One main message Cleopatra is presenting to society in the 1960s is the empowerment of women. Although Cleopatra is depicted in many different ways in other films and plays, the 1963 film portrays her as a ruler who tried to bridge gaps between men and women. She overthrew her brother’s power and exiled him and Cleopatra wanted to be seen as equal by both Caesar and Antony. This reflects the women’s movement of the 1960s when women mainly stayed at home and took care of children. On December 14, 1961, John F. Kennedy established the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. Led by Eleanor Roosevelt til her death on 1962, this board had twenty members that examined equality of women in school, at work, and by the law. …show more content…
Although melodramatic at times, Cleopatra is in fact historically accurate. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the screen playwright and director, wanted to be as precise as possible in his four hour long epic. However, the most accurate depiction comes from Plutarch, a Greek philosopher, writer, and historian who eventually took Roman citizenship. He lived 45 to 120 C.E. and is well known for his work entitled Parallel Lives which was a series of biographies on Greek and Roman statesmen and military leaders. These biographies were set up as pairs in which a Greek and Roman were paired together. Twenty-three pairs as well as four unpaired leaders were all written about in which Plutarch described their triumphs and downfalls. Plutarch wrote about Cleopatra’s relationship with Caesar and also with Antony in the two Roman leader’s biographies. Nearly all scenes in the film are depicted in these biographies. He even received writing credit in the film due to the vast amount of information used from his accounts. Plutarch describes both Caesar and Antony as great military leaders, but Antony was the one who got carried away with Cleopatra. Caesar had a reasonable relationship with Cleopatra and they were equals whereas Antony was not rational and was too overcome by his love for her to think properly. Scenes from Cleopatra that were accurately depicted by Plutarch include Pompey’s head given to Caesar by Ptolemy XIII as a gift, the queen delivered to Caesar in a rug,
Images and interpretations of a person can change over time. Such movement is paralleled with changes in opinion and morals throughout generations. Cleopatra the seventh is subject to this fluctuation. Ancient images and interpretations differ greatly to the impression left today merely by her name. Chris Dumasis, a modern day historian amplifies this theory in ‘Interpretations of Cleopatra’. She argues, “women have been demeaned of their true substance since the early time of patriarchal society.” Taken into account, this argument entails that when studying ancient sources it must be understood that at times, only a very narrow view of the events are presented
(“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.
Cleopatra innovatively utilised Roman politicians to benefit both herself and Egypt. Cleopatra's skillful manipulation of Roman generals consequences in her triumphs but also ultimately the downfall of Egypt. Many agree that Cleopatra never truly loved Caesar or Antony but it does seem evident that at least Casar did in fact love Cleopatra. While Cleopatra skillfully used Caesar and Antony to rid her of enemies and threats to the throne it was also a Roman politicians that effected the end of her reign and the prosperity of Egypt. Cleopatra’s manipulation of Roman politians which at first benefited her but ultimately was the source of her destruction.
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.
Plutarch (45-120 AD), a Greek biographer and moral philosopher, is the author of Life of Antony: an ancient source chronicling the life and dealings of Mark Antony (83-30 BC). Part of a larger collection of biographies focused on prominent Roman and Greek figures, the Life of Antony was intended as a character study (Fear, 2008). Plutarch was exceedingly intrigued by the ways in which the personalities, integrities and shortcomings of legendary men influenced the path of history. Life of Antony is infamous for its amalgamation of history and myth (Kimball, 2000). In the modern sense, Plutarch would not be considered a true historian. However, the source gives notable insight into significant figures in Antony’s life in particular Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt (69-30 BC). It is considered the principal ancient source of Cleopatra’s life (Fear, 2008), detailing the effect Plutarch believed Cleopatra to have on Antony.
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.
Despite their similarities, there were a number of differences between Cleopatra and Agrippina The Younger. The primary difference between these two women was what they actually did with their power. While Cleopatra was able to make significant changes to Egypt with the power that she held, the primary result of Agrippina’s acquisition of power and influence was her son, Nero, becoming Emperor. The dominant viewpoint held by the majority of historians is that Nero’s time as Princeps did not benefit many, and is widely looked upon as a “reign of terror… that imposed an increasingly repressive regime upon the upper-classes and through his policies and personal conduct, undermined the values of materialism” (Rudich, 1993, p. 4). Agrippina, like
Cleopatra VII was the last Pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra reigned over Egypt in 51BC after the death of her father Ptolemy XII Auletes. Cleopatra’s mother was Cleopatra VI and she came to power at the age of 17. Cleopatra ruled over Egypt with her two brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy VIX and her son Ptolemy XV Caesar. She was born in 69 BC in Alexandria and ruled from 51 BC to 30 BC. Cleopatra was Macedonian, but even though her ancestry was Macedonian, she was still an Egyptian queen and worshipped as a god. She was remembered for in history as the last Queen of Egypt and her relationships to Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
The 19th century essayist and literary critic William Hazlitt wrote of Cleopatra, "She is voluptuous, ostentatious, conscious, boastful of her charms, haughty, tyrannical, [and] fickle," which are "great and unpardonable faults" (Hazlitt 2-3). Much of the criticism of Antony and Cleopatra has recycled this judgement, depicting Cleopatra as a villainess uses her eroticism and sexuality to motivate Antony to seek power. Cleopatra is memorable for her propensity for violence as well. While Antony and Cleopatra was written after the death of a violent English queen, Elizabeth I, Shakespeare may have been faced with a dramatic dilemma: how to make a woman