I'd say she was famous and popular before Shakespeare, but Shakespeare definitely increased her popularity tenfold. There is also the attractiveness of her story. She is the ultimate leading lady, as far as leaders of countries go. She was attractive and strong-willed, what more is needed?

The first post is entirely correct. She was very intelligent and it was also written that she was very beautiful. She had relationships with very powerful men such as Caesar and Mark Antony.

In addition, she is also kept famous because of William Shakespeare. He wrote Antony and Cleopatra which is very famous. There have many other plays, books, and movies written about her which keeps her "alive".

At a very young age, Cleopatra VII was able to rule over a powerful nation and later alligned herself with Rome by having affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. Legend has it that she was also a great beauty. So, though her life was relatively short (she died in her 39th year), Cleopatra had it all during her rule as pharaoh of Egypt.