Informative Speech On Cleopatra

515 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Cleopatra rises to power

The Romans painted a picture of what they wanted people to believe about Cleopatra. They wanted her to be seen as an evil queen who seduced men to her advantage. However this image couldn't be farther from the truth, Cleopatra was an intelligent queen who cared for her people.According to History.com Cleopatra was, “Well-educated and clever, could speak various languages and served as the dominant ruler in all three of her co-regencies.” So what is the truth about the way that the last Egyptian pharaoh dealt with her civilization’s politics? According to Egyptian tradition, women could not rule without a male co-regent. Cleopatra likely ruled as co-regent with her father for a short time before his death. After the death of Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra's father, eighteen year old Cleopatra and her ten year old brother became the rulers of Egypt. It didn't take long for Ptolemy XIII and his advisers to act against Cleopatra, causing her to flee Egypt. Cleopatra sought the help of Julius Caesar, one of the most powerful men in the world at the time. With the help of Caesar, …show more content…

They had a son together named Ptolemy XV Caesar, whom they called Caesarian. After the death of Roman dictator, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra had her brother killed so that her young son, Caesarian, could be her co-ruler. Three men were currently in power in Rome, Octavian, Marcus Lepidus, and Marc Antony. Cleopatra always feared Rome taking over Egypt, so she aligned herself with Marc Antony. They supposedly fell in love and had three kids together, which caused Rome to fear that Antony was becoming too loyal towards Egypt. Marc Antony was married to Octavia, the sister of Octavian, so the love and possible illegal marriage of Cleopatra and Antony angered Octavian. This is when Romans started to spread rumors about Cleopatra to make her seem horrible, and that was what soon led to her

Show More
Related

  • Cleopatra Sparknotes

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the assassination of Caesar, Cleopatra set her sights on Marc Anthony, who controlled the eastern Mediterranean. Her enemies labeled her a seductress, but seduction is part of diplomacy. Cleopatra knew how to entice, flatter and intimidate. When she goes to meet Mark Antony, she arrives in Tarsus on a barge dressed like Venus and surrounded by cupids. Newsweek describing the last queen of Egypt as an" independent, charismatic, ambitious woman. "She married her brothers when she needed them, she killed them when she was not," says Marie Arana in the Washington

    Read More

  • The Changing Depictions of Cleopatra's Legacy

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • Why Is Caesar Responsible For The Fall Of The Republic

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    Though was Rome perhaps the most cosmopolitan place in the world of that day, it still didn 't take kindly to foreigners. And so Cleopatra and her son had to leave. If Caesar could not eve convince his people to accept his girlfriend, how could he be expected to convince his people to fully trust him to rule over them. He was not the traditional Republican politician that was expected during this time, even though he was an excellent politician, and a skilled writer, some of his lifestyle choices like his girlfriend and his child born out of wedlock, probably did not completely sit well with the Roman

    Read More

  • Cleopatra VII: Her Early Life, Family And Her Relationships

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Comparing Ancient Female Rulers

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Instead of running the government herself, she found the best people to do it on her behalf. Consequently, she treated those who acted as she pleased fairly. She used scholars to rule and advice the government instead of military men. She rewarded the local officials who developed their areas like in the field of agriculture (Tian & Yang, 1997). On the other hand, she punished those officials who imposed high taxes on their constituents. Cleopatra, on the contrary, did not use other people to rule. She was a brilliant ruler who had the power to subjugate anyone (Wassynger, 1996). History remembers her a ruler who knew how to talk, negotiate and forge partnerships with strong dynasties. Without a doubt, she was a great intellect who could speak at least nine languages and rarely needed an interpreter even when she travelled abroad. While Wu concentrated in her empire alone, Cleopatra went abroad to create partnerships with other great leaders like Caesar of

    Read More

  • Cleopatra Argumentative Essay

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • A Look into Cleopatra’s Early Life Influences

    1294 Words  | 3 Pages

    "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.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Actium

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 44 BCE, Gaius Caesar was assassinated, leaving a power vacuüm for the leadership of the Roman Republic. A ruling body known as the second triumvirate was established between the potential rulers of Rome: Gaius Octavian, Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus. In 36 BC, Octavian convinced the Senate to exile Lepidus. Shortly thereafter, tensions between Mark Antony and Octavian built. These tensions centered on Antony abandoning Octavian’s sister for Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt and Antony’s lover.

