theme of enduring fame and the contrast between beauty and moral corruption.
“Peace, Slave! who bade thee break in upon our counsels? Mind thou thy stars, and leave matters of the world to the rulers of the world!”
Cleopatra angrily silences Harmachis in court, reminding him of his subordinate role as an astrologer.
Shows Cleopatra's public rejection of Harmachis and her assertion of royal authority.
“When the Queen sails in state up Cydnus stream she will surely draw this coarse Antony thence to Alexandria, conquering, and yet, like thee, a slave!”
Charmion predicts that Cleopatra will seduce Antony, making him as submissive as Harmachis.
Foreshadows Cleopatra's famous meeting with Antony on the Cydnus and her manipulative tactics.