Hatshepsut’s Struggles in Power

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When an Egyptian Pharaoh is pictured, it is normally a person with a very elegant crown and well-designed clothing, but most importantly a Pharaoh is depicted as a man. In the history of Egypt, though, some Pharaohs were actually women, just like the case of Hatshepsut. There were other women rulers of Egypt, and when asked which one is most recognized, it is probably Cleopatra, but Hatshepsut deserves just as much respect as Cleopatra for the way she obtained the title of Pharaoh. She not only broke the traditional laws of Egypt when becoming Pharaoh, but Hatshepsut let nothing stop her from becoming a future Pharaoh of Egypt. Developing into a Pharaoh was not a simple task, but to become Pharaoh “Hatshepsut made the most extraordinary move ever made by an Egyptian, or any other woman” (Wells 185). The move to follow her dreams were filled with lots of struggles, and the major struggle that was in her way was being a woman when most Pharaohs are men. Another struggle was her stepson Tuthmosis III, and his journey to become the next Pharaoh. The last struggle was to keep her legacy known after her death to show the Pharaoh she really was. Through all the battles to become Pharaoh, Hatshepsut stayed strong to become a person many women could not be in that specific time period. Hatshepsut, no doubt, had struggles through her destination of becoming a Pharaoh, but she fought through each battle in becoming one of the most known and popular Pharaohs of Egypt.

To understand the struggles of Hatshepsut, there has to be some history about her journey to become Pharaoh of Egypt. History tells that most heirs come from the bloodline of the past royal family. Hatshepsut had that advantage, because “Thutmose had no surviving sons with his...

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...). Hatshepsut did not stop flying after she took office, and with that flight she took on people she did not know she would have too. She took on the citizens of Egypt in proving a woman was fit for the job, took on her own stepson, and took on keeping her legacy known for the entire world. For all those battles throughout her journey, Hatshepsut stayed strong so that she could help the country she loved. Hatshepsut may not be the most famous Pharaoh of Egypt, she sure was important for the legacy of Egyptian history.

Works Cited

Galford, Ellen. Hatshepsut: The Princess who Became King. Washington D.C: The National Geographic Society, 2005. 1-59. Print.

Roehrig, Catharine H. Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh. New York: The metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006. 1-296. Print.

Wells, Evelyn. Hatshepsut. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1969. 1-267. Print.

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