"All strange and terrible events are welcome, but comforts are despise.
" ~Cleopatra
Was Cleopatra the reason the Egyptian Empire fell? Cleopatra's family ruled Egypt for more than one-hundred years. So maybe, her greed started way before she had a chance to choose her fate. Maybe she saw the power her father held and wanted to see what it was like to have all of the power. To be respected. To be feared. Are maybe she wasn’t the main reason the Egyptian empire fell.
Cleopatra family was a part of the Ptolemaic dynasty. A Greek family of Macedonian origin that 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
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(This was consistent with the ancient Egyptian tradition of associating royalty with divinity in order to reinforce the position of kings and queens . Cleopatra III had also claimed to be associated with Isis, and Cleopatra VII was referred to as the “New Isis.” With her infant son as co-regent, Cleopatra's hold on power in Egypt was more secure than it had ever been. Still, unreliable flooding of the Nile resulted in failing crops, leading to inflation and hunger. Meanwhile, a conflict was raging in Rome between the second triumvirate of Caesar's allies (Mark Anthony, Octavian, and Lepidus) and his assassins, Brutus and Cassius. Both sides asked for Egyptian support, and after some stalling, Cleopatra sent four Roman legions stationed in Egypt by Caesar to support the triumvirate. In 42 B.C., after defeating the forces of Brutus and Cassius in the battles of Philippi, Mark Antony and Octavian divided power between Rome .
Mark Antony soon summoned Cleopatra to the Sicilian city of Tarsus (south of modern Turkey) to explain the role she had played in the complicated aftermath of Caesar's assassination. According to the story recorded by Plutarch (and later dramatized famously by William Shakespeare), Cleopatra sailed to Tarsus in an elaborate ship, dressed in the robes of Isis. Antony, who associated himself with the Greek deity Dionysus, was seduced by
Meanwhile, there were issues in Rome between Marc Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus (Julius Caesar’s allies), and Caesar's’ assassins, Brutus and Cassius. Both sides seeked Egypt’s support and Cleopatra joined forces with Caesar’s allies. In 42 B.C., Mark Antony and Octavian divided the power in Rome after defeating Brutus and Cassius in the battles of Philippi. Like all divided thrones, only one wants to be in charge. Marc Antony and Octavian, which was Caesar’s great-nephew became rivals. Marc Anthony sent for Cleopatra to get answers about Rome’s former leader, Caesar. Cleopatra accepted the request and welcomed him. Soon, Marc Antony fell in love with Cleopatra’s beauty and how she was as a person, then fell into a love affair with her. They had three children,there were twins named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. She had motivations of her own, in exchange for her help, she seeked for the eastern eastern Egypt’s empire to be under her power once again, that also included large areas of Lebanon and Syria. Marc Antony returned to Alexandria triumphant with Cleopatra by his side, in 34 B.C. People were all over them to take a look at the couple that were seated on golden thrones where they looked down upon everyone and sitting beside them were their
Cleopatra VII Philopator was born in 69 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. (“Cleopatra: The Woman…”) Her father was Ptolemy XII. Her mother was speculated to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, who was possibly her father’s half-sister. (“Cleopatra.”) She had five siblings which included two older sisters, two younger brothers, and a
The first time that Cleopatra shows exceptional amounts of intelligence and control is when her father, Ptolemy Auletes, died when Cleopatra was eighteen, leaving herself and her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII as co-rulers of Egypt. From the start, Cleopatra was forced to act efficiently, as a harsh famine was plaguing Egypt, the Roman Empire was already rising beyond control, and her desperation to become the dominant leader of Egypt was staunched due to laws of a mandatory inter-familial consort, leaving her to compete her brother for the power over their country. With all of these problems, Cleopatra resorted to tactics that would set her apart from her lazy and generally unimpressive father and her brother; she learnt how to speak Egyptian, unlike many of her other family members, giving her the opportunity to
In 69 BC Cleopatra was born into an Egyptian dynasty. A dynasty in decline and under the protection of Rome. At the young age of 18 she assumed the throne along with one
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.
Even though rulers have different stories to tell, the theme of their quest is quite similar. The main aspect of acquiring power is wealth. It can quite fairly be said that these two words, wealth and power, can be used as synonyms, because they complete one another. While being born into a “royal family”, means being born into wealth. With money, one can easily keep their country and people reasonably happy, and therefore stay in power. When Cleopatra came to power, Egypt was already a wealthy country, therefore she did not have to work for the power she gained, but Egypt at the beginning of Cleopatra's reign was not enough for her. People, who gain power and wealth, typically tend to want more of it as time passes by. This human need of wealth and power pushed Cleopatra to drastic strategies, yet she wouldn't stop until her kingdom was the wealthiest of them all. She of course, achieved this, through her relationship with Julius Cesar and Mark Anthony, and as Stacy Schiff said, “She now outranked them in both wealth and influence” (321). For Cleopatra the goal was infinite wealth, like for any other ruler. Through her story readers see that without wealth being at power and being successful is not possible, therefore wealth pays an important role in the quest for power. While
Cleopatra is also very culturally significant ruler of the Ancient Egypt civilization. “The name Cleopatra stems from Greek for “father 's glory,”” (Green) She was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Cleopatra 's story has fascinated people through the centuries. While she was a powerful political figure in her own right, she is probably most known because of her legend as being a
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.
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
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,
Cleopatra’s father was King Ptolemy XII. Little is known about Cleopatra’s mother, but some speculation presumes she may have been her father’s sister, Cleopatra V Tryphaena. Debate also surrounds Cleopatra’s ethnicity. While it was believed for a long time that she was of Greek descent, some speculate that her lineage may have been black African.
Pharaohs for centuries had put themselves on a pedestal, those in the Ptolemaic Dynasty rarely ever connected with their subjects, but Cleopatra defied this ideology. The Ptolemies were descendants of a general in Alexander the Great’s military and therefore were aligned with Greek and Macedonian traditions. Previously, Greek rulers and Egyptian subjects caused great division among the
Furthermore, another influence that determined Cleopatra’s rule as queen stems from her lineage. As has been discovered, the Ptolemies, the family Cleopatra belonged to, were not Egyptian. Rather, they were Macedonian Greek. After Alexander the Great’s death in 323 BCE, his empire was divided among his generals (Harold, Anton, Duca, Henefin 28). Ptolemy Soler I claimed Egypt and thus the Ptolemaic Dynasty flourished. However, it has been noted that during the reign of the “first three Ptolemaic Pharaohs” had “Egypt prospered” (Harold, et. al 28). Thereafter, Cleopatra, daughter to Ptolemy XII Auletes and possibly Cleopatra V Tryphaena of Egypt, inherited an Egypt in decline (Harold, et al 28). It would be up to her to restore Egypt.
On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s forces soundly defeated those of Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium. Cleopatra’s ships abandoned the battle and fled to Egypt, and Antony soon managed to break away and follow her with a few ships. With Alexandria under attack from Octavian’s forces, Antony heard a rumor that Cleopatra had committed suicide. He fell on his sword and died just as news arrived that the rumor had been false.
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.