The Failure Of Cleopatra And Cleopatra

After Ptolemy XIII’s death, Caesar restored Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV, her youngest brother, as rulers of Egypt. In 47 B.C., Cleopatra gave birth to a child that was believed to be Caesar’s. The child was Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar, but was known to the Egyptian people as Caesarion, which means “Little Caesar.” In 46 to 45 B.C. Cleopatra, Ptolemy XIV, and Caesarion traveled to Rome to be with Caesar. He was murdered soon after in March of 44 B.C. They returned to Egypt where Ptolemy XIV died soon after their return. (“Cleopatra VII’s Childhood…”) Cleopatra feared for their lives because of the Caesarion posed to Octavian. (“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.

Cleopatra was a woman. “Cleopatra stood at one of the most dangerous intersections in history: that of women and power. Clever women, Euripides had warned hundreds of years earlier, were dangerous” (112). The number of successful female leaders up until this day is drastically smaller than the male ones, and even now in 21st century the stereotype of a leader is a male. How did Cleopatra manage to go around this stereotype and become such a successful ruler? She got the men of her time obsessed with her. When thinking about power, we should remember Aristotle’s saying, “Yet what difference does it make weather the women rule or the rulers are ruled by women? The result is the same”. Cleopatra managed to be a ruler herself, while ruling the most influential men of her time. No one before, or after Cleopatra was ever able to do this again, but to this day she is a role model. She proved that not only men can be in charge and that women can do as much as a man

Queen Cleopatra VII was a powerful, intelligent, and passionate woman born from royal blood of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. As a successor of Hellenistic people and Alexander the Great she was not of an Egyptian blood but born in Alexandria and speaking Egyptian language. When her father Ptolemy Auletes died, Cleopatra was in the age of eighteen. She had three sisters Cleopatra VI, Berenice IV, Arsinoe IV two of them were older than her and one younger, and two younger brothers named Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV too. Cleopatra VII and her brother Ptolemy XIII inherited the kingdom of their father as it was written his will. Because of the law in Egypt of that time Cleopatra was unable to rule by her own without the presence of a male coruler, a brother or son. As a result she ruled together with her brother who she get married to although he was only twelve years old.

Political turmoil also shaped this period. Soon after they assumed power, complications arose between Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII. Eventually Cleopatra fled to Syria, where she assembled an army to defeat her rival in order to declare the throne for herself. In 48, she returned to Egypt with her military might and faced her brother at Pelusium, located on the empire’s eastern edge. Most of what we know about Cleopatra was written after her death when it was politically expedient to portray her as a threat to Rome and its stability. Thus, some of what we know about Cleopatra may have been exaggerated or misrepresented by those sources. Cassius Dio, one of the ancient sources that tells her story, summarizes her story as “She captivated the two greatest Romans of her day, and

Almost every pharaoh-queen was named Cleopatra, yet only one is ever thought of, Cleopatra Thea Philopator VII, “The Goddess and Beloved of her Father”. Every moment of her life from 69 BCE until August 12, 30 BCE was a story larger than life, epic in scale, and over the top in its grandeur. As the last reigning pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, she is remembered for her ability to rule as a political genius and a strong female leader living in a male-dominated world despite all odds being against her. Firstly, Cleopatra grew up in the Ptolemaic palace living a life of luxury, yet her subjects worshipped and even felt connected to her as more than just their queen. Secondly, after Cleopatra was exiled by her incompetent brother, Ptolemy XII, she came back with an army of mercenaries and took back Egypt to be its sole and more qualified ruler. Lastly, Cleopatra went to any means to secure her power and to ensure her nation’s financial and political strength; therefore what started off as a strategic alliance with Rome slowly became her dominance over most of the ancient world.

