Hey, would you like to play a little guessing game? Well, here we go! “She’s everywhere! Immortalized by slot machines, board games, dry cleaners, exotic dancers, and even a Mediterranean pollution-monitoring project.” Who is she? Stuck? Here’s a little hint: she is orbiting the sun as the asteroid 216 Kleopatra. Does that name right a bell? DING! That’s right, it’s the famous Cleopatra! Given the title World’s First Celebrity, the queen of the Nile is often judged based upon her scandalous affairs and remembered as one of the most popular female pharaohs ever found in history. However, there is a catch to her story that most people tend to overlook. She was truly devoted to her kingdom and her multiple relationships were not entirely out of …show more content…
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 …show more content…
Not only that, they also brought positive reforms under the role of women during the Hellenistic era. Marriage turned into a form of partnership with each partner having their own role and responsibilities to fulfill and unlike earlier women in history, a woman in Hellenistic Egypt had the choice to have her dowry returned if the marriage was broken. “In addition to being property owners, women also obtained positions in the workforce with responsibilities close to those of men.” (Voskayan, 2). Her powerfulness and accomplishments as a female pharaoh promotes the image of women and illustrates that females are just as capable as
This paper will discuss the well published work of, Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken, 1975. Print. Sarah B. Pomerory uses this book to educate others about the role women have played throughout ancient history. Pomerory uses a timeline to go through each role, starting with mythological women, who were called Goddesses. She then talks about some common roles, the whores, wives, and slaves during this time. Pomerory enlightens the audience on the topic of women, who were seen as nothing at the time. Men were seen as the only crucial part in history; however, Pomerory’s focus on women portrays the era in a new light.
Despite Egypt’s provincial annexation to Rome after her death, Cleopatra managed to keep the Romans at bay for nearly twenty-two years. Unfortunately, much of her achievements have been disparaged and attributed to the utilization of her sexuality. To add, her image as a competent female ruler has been further distorted by the media and literature alike. Much of this misrepresentation can be accredited to the scarcity of reliable and unbiased accounts about her life. The Romans were afraid of Cleopatra’s power and the alliances she created with their generals. Therefore, accounts of her life in Roman scripture are not particularly in her favor.
As previously stated, Cleopatra was born into power. Her father, known as Ptolemy XII or Auletes, was the king of Egypt. After his death in 51 B.C., Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy XII,
Cleopatra was born Cleopatra VII Philopator. Her family could be traced back to the Macedonian house of the Lagid Ptolemies, who took the throne after the death of Alexander the Great in 356–323 B.C.E. ( Sally-Ann Ashton, 2008) Cleopatra's father was King Ptolemy XII. Ptolemy XII was heavily dependent upon the Romans and as their ‘friendship’ put an increased strain upon the Egyptian economy. (Lesko, 2017) His rule
...herself as a man and has misogynistic tendencies. Fortunately, the role of women in society today has changed very much from the roles that they played in classical mythology. Women are now seen as being able to play any role they desire, whether it is the role of a housewife or the role of a workingwoman with a successful career. It is no surprise that achieving the roles that women play today took such a long time when for so long even in mythology women’s roles in society were constantly pushed in the direction of domestics and when for so long women were portrayed as less then pleasant creatures. The fact that these sorts of roles were pushed on women in the Greco-Roman society was proof enough that it was a patriarchal society. It is astoundingly wonderful that the roles that women play in modern society have evolved so much since the times of classical myths.
Cleopatra, born in 69 B.C., was an Egyptian Queen and the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. She was from Greek descent and a member of the Ptolemies, who ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. In just her early twenties, Cleopatra became Queen of Egypt following the death of her father and the defeat of her siblings. Popularly, she is remembered because of her physical beauty, love affairs, and the tragedy of her life. But more importantly she should be celebrated as a commanding female leader who used her intellect to exercise considerable power and influence in a male-dominated world.
Cleopatra VII, most commonly known as Cleopatra, was the last series of rulers called Ptolemies; this family ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. Cleopatra ruled not only Egypt, but also Cyprus, parts of modern-day Libya, and other territories in the middle East. Cleopatra was born into an insane family with deranged beliefs, beginning with having to marry her brother, Ptolemy XIII, which ended with a war. Cleopatra’s life didn't get much better afterwards, she fell in love with Julius Caesar, and watched him get stabbed to death. When she married Mark Antony, she had three kids and lived as a family in Alexandria; however things didn't turn out so smoothly since she ended up committing suicide.
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.
Why is Cleopatra Famous? Known for her love affairs with some of Rome’s most famous leaders, and wanting to be worshipped as a goddess, associating herself with the goddess Isis, Cleopatra was a famous powerful queen in Ancient Egypt. Cleopatra was born as Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator to Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra V Tryphaena. She was born in 69 B.C.E in Alexandria, and later died there in 30 B.C.E. Because of the time period in which Cleopatra lived, not very much is known of her.
During the time of Ancient Egypt, having strong Pharaohs was essential to the maintenance and growth of the civilization, as the Pharaohs were believed to be living Gods. Although leadership of Ancient Egypt was often male dominated, there were admirable female Pharaohs who successfully gained power and left behind a positive legacy; one woman to achieve this was Hatshepsut, meaning ‘foremost of female nobles’. Her innovation and determination allowed her to maintain her position of Pharaoh for about twenty years (1479-1458 BCE). Hatshepsut was considered to be a very successful leader because of her confidence and ambition, magnificent building projects, and establishment of a strong trading network.
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
She was not only stunning and captivating but really persuasive and charming leader. She learned Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of an Egyptain goddess. Cleopatra was not actually Egyptian, but of Greek descent her family ruled Egypt for over three centuries, known as the last pharaoh of Egypt. During her time it was custom for her to marry her brother who was 11 years old his name was Ptolemy XIV. They settled their joint assets and afterwards went to Rome to be a mistress to Ceasar.
The reign of Cleopatra. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print. The. Grant, Michael.
Women in antiquity did not have an easy lot in life. They had few, if any, rights. Surviving early records of the civilizations of antiquity from ancient Greece, Egypt, China, and Rome suggest the diversity of women’s roles differed little from region to region. There were a few exceptions, mostly concerning women of nobility and the city-state of Sparta. Excluding the rare instances mentioned most antique women were generally limited on education, mobility, and almost all possibilities interfering with domestic or childbearing responsibilities. The limited social roles of women in antiquity suggest the perceived c...
... Egyptian women were looked at differently than men; their role was that of the nurturer and the caregiver, the bearer of a family’s future. They were just as important to the society as the men. Ancient Egypt was a very complex world, and just as complex was the role that women played in its society. They were not free, but they also were not enslaved. They were vital, but only in terms of their husbands and their children. Egypt offered women a far more free life than the rest of the ancient world. In the end, women played a secondary role to men putting their desires for achievement aside so their husband could be king.