    Read More

  • The Role of Cleopatra's Children in Defining Her Character

    2972 Words  | 6 Pages

    There are few roles that Cleopatra has not been made to fulfill. She is queen, goddess, lover, whore, wife, witch. Yet it is her role as mother that most defines how she is to be perceived, and which of these other roles she will take on in a given work of literature. Cleopatra's children, or the absence of them, play a definitive role in characterizing Cleopatra. When Cleopatra is childless, she acts like a child herself, either petty and selfish or so deeply in love that she ignores all else. When she has children, however, her role as mother extends far beyond her actual offspring and encompasses all of Egypt. Her protectiveness of her children is used to mirror her protectiveness of Egypt-if she is a good mother than she is also a good queen. Whether she is a good mother, a bad mother, or no mother at all is used by every author or director to characterize Cleopatra as a woman and as a symbol.

    Read More

  • Why Did Cleopatra Fall Essay

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Cleopatra: The Natural Nemesis of Rome

    2718 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Cleopatra: The Historical Seductress

    1338 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cleopatra was immediately established from the second she burst out of the womb as a member of the royal family of the Ptolemy's; the family which had controlled the Egyptian throne since the rule of Ptolemy I which began in 323 BC. She was born the daughter of Ptolemy XII, King of Egypt, in 69 BC, her full name being Cleopatra VII, or "Thea Philopator" in Greek: a name, which literally translates to "a goddess loving her father." She did most definitely loved her father, so dearly, in fact, that he granted the throne to Cleopatra upon his death in 51 BC. From the moment she set foot on the throne, co-ruling Egypt with her brother and obligatory husband Ptolemy XIII, she was intent upon coercing her, and only her, influence upon all of Egypt. More specifically, she wished to possess a less influential bridegroom so that she could impose more of her ideas and policies upon Egypt. It is for this reason that Cleopatra initiated one of the most notorious and controversial relationships of all time with one of the most prominent figures in history; Julius Caesar. Caesar fell in love with Cleopatra from the moment he saw her. Even though she was not known to be exceptionally beautiful, it is derived from many accounts that she was the definition of a wicked temptress, the defining characteristic that obviously won Caesar's heart. Naturally, Caesar aided Cleopatra after Ptolemy XIII's advisors had driven her from the throne, and declared war upon Ptolemy XIII. Caesar and Cleopatra were victorious and Cleopatra returned safely to the throne. Shortly after the coup, Cleopatra was noticeably pregnant. The product of this pregnancy was a son, named Caesarion, who is widely believed to belong to Caesar.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Romeo And Juliet?

    1949 Words  | 4 Pages

    Under her relationships with these men it shows that she uses sex as one of her many strengths and not as a sign of submission. She does not allow men to define what and who she is as a person, which makes her a force to be reckoned with, because there was no man that could really show her soft side. When women think of empowerment, they look for someone who is admirable in showing they can be independent and maybe even rule an entire country. Cleopatra is not only the queen of Egypt, but she is the idea of Egypt itself. She is full of character including enjoyment, playfulness, sensuality, and passion. (Cedar

    Read More

  • A Look Into the Death of Queen Cleopatra

    1237 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the early years of her life, Cleopatra learned that to gain the thrown in the dynasty of the Ptolemies it took a lot more then sheer knowledge. She did however have a very good education in which she knew how to speak seven different languages and was the only Ptolemy to have know how to speak Egyptian and Greek ("The Unsolved Death of Cleopatra"). It is clear that even from such a young age Cleopatra was driven to succeed. It appears that it wasn't enough for her to just be educated, but to surpass her siblings and quite possibly her own parents. This was soon proven to be so once she inherited the throne and problems began to ensue. With the title of pharaoh came the marriage to her younger brother, though neither one was willing to share that power together. Soon after taking the throne her brother was found murdere...

    Read More

  • The Power of Cleopatra

    1773 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Informative Speech On Cleopatra

Open Document