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LOVE LEGENDS
Antony and Cleopatra
The last
Pharaoh of Egypt and the dashing Roman general
One of the most
famous women in history, Cleopatra VII was the brilliant and
beautiful last Pharaoh of Egypt. Although she is often portrayed
as a femme fatale, Cleopatra was deeply religious and studied to
be a nun. An accomplished mathematician and gifted linguist
fluent in nine languages, Cleopatra was also skilled politician
popular with her people.
She married her younger brother, Ptolemy, and she became the
mistress of the Roman general Julius Caesar. Following Caesar's
death, Roman general Marc Antony went to Egypt to advance the
growing power of Rome. Cleopatra captivated Antony. Their affair
scandalized Roman society and bothered Roman politicians, who
were suspicious of Egypt's power.
Yet despite the risks, Antony and Cleopatra married in 36 B.C. The couple planned to conquer Rome. But in 31 B.C. the Roman general Octavian destroyed the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium. Hearing a false report that Cleopatra was dead, Antony fell on his sword. With no hope left, Cleopatra induced a poisonous asp to bite her.
Four thousand years of glorious Pharaonic rule was finally finished. Egypt became a Roman province. Octavian (later Augustus) became the first Roman Emperor, launching a new era in history.
Marie and
Pierre Curie
Partners in Love and science
Unable to continue her studies in Poland because universities did
not admit women, Maria Sklodowska Curie traveled to Paris in 1891
to attend the Sorbonne.
Known by the French "Marie," she spent every spare hour
reading in the library or in the laboratory. The industrious
student caught the eye of Pierre Curie, director one of the
laboratories where Marie worked.
Curie ardently wooed Marie and made several marriage proposals. They were finally married in 1895 and began their famous partnership. In 1898 they discovered polonium and radium. The Curies and scientist Henri Becquerel won a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 for discovering radioactivity.
When Curie died in 1904, Marie pledged to carry on their work. She took his place at the Sorbonne, becoming the school's first female teacher. In 1911 she became the first person to win a second Nobel Prize, this time for chemistry. She continued to experiment and lecture until her death of leukemia in 1934, driven by the memory of the man she loved.
Shah Jahan and Mumtaz
Mahal
Grieving emperor who built the Taj Mahal for his late wife
In 1612, a teenage girl, Arjumand Banu,
married 15-year-old Shah Jahan, ruler of the Mughal Empire.
Renamed Mumtaz Mahal, she bore Shah Jahan 14 children and became
his favorite wife. After Mumtaz died in 1629, the grieving
emperor resolved to create a fitting monument.
It took 20,000 workers and 1,000 elephants nearly 20 years to
complete this monument—the Taj Mahal.
Built of white marble, the Taj sits on a sandstone platform. A 137-foot high dome tops the mausoleum. The interior is lavishly decorated in lapis lazuli, turquoise, agate, jasper, and colored marble. The exterior is paved with semiprecious stones that sparkle in the sun. The surrounding garden contains four water channels representing the four rivers of Islamic paradise.
Shah Jahan was never able to complete a black marble mausoleum he planned for himself. Deposed by his son, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in the Red Fort of Agra, and spent lonely hours staring across the Jamuna River at the monument to his beloved queen. He was eventually buried beside her in the Taj Mahal.
Robin
Hood and Maid Marion
True love in Medieval England
Ballads from
Medieval England recount the adventures of Robin Hood, a
legendary hero who robbed from the rich, the government, and the
church, while helping the poor and the oppressed. With his band
of Merry Men, he lived in Sherwood Forest, where they hid from
the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Maid Marion is presented differently in the many Robin Hood
ballads and stories. In some she is portrayed as a Saxon girl who
has known Robin Hood all her life, in others she is a Norman
noblewoman, or the ward of the Sheriff of Nottingham who spies
for Robin Hood. Sometimes she is a damsel in distress, and at
others she is depicted as an able swordswoman, or the brains
behind the Merry Men.
Yet, almost always, Maid Marion is Robin Hood's true love. According to local legend, they were married in St. Mary's church in Edwinstowe and remained together for the rest of their lives.
This is a special dedication to sooo sweet Naz....
