Essay on Cleopatra: A True Feminine Tragedy

In ‘An Ancient Roman Perspective’, Gemma Wilson’s account for Rome’s feelings towards the Queen is one of great hostility. According to Wilson, “at best, the Romans viewed Cleopatra with suspicion. At worst, they hated her.” Cleopatra was of coarse despised for utilizing the two public figures of Rome’s world, Caesar initially and then Mark Antony. Peter Roberts describes how it was Octavian that initiated Rome’s hatred towards Rome, relying on ‘sexual slander’ to tarnish her reputation. Many Roman poets continued this tradition of condemnation such as Lucan in ‘Pharsalia’, referring to Cleopatra as “Egypt’s shame.” Horace continues to embellish this image; “the queen, with a contaminated gang of creatures’ in his Ode XXXVII, referring to

(“Cleopatra: The Woman…”) In 49 B.C., Cleopatra was forced to flee to Syria after Pothinus, Achillas, and Theodotus, who were Ptolemy XIII’s advisors, sought to overthrow her. They convinced the Egyptian people that Cleopatra was the cause of the famine that they were experiencing. (“Cleopatra.”)(“Cleopatra VII’s Childhood…”) She smuggled herself into the royal palace in a rug to plead her case with Julius Caesar. Cleopatra and Caesar became lovers. Ptolemy XIII discovered this and declared war on Caesar. Caesar overpowered Ptolemy XIII’s army and Ptolemy XIII drowned in the Nile River while trying to escape. (Cleopatra: The Woman…”)

After Ptolemy XIII has his guardians revolt against Cleopatra, she was forced to flee to Syria, leaving the throne open to her brother and meaning she had to work to gain her power back. Cleopatra found an opportunity when Julius Caesar, one of the most powerful men in Rome at that time, arrived at Alexandria during his war with Pompey the Great. It was soon clear that Caesar and Ptolemy XIII were not amicable after Ptolemy presented the head of Pompey to Caesar, who, instead of being pleased with the defeat of his enemy, believed this move to be an insult to the greatness of his opponent. This gave Cleopatra the chance to create a connection between herself and Caesar, who prolonged his stay in Alexandria. Cleopatra smuggled herself in a rug into the palace where the Roman leader was staying, and impressed him with her intelligence, scheming and desirability that ran further, making her stand out from the rest of the women who tempted Caesar. It was not long before Caesar and Cleopatra began an affair, and he reinstated her power over Egypt, causing an end to the ruling of Ptolemy XIII and with it came the birth of Caesarion, their child and intended heir to the throne. Throughout this whole ordeal, it becomes apparent how calculating and knowledgeable Cleopatra was on how to influence the leader of Rome and to become appealing in a way that would

Cleopatra was a noteworthy Egyptian Pharaoh whose legacy and role was shaped by her experiences and achievements in ancient Egypt. It can be argued Cleopatra was a significant figure and her role and legacy was formed by her experiences, achievements because she stood for a symbol of power and strength in a time where society was male dominated. Cleopatra’s personality and early life impacted the beginning of her rise to power and in 51 BC she became sole leader of the Egypt. The key events in Cleopatra’s reign and the role she played during the alliance between herself and Caesar impacted on her reign. External factors informed her motives, which pushed her to make decisions during her rule, as it significantly impacted her relationship with Mark Antony. Cleopatra’s legacy had short and long-term effects; the consequences of her decisions pushed her to commit suicide, the events and choices she made during her life portrayed her significance.

I have recently read an amazing biography called, Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff. The book, written by a well-known author of biographies, tells the story of Cleopatra, the most powerful woman in history, who ruled Egypt in 70 BC. She is also the beauty, with whom Caesar and Mark Anthony fell hopelessly in love. Written in a unique way, trying to abolish stereotypes about Cleopatra, it is a fascinating novel, about power and love. It shows how these two mix and matched, while creating history.

