When I announced to my friends and family that I was going to write a paper about Cleopatra the opinions that I faced were so different from what I expected. The women were saying how beautiful and astonishing Cleopatra was and that she was this independent woman who has led as an example for independency and strong will of women for hundreds of years. The men on the other hand called her this “man- eating monster” that betrayed, manipulated and murdered everyone that was a challenge to her and her reign as Queen of Egypt. So who was Cleopatra?
Michael Grant described in his book not only the story of her life but his main focus was on showing, that Cleopatra was a Greek Queen, a descendant of Ptolemy the first who was a general in Alexander
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Ptolemy XII Auletes was a descendent of Ptolemy the first who took over the reign of Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great about 250 years before Auletes was born. Auletes had various business agreements with the Romans to secure his reign as Pharaoh over Egypt with the result of falling into debt with the Triumvirate concluding of Caesar, Pompey, Crassus and another roman Sponsor. However he wasn’t able to pay back the amount, lost his reign over Egypt later on and had to flee, taking one of his children Cleopatra VII with him. This was the reason why Cleopatra knew so many languages and had knowledge of political and cultural structures. During his absence another daughter of his was put on the throne. So when he later gained back his rule he trusted only Cleopatra and made her co-ruler. Auletes died shortly after the establishment of the shared rule. However Cleopatra was not able to hold onto it for long because not only took she over while a great famine plagued Egypt but the co- monarch the political state enforced on her after her father’s death, casted her out of Alexandria and Egypt altogether in 48 BC. This co- monarch was her half-brother Ptolemy XIII and Pompey, a member of the Triumvirate was his guardian. Ptolemy XII became the single ruler due of his multiple sponsors and advisers. Nevertheless during this time Caesar and Pompey were …show more content…
For one after the reestablishment of the co-rule between Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII he put the Boy-king under house arrest. Then he made the two remaining siblings Arsinoe IV and Ptolemy XIV ruler of Cyprus to please the Egyptian population. However the troops and supporters of Ptolemy XIII couldn’t be satisfied and with revolts and attacks against Caesar the Alexandrian war started. At the same time Caesar was engaged into the civil war between himself and the Roman government. Sometime during the battles in Alexandria, Arsinoe escaped and was declared Queen of Egypt by Ptolemy’s supporters. Enraged by this Cleopatra and Caesar tried to weaken the political force of their opponents by releasing Ptolemy XIII so he and Arsinoe would fight themselves instead of Caesar but this attempt failed. At the End Caesar was able to win through a ploy of confusion with his navy force. He regained complete hold of Alexandria and during those fights King Ptolemy was killed. Cleopatra once again was the single ruler of Egypt, but staying true to her culture and her dead father wishes she married her remaining half-brother. Ptolemy XIV was still a child of about ten years and no threat to Cleopatra and her rule. Caesar left Alexandria in the summer of 47 BC to engage and end the civil war with Rome. He left behind a pregnant Cleopatra, who shortly after his leaf gave birth to his son, Ptolemy XV Caesar, and followed him to
Changing social habits of a contemporary society have seen Cleopatra depicted in many different ways. Whilst few artefacts remain of the true image of Cleopatra, we see from her portrait on the coins (Fear, 2008, p, 21 Fig 1.4) that despite being no legendary beauty, she had the power to captivate two of the greatest Romans of her time. Cleopatra consummated her union with Julius Caesar, which strengthened her grip on the throne, following his assassination; she formed alliance with Mark Antony, in opposition to Octavian, a coalition that would lead to her downfall as both Antony and Cleopatra’s combined forces would be defeated against Octavian in the battle of Actium in 31 BCE. (Fear, 2008, p.7)
When researching the three earlier versions of Cleopatra (1917, 1934, and 1963) I found a similar theme in costume for all three time periods. The role of Cleopatra in regards to costume design and character portrayal were all heavily influenced by the current state of America and its fashion. All three designs created for the movies were inaccurate historically for the real Cleopatra, but was accurate in depicting that specific times fashion.
Cleopatra II. Summary: After the completion of the book, it had let me to believe the book was written for the general audience. Although the author provided many resources, the information was taken from literature that was written during the time.
"For Rome, who had never condescended to fear any nation or people, did in her time fear two human beings; one was Hannibal, and the other was a woman" (Lefkowitz and Fant 126). During a time dominated by male rulers, Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 BCE – 31 BCE), the Last Pharaoh of Egypt, stood out among them all. With Egypt’s wealth at her disposal, she was “incomparably richer than anyone else” (Schiff 2). The amount of power a ruler had at the time of Cleopatra’s existence depended highly on the level of financial stability. However, wealth was not all Cleopatra was known for. She exhibited high militant leadership skills equal to that of her male counterparts to keep Egypt a prosperous country.
