Iras was the attendant of Cleopatra who is named alongside Charmion in accounts of Cleopatra’s death. The two women belonged to the queen’s trusted inner circle and were present during her final hours in Alexandria.
According to Plutarch’s account, Cleopatra withdrew after Octavian’s victory over her and Mark Antony in 30 BC. She was found dead on a golden couch, dressed in royal clothing. Iras lay dying at her feet, while Charmion was still trying to adjust Cleopatra’s diadem.
The scene became one of the most famous episodes in the Cleopatra tradition. Charmion reportedly answered that Cleopatra’s death was fitting for a descendant of kings, then collapsed and died. The story helped establish both women as symbols of loyalty, although the precise circumstances and method of their deaths cannot be verified with certainty.
Iras is sometimes confused with Charmion because ancient and later writers describe them together. They were separate attendants: Iras was the woman found dying at Cleopatra’s feet, while Charmion was associated with arranging the queen’s crown. Shakespeare later used the pair in Antony and Cleopatra.