Cleopatra

She remained In power while constantly straggling with a brother or sister and keeping alliances with Rome at the same time. She held her own even when the first Roman Emperor was coming against her. Her fatal mistake was that she reached too far. She tried to become the ruler of the attention world, along with her lover and her children. Rome just didn't let that happen†¦ Firstly, Cleopatra family may have ruled Egypt, but they were Greek. Cleopatra was the first of her family to learn native Egyptian – bearing in mind her family ruled Egypt for 300 years.She also closely associated herself with the Egyptian goddess, Sis's. This would indicate she had a respect for the people she ruled and understood the importance of being able to relate to them. Therefore she was popular among Egyptians. Her father had a catastrophic reign and when he died, she squabbled with her siblings over who would rule Egypt. She cleverly maneuvered herself Into a good political position – marrying her brother to 1 . )keep her brother's supporters happy, 2. ) keep the Egyptians happy she was going along with tradition and upholding her father's will 3. Pep any male, who opposed female rule, happy. More importantly, she allied herself with Caesar and sealed the deal by producing a son. She gradually edged her brothers out of the picture over time, so much so that it was barely noticed. Rome was of course, the biggest power in the Mediterranean and arguably, the world, at that time. By attaching herself as the consort of It's biggest leader she was gaining the Roman empire as an ally and securing the Roman army. In return, Caesar was gaining the support and wealth of Egypt – It Is Important to note that Egypt effectively fed Rome and was extremely wealthy.We can't know for sure If this was a love match, but It was definitely two political giants Joggling together as equals, when nearly all of Room's allies were subjects paying tribute. When Caesar was killed une xpectedly, Cleopatra was left in both a bad and good position – she made sure everyone was aware she considered her son by Caesar as an heir to Rome. This put her son in a dangerous position, which would later backfire. In a dangerous move, Cleopatra again allied herself with a Roman politicians Anthony.The Roman people increasingly began to see her as a threat to their public – They were very much against Kings and Anthony was effectively King of Egypt. Furthermore, he rejected his Roman wife to be with Cleopatra. This turned Rome against him and Octavia began to establish himself as emperor and true heir to the now deified Julius Caesar. Cleopatra attempt to get a foothold In Roman politics began to backfire on her – her son was now a very real threat to Octavia (later Augustus) Rome needed Egypt around. So in a way she was a good leader, bonding with her people and she showed great political astuteness.However her ambition arguably led to her downfall  œ No doubt you know what append – Anthony and Cleopatra lost against Octavia and her son was killed. She may have understood her own people, but she couldn't have understood Romans very well – she should have known they would never accept her as a consort of Antimony's (Their marriage wasn't recognized in Roman law) that they would never accept her son as a leader Illus Caesar himself knew this and in his will dictated Octavia as his heir), and she should have known the idea of kingship was abhorrent to them. Http://www. Smithsonian. Com/history/who-was-Cleopatra-1513560131? Noise= Cleopatra In the ancient world, male dominated societies, known as patriarchy, prevailed. Men occupied roles of supremacy and power. Those few women, who did succeed In gaining positions of power, marked their place In history. Most notable among them were Hatchets (1508 – 1458 BC), Cleopatra (69 – 30 BC) and Grapping (1 5 – 59 AD). Hatchets was one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an Egyptian dynasty. Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty and was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Grapping was a Roman Empress who was once the most powerful woman in Roman Empire.Each had to overcome ingrained prejudices and faced barriers that their male counterparts did not. Their strategies for gaining power in a world of men varied but they were clever, resourceful, ruthless and ambitious. They effectively used the power that men held to their own advantage. Cleopatra was portrayed as a great beauty, who very strategically formed success ful liaisons with men of power, which was a contributing factor for achieving the power she sought. Cleopatra has been a topic of interest throughout history and is seen as a woman of mystery.By all accounts she was an alluring woman who used this to her advantage. Cassias Did, a source of primary evidence and Roman consul of the 1st century AD, wrote, â€Å"She was a woman of surpassing beauty She possessed a most charming voice and knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to everyone† (peg. 42) Plutarch, Greek historian as well as biographer of Roman Emperors reiterates Cassias Ids view on Cleopatra In 75 AD in ‘Life of Antonym (a secondary source), where he wrote â€Å"her beauty, as we are told, was in itself neither altogether incomparable, nor such as to strike those who saw her†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ What ultimately made Cleopatra attractive were her wit, charm and sweetness in the tones of her voice. † (peg. 27) Accounts of Cleopatra also typically present her u sing her charms to influence the most powerful men in the western world. Plutarch writes, for example, that she had â€Å"The power to subjugate everyone, even a love-sated man already past his prime†, Of Caesar conquest of Egypt he wrote, â€Å"Caesar overcame Egypt. He did not, however, make It subject to the Romans, but bestowed it upon Cleopatra, for whose sake he had waged the conflict. (peg. 42-55) powerful men, namely Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony, in times of the supremacy of en, and when the glory of Rome was paramount, that she is characterized in this sexist way as a bewitching beauty by Cassias Did, a Roman official and this is reaffirmed in Plutarch account. In both ancient and modern sources there are sources that represent the ruthlessness of Cleopatra in her pursuit of power. ‘Ptolemy XIV, written by Professor Mallow H.Smith (2008) from Rutgers University and the BBC show ‘Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer' (2009), reveal the darker side of Cleopat ra. Revelations made include assertions that Cleopatra had Mark Antonym execute her sister Orisons on the tepees of the temple of Artemisia, a violation of the temple sanctuary and an act which scandals Rome. Furthermore, claims are made that Cleopatra had Ptolemy XIV (her second youngest brother and co-ruler as well as husband), poisoned in order to proclaim, Ptolemy XV (Cleopatra son with Caesar), as co-ruler.Although these accounts in the large are not fully substantiated in primary sources, where these incidences are shrouded in mystery and contradiction, they point to a certain brutality in her pursuit of power and provide support for those who would portray her as an evil queen. Cleopatra was more aligned with a Bewitching Beauty rather than an Evil Queen of the East. Certainly she was a woman of considerable allure who was able to use her looks and considerable wits to charm men who would be of use to her.However, rather than bemuse and bewitch, which implies that she was abl e to control people through supernatural means, she was a clever and strategic woman. She was certainly ruthless in her pursuit of power and most probably did perpetrate quite evil acts. According to Cassias Did, ‘In view of Career's favor there was nothing that she could not do. ‘ (peg. 44) To call re evil however, is to discount the times in which she lived where such violence in the pursuit of power was not uncommon. Leadership in Egypt and Rome, for example, was often changed by murder or mysterious disappearances.Caligula or more commonly known as Gauss was a Roman Emperor, is an example of this as he had those he saw as a possible threat executed (Caligula: Gauss Julius Caesar Augustus Germanic). Such men who have performed such acts have in large escaped the label of ‘evil'. Cleopatra actions therefore need to be regarded in this context and her considerable achievements in the face of significant gender barriers even the credit they deserve. Cleopatra and o ther women of power in the ancient world have been reduced to stereotypes because of male bias and patriarchy.The patriarchal nature of the ancient world meant that roles were clearly defined on the basis of gender and women had little access to power in their own right which explains why there were so hard, and within the system of male domination, to Justify their positions. In such a world, extreme positions were taken on these women that helped to explain such anomalies. In turn, scholars today are at the mercy of the sources written by men and influenced by the times in which they lived, which fall into these extreme positions.These stereotypical representations of Cleopatra have persisted and perhaps have even been exaggerated in the name of entertainment to dramatist the truth to appeal to audiences in the mane of entertainment. In many stories, movies and other interpretations of Cleopatra such as Shakespearean play; ‘Antonym and Cleopatra'(1607), Cleopatra is frequent ly portrayed as vain and theatrical. In the more recent film ‘Cleopatra' (1963) directed by Joseph L. Mackenzie, she is portrayed as exotic, luxurious and manipulative.However, taking such stereotypical positions does not help to understand the complex woman that Cleopatra must have been, to have reached such heights of power. Women who became leaders in the ancient world experienced particular difficulties in their quest for power as they contested conventional ideas and standards of the time regarding the traditional role of women. To succeed in a world dominated by men they needed to be clever, resourceful, ruthless and ambitious. Cleopatra was all these things, and like other women of note in these times, effectively utilized the power that men held for her ascendancy into the very echelons of power.