Amy Crawford the author of the article, “Who is Cleopatra?” supports this opinion with several examples from primary and secondary sources to shed light on the type of political leader she was and the motivations behind her actions. She explains that Cleopatra was a well-educated, clever, diplomat, who had deep devotion to her patriotism. Cleopatra made the effort to learn Egyptian, unlike her predecessors, among several other languages. She succeeded in ruthless power struggles with her siblings and created military alliances to maintain Egypt’s independence. Cleopatra sustained a vast,
Cleopatra family was a part of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek family of Macedonian origin who ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. Cleopatra originally ruled with her father Ptolemy XII. She later had to rule with her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV to whom she had to marry as part of her Egyptian family custom. Her marriage with her brother, Ptolemy XIV, ended quickly after he died from unknown sources. She had, even more, problems with her second marriage to brother, Ptolemy XIII. He had worked
She received a rigorous education from countless tutors and she took full advantage of this opportunity. “Her father could read Egyptian symbols, and this may have sparked Cleopatra’s desire to master the Egyptian language, which had not been accomplished by any previous pharaohs in the Ptolemaic dynasty.” (Harold, 28). The earlier rulers were all Greek so they felt that there was no need to learn the tongue of their subjects. While Cleopatra was also of Greek background, she felt her subjects were of great importance and that it was a unique connection to share with
Stacy Schiff author of Cleopatra strives through her book to denounce all historical myths surrounding Cleopatra. With the rigor of a true historian she is able to distinguish historical veracity from historical myth surrounding the queen from antiquity. The author highlights Cleopatra’s role as a powerful woman and in particular how she attempts to manage the various political or economic predicaments she faced. Stacy Schiff gives us a story that is masterfully reconstructed, allowing the reader insight into the historical context of the time- shedding new light on a woman whose greatest fault was not being a man.
Cleopatra is most often remembered as the lover of two Roman consuls, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, thereby forever connecting the Egyptian queen to the history of Rome. The stories of her relationships with the two men do not always paint a flattering picture of Cleopatra, as her reported promiscuity and presumption give her a colorful reputation. Cleopatra is also sometimes seen as a misunderstood woman, someone who was never given a fair opportunity to be accepted as the wife of Marc Antony nor the mother of Caesar's child. Some historians and authors use the issue of Cleopatra's race as a reason that she was ostracized from Roman society, saying that the Romans were prejudiced against Egyptians, and despite Cleopatra's Greek background, would never accept her as a suitable mate for a Roman consul. This theory, however, is far outweighed by the numerous justifications the Roman people had for their distaste of Cleoaptra. It is not surprising that Cleopatra never found acceptance in Rome, as she offered nothing to the relationship between Egypt and Rome, she stood for everything they were against, and little by little, she succeeded in destroying parts of the society that the Roman people had worked to build.
It is important to look at the factors and event in Cleopatra’s life that influenced her rise and later, her ultimate demise. The surpass achievement of Ptolemy XII, her father, Ptolemaic dynasty was when Cleopatra first took over the throne. Cleopatra is a legendary figure in ancient history. It is her fame and glory as being a female pharaoh that has made her an ideal icon for many people worldwide. Cleopatra’s ethics and morality is something that truly defines the type of person she was during her reign. There is more to Cleopatra than just being recognized as a strong political figure and military strategist, she was also a charismatic and loving woman. It is known that “... the princess of the house of the Ptolemies had always apparently
The Ptolemaic Dynasty was an ancient dynasty of Macedonian Pharaohs who ruled Egypt. In 51 B.C.E after the death of her father, Ptolemy XII, 18 year old Cleopatra and her 12 year old brother Ptolemy XIII were in succession for the throne. Cleopatra and her brother married to keep the power within the family. They were to rule Egypt in unison, sharing power of the throne. That changed in 48 B.C.E when Cleopatra was forced to escape to Syria after being dethroned by her brother who was told to do so by his advisers, Achillas and Theodotus.
Cleopatra VII had four known siblings, two brothers and two sisters. Her brothers were Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator, and Ptolemy XIV of Egypt. Her sisters were Arsinoe IV of Egypt, and Berenice IV of Egypt. Berenice IV took power away from her father and became ruler of Egypt in 58-55 B.C.E. When her father came back to Egypt he became ruler again and executed her. Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator was Cleopatra’s younger brother, when he was 12 and she was 18 they married each
Around 69 B.C, one of the most famous female rulers ever known was born, she was Cleopatra. She was the descendent of the Egyptian ruler, Ptolemy XII, and she would eventually became the queen of ancient Egypt herself. She was known for being extremely intelligent and very charming, and because of this many romans feared her and viewed her as a threat. When her father died the throne of Egypt was left to her and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, and rivalry formed between the two, making her even more determined to become the sole ruler of Egypt. Cleopatra had trained all her life to be the successor of Egypt and she hungered for power. Like her father, she tried to have peace with Rome and maybe even have power over them. She would gain her power by having Caesar one and only son, Caesarion, the loyalty of Marc Antony, a well-known general who was popular among the troops in Rome, and of course by using her intelligence and Egypt’s resources. Cleopatra was a successful ruler because she had a thirst for power.
The Powerful Cleopatra Cleopatra is one of the most recognizable names of all time, but not many people know why she is so famous in our history today. Cleopatra Philopator was born 69 BCE and ruled with her father, Ptolemy XII Auletes. Cleopatra’s father passed away when she was eighteen years old, which left her to rule; however, at that point in time, if a woman ruled, she needed a male by her side. Cleopatra ended up marrying her brother, Ptolemy XIII. Later on, Cleopatra dropped her brother’s name from all official documents and ruled alone by herself.
Helvarg, David. “Cleopatra: What Kind of a Woman Was She, Anyway?” American Theatre 14:4 (Apr. 1997): 5-8.