Unraveling Cleopatra
"She took a small boat, and one only of her confidants, Apollodorus, the Sicilian, along with her, and in the dusk of the evening landed near the palace. She was at a loss how to get in undiscovered, till she thought of putting herself into the coverlet of a bed and lying at length, whilst Apollodorus tied up the bedding and carried it on his back through the gates to Caesar's apartment. Caesar was first captivated by this proof of Cleopatra's bold wit, and was afterwards so overcome by the charm of her society that he made a reconciliation between her and her brother, on the condition that she should rule as his colleague in the kingdom." (The Life of Julius Caesar, Plutarch; translation by Dryden)
Abstract
Whether Cleopatra rolls out of an ornate carpet as authorative and in control or as the more stereotypical image of a sensual temptress, the carpet scene functions as an introduction between Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. More importantly, the scene also provides valuable insight into Cleopatra's character. Plutarch's account of Cleopatra's first encounter with Julius Caesar inspired countless artists to recreate their own interpretations. First prose and narratives, the workings of creative imaginations, emerged. Soon, the stirring mental images are captured on canvas and eventually breathed into cinematography. With the advent of movie making multiple versions of Cleopatra and her legend were produced, each distinct in their own right. Each version retells the carpet scene differently, and offers a different Cleopatra. The first impression of Cleopatra is imprinted by the carpet scene and sheds light on who Cleopatra is in the respective narrative or film. If she tumbles out of the carpet in a rev...
... middle of paper ...
...ert, Warren William and Henry Wilcoxen. Paramount, 1934.
Cleopatra. Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz. With Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton. 20th Century Fox, 1963.
Cleopatra. Dir. Robert Halmi Sr. With Leonor Varela, Timothy Dalton and Billy Zane. ABC, 1999.
Dirks, Tim, "Greatest Films- Comprehensive Analysis of Classic US Films" (1996), URL: http://www.filmsite.org/cleo.html (12 Dec. 1999).
Fielding, Sarah, The Lives of Cleopatra and Octavia [1757], Lewisburg: Bucknell UP, 1994.
George, Margaret, The Memoirs of Cleopatra, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1997.
Koller, Brian, "Cleopatra (1937)", URL: http://us.imdb.com/Reviews/165/16511 (12 Dec. 1999).
Leyendecker, Frank, "Box Office On-line Review", (June 17, 1963), URL: http://www.boxoffice.com/classic.html (12 Dec. 1999).
Plutarch, "The Life of Julius Caesar", Trans. John Dryden.
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)
Velvet Goldmine. Dir. Todd Hayes. Perf. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ewan McGregor, Christian Bale, Toni Collette. Miramax, 1998.
A Raisin in the Sun. Dir. Daniel Petrie. Perf. Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee and John Fiedler. Columbia Pictures, 1961.
The Black Scorpion. Dir. Edward Ludwig. Perf. Richard Denning, Carlos Rivas, Mara Corday. Warner Brothers, 1957.
Blade Runner. Dir. James Riddley-Scott. Perf. Harrison Ford, Joe Turkel, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer, Daryl Hannah, Joanna Cassidy, Brion James, William Sanderson, M. Emmett Walsh, Edward James Olmos, Morgan Paull, Columbia Tri-Star, 1982
The Great Santini. Dir. Lewis John Carlino. Perf. Robert Duvall and Blythe Danner. Warner Studios, 1979.
William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra In the play Antony and Cleopatra, the character of Cleopatra is one of
The Crucible. Dir. Nicholas Hytner. Perf. Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder and Paul Scofield. 20th Century Fox, 1996. DVD.
Secondary:Curtis, L. (2008). Prevention of hospital-acquired infections: review of non-pharmacological interventions. Journal of Hospital Infection, 69(3), 204-219. Revised 01/20
Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Prod. Stanley Kubrick, Victor Lyndon, and Ken Adam. By Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George, Gilbert Taylor, Anthony Harvey, and Laurie Johnson. Perf. Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, and James Earl Jones. BLC, 1963. DVD.
“Little Caesar.” Magill’s Survey of Cinema (June 1995): n. pag. eLibrary Curriculum Edition. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
"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.
Othello. Directed by Oliver Parker with Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh. Columbia Pictures/ Castlerock Entertainment, 1995.
The first element to analyze when looking at “The Fish” is figurative language. The reader is drawn to this element because of its heavy emphasis throughout the poem. Elizabeth Bishop profusely uses similes with the intention of heightening the sensation of fishing. She writes:
A fascination for Science & Technology and keen interest in the ever-growing world of technology motivated me to take up engineering. The power of research and delivering it for the growth of Society is what makes me interested in the technology side of science. I choose to major Computer science Engineering with an intense urge to delve into this challenging field. During my under graduation program I learned the various fundamentals of Computer science Engineering which together with practical course works reinforced my interest.