Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty  a Greek family of Macedonian origin  that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death during the Hellenistic period  The Ptolemies spoke Greek  throughout their dynasty  and refused to speak Egyptian  which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone  By contrast  Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian[6] and represented herself as the reincarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis 

Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII Auletes  and later with her brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV  whom she married as per Egyptian custom  but eventually she became sole ruler  As queen  she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne. She later elevated Caesarion, her son with Caesar  to co-ruler in name