When Ptolemy went to Rome with Cleopatra, Cleopatra VI Tryphaena seized the crown but died shortly afterward in suspicious circumstances. It is believed, though not proven by historical sources, that Berenice IV poisoned her so she could assume sole rulership. Regardless of the cause, she ruled until Ptolemy Auletes returned in 55 BC, with Roman support, capturing Alexandria aided by Roman general Aulus Gabinius. Berenice was imprisoned and executed shortly afterward, her head allegedly being sent to the royal court on the decree of her father, the

This gave her an open window to take advantage of Caesar’s anger towards Ptolemy’s actions. Cleopatra was still in need of a plan to get to Caesar. “Still in exile, Cleopatra had to find a way into Alexandria in order to obtain an audience with Caesar” (Jones 33). When Cleopatra was requested by Caesar she was then able to have a meeting. “To gain entry to Caesar’s quarters, Cleopatra wrapped herself in some bedding, which Apollodorus then secured with a leather strap and carried into the palace” (Jones 33). At the time Cleopatra was 21 year’s

When she had organized the plan to kill her brother, her presence was thought of as fraudulent. She devised this plot on how to murder the Ptolemy XIV, just so she could have the thrown all to herself. They collectively ruled the thrown after their father passed away, then in the fifth year of Cleopatra she created a plan to assassinate Ptolemy XIV. Cleopatra then continued to reign for many years to come. She had a specific characteristic to her that provided herself with the ability to seduce and persuade people in her way. Thus, because Cleopatra killed her own brother, she is a ruthless and deceitful woman.

As the last reigning pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt, Cleopatra VII straddled Greek, Egyptian, and Roman history. During the centuries surrounding her lifetime, few women ruled their own countries, let alone with strength and competence. Cleopatra immersed herself in politics, intrigue, and military tactics. Her influence spans over two thousand years, its impression persevering into modern day. Her unfortunate defeat by the fledgling Roman Empire extinguished a bright flame of intellectual and physical brilliancy. Rome portrayed her as an unscrupulous whore, driven by cold-hearted ambition and passionate lust. As Winston Churchill aptly expressed, “History is written by the victors.” With

Cleopatra was the queen of Egypt from about 51 B.C.to about 30 B.C. She was a member of the royal dynasty called the Ptolemies. The Ptolemies were not Egyptian, but Greek, “which makes Cleopatra approximately as Egyptian as Elizabeth Taylor.” Despite this “within the country their legitimacy derived from a fabricated link with the pharaohs”, and they took over and ruled Egypt for 300 years; Cleopatra was the last of that royal line. Rome was gaining power and territory. Cleopatra inherited the throne of Egypt when she was eighteen years old, but she had to share it with her 12 year old brother. Cleopatra got kicked out of power by her brother 's friends because the two did not get along. In 48 BC, Julius Caesar arrived in Egypt and declared that he would settle the dispute between Cleopatra and her brother, and “She had no choice but ingratiate herself with the new master of the Roman world.” To further protect her kingdom, Cleopatra having Caesar over to her side, began an affair with him. For the rest of her rule,“she struggled tot run the implacable Roman tide to her advantage, changing patrons again

"She took a small boat, and one only of her confidants, Apollodorus, the Sicilian, along with her, and in the dusk of the evening landed near the palace. She was at a loss how to get in undiscovered, till she thought of putting herself into the coverlet of a bed and lying at length, whilst Apollodorus tied up the bedding and carried it on his back through the gates to Caesar's apartment. Caesar was first captivated by this proof of Cleopatra's bold wit, and was afterwards so overcome by the charm of her society that he made a reconciliation between her and her brother, on the condition that she should rule as his colleague in the kingdom." (The Life of Julius Caesar, Plutarch; translation by Dryden)

Caesar had acclaimed himself to be the ruler of Egypt bringing 32 legionaries and 800 cavalry showing his true intentions of what he meant by being ruler of Egypt. He also brought twelve other soldiers who carried a bundle of rods with an axe with a blade that projected out. This was considered a badge of authority. After this Cleopatra’s sister Arsinoe and Ptolemy VIII declared rulers of Egypt as Arsinoe IV. Cleopatra wrapped herself up into a carpet and was delivered to Caesar’s palace. In his presence she became very seductive and managed to persuade Caesar to help her. The Alexandrian War started and during the war part of the Alexandrian library was burnt down along with some warehouses. During the war Caesar executed Pothinus and Ptolemy VIII drowned in the Nile trying to escape. Alexandria surrendered to Caesar who then captured Cleopatra’s younger sister and rightfully restored Cleopatra to the thrown.

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: