Unveiling Cleopatra's False Image

Once upon a time, there was a woman named Cleopatra. A Greek woman who ruled Egypt before the century, and she was the last queen of her Macedonian dynasty. She has always been known for her beauty, nobility, and strength.

Many writers talked about Cleopatra, and I'm no different. You've probably heard about her too. But, when I read Cleopatra's story, it wasn't what I expected. So, here's the story with my own take on it.

Fame

Cleopatra is a famous historical figure in the Western tradition because of her role in the bitter struggles in Roman history in the first century. Her name became with such prominent figures in Roman history as Julius Ceaser, Mark Antony and Octavian. She played different roles as the lover, ally and bitter enemy of these men. If she didn't have contact with the Roman world, then her name would mean little or maybe nothing.

People generally believed Cleopatra became famous because she was the Queen of Egypt. But, she really made a name for herself when she connected with big names in Rome.

Life

Cleopatra was the last Greek queen of Egypt and also the last of the (pharaohs) as stretching from the death of Alexander the Great. By the time she became ruler of Egypt, her family had lost all of its overseas possessions.

The political world in which Cleopatra grew up was a world full of violence. She saw her own father bribe his way to the Romans because Egypt was a possession of the Roman empire. Her elder sister thought their father won't back again, so she set up on the throne in her father's place, and then he killed her when he returned to power.

She was only about twenty-one years ago, and received the worst of the civil strife between her and her younger brother's supporters, and was forced out of the city ruled by the Greek dynasty after Alexander the Great, called Alexandria. Cleopatra as a member of the royal family finds herself at the centre of troubles and sudden violent deaths. This was a difficult world to survive in.

They never thought a famous and powerful character could have such a tragic life. Additionally, the discovery that Alexandria was named after Alexander the Great came as a surprise.

Beauty

Everyone wrote about her stunning beauty, which charmed everyone, both men and women. She was really charming but it wasn't because of her beauty. One of the Roman writers named Plutarch, who wrote The fallen hero about her and Antony, said that she wasn't the most beautiful of women, and her captivating effect relied not so much on the stunning nature of her looks but rather on the sheer force of her personality. Cleopatra was strong, smart, confident and determined.

Used to seeing the most glamorous actresses play Cleopatra in movies, they were surprised to find out she wasn't as beautiful as everyone claimed. It just goes to show, your personality is what really impresses and attracts people.

With Rome

According to the Roman historian Cassius Dio, Cleopatra captivated the two greatest Romans of her time. Julius Caeser was assassinated by a group of rebels. Then, she became the ally of Mark Antony, Caeser's assistant, who became her lover and fought against his country for her love. withal, she destroyed herself because of the third Roman man, Octavian. She had one son with Caeser, and two sons and a daughter with Antony

Octavian, the bitter enemy of Cleopatra. He waged war against her and Antony to expand the empire of Rome, and their combined forces were defeated by him at the battle of Actium.

The burden of being despised and the responsibility of protecting someone may have contributed to her downfall in the battle.

After Actium

By the following year of the battle, Antony had committed suicide as Octavian took control of Egypt. Cleopatra contrived to have an asp, a poisonous snake, smuggled to her after she had been captured by the Romans following Antony's suicide, and she died from its bite. She drew grudging admiration from Romans due to the manner of her death and how she remained noble and strong even in her end. After all, Octavian became Rome's first emperor under the name of Augustus.

Thinking her end would be murder, not suicide, they admired her bravery and strength even after Antony's death and losing her country.

References

Moohan, E. and Fear, T. (2008) ‘Cleopatra’, in Moohan (ed).
Ott, K.A. (2003) ‘A Moral Conflict: The Contrast of Character between Cleopatra and Octavia’, Middlebury Education website.
‘Reputations’, Milton Keynes, The Open University, p. 11.