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Cleopatra In The 1963

Decent Essays

During the 1960’s the feminist movement began to take shape. This movement addressed many different inequalities women were experience within society. A few of the inequalities debated during this movement were sexuality, workplace ethics, and legal inequality. Historical female depictions in film have changed throughout the 20th century. These changes have occurred due to different Women’s movements. One such change would be the depiction of Cleopatra in the 1963 film “Cleopatra” and the 2005 TV series “Rome.” The female role of Cleopatra as portrayed in the 1963 film; has evolved alongside different women’s movements, into a portrayal as seen in the TV series “Rome.” When the two portrayals are compared, Cleopatra’s political leadership roles …show more content…

Elizabeth Taylor exonerated class and beauty within her acting career. Taylor’s portrayal of Cleopatra reflected these traits. In the film Cleopatra was a stateswoman with great intellect. She used her intellect to bridge the gap in equality between men and women. Cleopatra was portrayed as a great leader and commanded respect from both genders. These characteristics very closely reflect the message of the 1960’s women’s movement. A particular inequality many women faced before this movement was, the idea that women could not be political leaders. In Kathleen Dolan’s book “When Does Gender Matter?”, this political leadership inequality is discussed. In the text it states, “For much of our history, women were excluded from political life because of widespread beliefs that they did not possess the requisite skills and abilities to be successful in politics.” (Dolan 19) Women’s movements of the 1960’s wanted to demonstrate to society that women could be great political leaders. This portrayal of Cleopatra reflected the gender equality progression, taking place within …show more content…

The portrayal here is different because Cleopatra is portrayed as a more seductive female, compared to a respectable stateswoman. The women’s movements of present day focus on breaking the stereotypes of gender roles. The portrayal of Cleopatra in this series is far from the historically traditional role of a woman. In place of this image, is a drug addicted and seductive woman, who is attempting to survive execution. In Gregory N. Daugherty’s book “Rome, Season One: History Makes Television”, the difference in roles is discussed. In the text it states, “Her drug use, her sexuality, and her calculated plans to seduce Caesar in order character to save herself shock us as much as her petulance, self-absorption, and violence. On the surface, this is not a Cleopatra whom the audience has seen before, and certainly not the Elizabeth Taylor version (from the 1963 Joseph Mankiewicz film, Cleopatra).” (Daugherty 141) This role would not have been received as acceptable during the 1960’s. The portrayal would not have been acceptable because women were fighting to gain the respect of men. The acceptance of the seductive and more historically accurate portrayal is an extension of breaking the traditional gender

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