Did Cleopatra die nobly?

I must confess Ptolemeic period is not my specialist area (Now 4th Dynasty I would be laughing on lol!) and this is all from memory so please excuse any mistakes.

We have to view Cleopatra's actions in context. She had lost her war, she had picked the wrong side. She knew damned well she was beaten following Actium. She had lost her lover and Octavian was having none of it (incidentally Celopatra was not the "great beauty" or "seductress" we now asume she was; from what little evidence we have she was a reasonably plain woman (an average looming ethnic Albanian is most likely, certainly not African as her entire family was Greek not of African descent). The "seductress" rumour was put about as Roman Propaganda). Octavian was the master politician and wasn't about to let Cleopatra alter his plans (or perhaps his wife's plans - see Livia below)

However he did not want her dead. A dead Cleopatra would have led to her son Caesarion's accent to the throne of Egypt. And to have a direct family descendant of Gaius Julius on the throne would have greatly threatened Augustus/Octavian. "Two Caesars is one too many" I believe he said before he finally executed Caesarion. SO for the time being Cleopatra alive was more useful for Octavian and he was (once again to stress the point) a consummate politician. She would also be of immense use as a prize to be taken through Rome in chains. This had happened to Cleopatra's sister I believe and the horror of that humiliation was too much to bear.

When Octavian relaxed his guard on Cleopatra she eventually managed to kill herself. Octavian was not best pleased. Cleopatra asked for concessions in a letter to Octavian such as being buried with Anthony and requests for her children's safety (which barring Caesarion I believe he honoured)

She committed suicide via a snake bite (this could be seen as highly symbolic as snakes were royal protectors in Egypt, not visions of fear and death as we see them). I think this is important, Cleopatra was beaten and could only act to preserve her legacy as best she could and prevent the shame of being part of a Triumph through the streets of Rome.

So was it noble? Really she had two choices: Die and try to influence events as best she could preserving her honour and that of her dynasty (which she did not think she would be the last of, she had hopes for her children); or submitting to the humiliation and to the will of Octavian/Augustus. In these circumstances I think she acted in the best way she could.

But her ultimate mistake was not picking Octavian - but then he had a much, much clever woman behind him: Livia Drusilla a truly, truly remarkable woman. Almost forgotten whilst Cleopatra is so remembered but as Robert Graves puts it "if Augustus ruled Rome then she ruled Augustus"

That's about all I can remember sorry :)

She was stabbed to death in the bath tub... Eh... it was better than Elvis.

The ancient sources, particularly the Roman ones, are in general agreement that Cleopatra poisoned herself by inducing an asp to bite her. The oldest source is Strabo, who was alive at the time of the event, and might even have been in Alexandria. He says that there are two stories: that she applied a toxic ointment, or that she was bitten by an asp. Several Roman poets, writing within ten years of the event, all mention bites by two asps, as does Florus, a historian, some 150 years later. Velleius, sixty years after the event, also refers to an asp. Though I don’t see the nobility in suicide, others (especially those of her era) might disagree.
- Mostly WIK

At the end of Kleopatra, the reader knows the Egyptian queen will come back, regain her power, and live and love in grand style. At the melancholic conclusion of Pharaoh, almost everyone the reader has grown to care about has died. Cleopatra dies most nobly with servants who so loved her they took their own lives even though no one was there to make sure that they did so. Only the youngest children of Cleopatra and Mark Antony survive to be raised by the household of Augustus or to be married off and hastened into obscurity.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aafprpharaoh.htm

In my personal opinion, there is quite a difference between what is a noble death and an honourable one. If for example Cleopatra had committed suicide to escape being killed by ennemies, it could be considered honourable in those days, but hardly noble.

A noble death is one faced with courage, bravery and heart. Whether it is in an attempt to save another person's life, or at the end of a battle against a bad disease. Well, that's what I believe.

no she betrays mark antony then piosons he self with an asp hardly noble

Are you talking about the mid 90's girlband? I think it was an amicable split.

I think a noble death is when you die to save someone else. So, no, I don't think so.

no.she was merdered.

Historians mostly agree she died as a result of the bite of one or more asps, poisonous snakes. I believe she committed suicide, and no, I don't think that constitutes a noble death.

i thought her death was unknown, i`ll look it up!

"You know, you're asking the right person, she's my ICON, she flaunted her EGO as well as her pride, till the end!! She never gave up on her followers, even as she went on a "Downward Spiral" she went down with courage and DIGNITY till her last breath!!!"

should be comment.

Absolutely she did. Arrayed as a queen lying on the lid of her sarchophogus. The alternative would have been dragged up the via sacra in Rome in chains as part of a procession and then strangled afterwards. She did a cracking job