CHARACTER Cleopatra was regarded as a great beauty. What ultimately made Cleopatra attractive were her wit, charm, and “sweetness in the tone of her voice”. “For she was a women of surpassing beauty” (Cassius Dio). When she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking. She possessed a most charming voice and knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to everyone. She was brilliant, and knew how to use her beauty to influence the most powerful men in the western world. ASCENSION TO THE THRONE Cleopatra was the daughter of Ptolemy XII who was pharaoh until he was killed. After his death 18 year old Cleopatra and her 10 year old brother Ptolemy were left sole rulers. Cleopatra had no intension on sharing power with her younger brother, so Cleopatra dropped Ptolemy’s name from everything, her face appeared alone on coins. What she had done to her brother went against Ptolemaic tradition of female rulers being subordinate to male rulers. Cleopatra was forced to flee Egypt because Ptolemy’s advisers acted against Cleopatra, Ptolemy was left sole ruler of Egypt. Soon after Cleopatra raised an army of mercenaries and returned the following year to face her brother, with forces from Rome. Ptolemy owed Caesar so Caeser decided to help Cleopatra take back her throne. After Ptolemy fleeing the throne was restored back to Cleopatra. CLEOPATRA AND CAESAR After the war with Ptolemy Caesar stayed a while in Egypt, and while his stay in Egypt he grew to like Cleopatra. In 47 B.C. Cleopatra had had given birth to Ceasar’s son Caesarion. Caesar was in war when Cleopatra gave birth so when Caesar returned to Rome Cleopatra traveled with Caesarion to see him, only to find out he has been murdered. After the death of Caesar, Cleopatra went bac... ... middle of paper ... ...EOPATRA’S DEFEAT AND DEATH On September 2, 31 B.C., Rome’s forces defeated Cleopatra’s in the battle of Actium. Cleopatra’s ships deserted the battle and fled to Egypt, Mark Anthony managed to break away from Romes forces, and follow Cleopatra’s ships back to Egypt. With Egypt under attack from Rome’s forces Mark Anthony got rumor that Cleopatra committed suicide, there he fell on his sword, and died just as news arrived that the rumor was false. In 30 B.C., after burying Mark Anthony and meeting with the victorious Octavia, Cleopatra closed herself in her chamber along with two female servants and committed suicide using a snake known as the asp (Egyption cobra snake), a symbol of divine royalty. According to her wishes, Cleopatra’s body was buried next to Mark Anthony’s, leaving Octavia to celebrate his conquest of Egypt and his consolidation of power in Rome.
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’s embodiment, though, does aim for her to become “one of [them.]” Her new body fits in a very specific niche – she does not f...
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)
They later began to have an affair and had 3 children in 40 B.C. Antony married Cleopatra in 36 B.C., and made her the ruler of Egypt, Cyprus, Crete, and Cyria. The Roman Senate did not like all the power they had and called Antony a traitor. In 31 B.C. after they lost a battle at sea Cleopatra and Mark Antony had to leave Egypt. Because she was so ashamed she spread a rumor that she had died from committing suicide. When Mark Antony heard about what happened to his wife and he didn’t know that it was a rumor. The results of it were that he stabbed himself to death. When Cleopatra heard what Antony had done she then killed herself by letting a poisonous snake bite her. (“Mark Antony and
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.
Despite her achievements being discredited by most critics, the fact that she was able to rule during a turbulent time portrays her as more than capable. Cleopatra’s death through an alleged asp bite after witnessing Marc Antony’s death was tragic. However, the queen taking her own life rather than allowing her enemies end it reveals her strong character. Cleopatra’s fame after her death is a testament to powerful leadership of the Last Pharaoh of Egypt.
Antony confirmed this with the taken of his own life after falsely discovering his love, Cleopatra, has taken her own life. Cleopatra was then captured by Octavian right before she tried to take her own life. His plan was to take her back with him to Rome as a trophy of victory triumph over Egypt. However, for the last time, she used her charisma to lead Octavian into believing that she was not going
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
An asp bite creates a particularly awkward, excruciating death. The asp venom causes blood poisoning and an intense burn at the site of the wound. This burning is quickly forgotten, however, as the bite victim fades into a state of giddiness accompanied by nausea and extreme thirst. Blood clots form as the skin becomes speckled with purple spots, and there is usually a considerable amount of swelling. The victim then goes into convulsions, vomiting, urinating, and defecating uncontrollably (Hughes-Hallet 106). This is not a death suitable for a Queen, let alone Queen Cleopatra. Nonetheless, writers throughout history have designated the asp to be Cleopatra's suicide weapon. Her death is described as either an ecstatic orgasm or a serene slip into eternal slumber. Analyzing her death with an eye for accuracy, we can see that it is highly unlikely that Cleopatra would have chosen to kill herself with an asp. "Asp" is an imprecise term, which referred to many various African vipers, all of which would have left her corpse looking less than beautiful. The death that Cleopatra is described to have experienced resembles the death caused by a cobra sting, not an asp bite. A cobra would have had to be at least four feet long to excrete enough venom to kill Cleopatra and her two maids (Hughes-Hallet 107). Since writers have taken liberties with their descriptions of Cleopatra's death scene, representing the asp in various ways, we should ask, "What does the snake symbolize in Cleopatra's suicide, and how does this representation affect the overall portrayal of the Queen and her suicide?"
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.
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.
The play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare tells the story of two very young lovers who die. It just appears that fate controlled the outcome of the story. But if you really study and interpret the story you will realize it is a series of a few simple coincidences, which made the outcome so tragic.
It has been over 2000 years since Cleopatra drew her last breath, ending the rule of the pharaohs in Egypt for good. In the years following her death, there have been many theories as to how she might have died. The most widely accepted theory is that she committed suicide by allowing herself to be bitten by a venomous snake and it is the theory that has been written in most history books as historical fact. Yet, there is increasing evidentiary support that would suggest that her alleged suicide was in fact a homicide. Though, it is hard to find incriminating evidence for something that happened so long ago, the minds behind this theory believe that by using investigative practices of the modern age they are able to piece together the truth of her death. By looking into Cleopatra’s past one can discover that she was not a woman who would just give up, that she would never be capable of her historical suicide.
A. A. From Alexander to Cleopatra: The Hellenistic World. New York: Michael Grant Publications Ltd, 1982. Jones, Prudence J. Cleopatra: The Last Pharaoh. London: Haus, 2006.
(Cicarma,2017) With all the planning to negotiation the tactics of both were lacking and defeat. When all things are all well in the eyes that seem to doom Cleopatra puts herself in seat of death of a cobra granted that this was a myth or not. Plutarch says that those who believed in the asp theory that the snake was smuggled in to her bowl of figs. (Baldwin, 1964, p 182: 2) And still no one knows if it was Cleopatra killed Antony for her own free will. It was the power that struck her and her own risk to not anyone have her Antony right beside her. This goes to that this fascinated to us about Cleopatra show us in ways as a woman she did her best to reign and what she expected for the last Pharaoh to do what's right mind of her