Following Caesar's assassination, which Cleopatra's presence in Rome may have provoked, Cleopatra had an affair with another Roman leader. Marc Antony was planning a campaign in Parthia and was in desperate need of money when he called upon Cleopatra to question why she had allied herself with some of Rome’s enemies. Antony’s need for money proved to be a lucky break for her. Plutarch claimed that Cleopatra went to this meeting deliberately scheming to seduce Antony and some even claim that she purposefully broke up the alliance between Antony and Octavian. Cleopatra's belief that Caesarion would be accepted as Caesar's heir if she was successful in eradicating Octavin may support this claim. At this meeting Cleopatra requested for Antony to take control of her troubled territory in Cyprus. She also

The Krewe of Cleopatra is an all women crew that represents strength, beauty, and femininity. Earlier this month, I got to see the Cleopatra crew performed and it was an astonishing experience. I lived here in New Orleans for nine years, but I have never participated in a parade before. Even though it was a popular culture, I was always too lazy to go. This year I wanted to do something more than just staying home and play game, I wanted to go out and experience the atmosphere, but more specifically I wanted to experience the Mardi Gras atmosphere. It was a unique atmosphere that I certainly love to go again.

The historical epic film, “Cleopatra” depicts the queen and her relationships with two great Roman rulers, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Produced in 1963, this movie is a one of a kind as it portrays the Roman Republic transition. Although the motion picture is mostly very true to the historic facts, there are a few examples where the producers deviated from accuracy. The movie is not entirely correct with some of the costume and set choices, representation of the character Octavian, and Mark Antony’s family affairs. More importantly, Octavian’s character is adapted for the movie and does not precisely represent his true character. In general, “Cleopatra” gives the viewer a factual look at the events of Cleopatra and her

Cleopatra, Greek queen of Egypt, was born at the beginning of 69 B.C and one of the few women rulers in ancient Egypt. Her father was Ptolemy XII And Cleopatra was the last pharaoh in Egypt. She is known as clever, covetous, skilled, beguiling and manipulative. Cleopatra’s physical features are not certain and there is not enough information about her profile. “The colour of her eyes and of her hair is not known; nor can it be said whether her skin was white as alabaster, like that of many of her Macedonian fellow countrywomen, or whether it had that olive tone so often observed amongst the Greeks. Even her beauty, or rather the degree of her beauty, is not clearly defined.” Cleopatra was born at the finish of the Ptolemaic dynasty, because,

"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.

The purpose of this paper is to look at the history of Cleopatra VII, as well as how and why she wanted to be portrayed in a certain manner with respect to visual art. As the last noble of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, her images communicate her political abilities, her religious feeling, her caring duties and determination in preserving royal lineage, and her direct connection to ancient Egyptian gods. In addition, having relationships with two of the most powerful men in ancient Roman history, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony. Cleopatra was also able to improve her skills as a powerful pharaoh and set her status as pharaoh.

In a cast of over 30 characters, there are only two women. This is a statement describing the world renown play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. These two female characters are Calpurnia, the wife of Julius Ceasar, and Portia, the wife of Marcus Brutus. Other than these two women, the cast is composed entirely of male characters. In a work of literature so populated by men, one may ask why Shakespeare takes the time to include any women at all. However, after further reflection, it is clear to see the reason as to why they are included. Upon including Calpurnia and Portia in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare deepens our understanding of their husbands, highlights the social values of the time, and

Cleopatra’s reign over Egypt started from the deaths of her two elder sisters and the death of her father. Her

Though Cleopatra is guilty of being disloyal, she also falls victim to some acts of betrayal and loyalty throughout the play. Cleopatra in fact, feels as though Marc Antony in the beginning of the play- or at least feels has betrayed her as though Marc Antony will show minimal loyalty to her. Cleopatra expresses these feelings in a conversation with Marc Antony:

The binary oppositions of masculine and feminine are thus personified by Caesar and Cleopatra, not by Antony, whose men often regard him as the "pawn" of the deceptive queen and thus not a real man. On the contrary, Robert Miola says, "Caesar's sense of purpose and public responsibility directly opposes Cleopatra's love of idleness and luxury" (129), a conclusion supported by the fact that it is Caesar who, after the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra, provides some closure to the political chaos that has dominated the play.