Cleopatras Rise to Power - Coursework Example

Introduction Considered as one of the most controversial and mysterious figures, while also attached with several myths and godly figures, Cleopatra is also termed, by many researchers and historians, as one of the most widely misunderstood rulers of the world. Many early historians like Horace, Lucan, and Plutarch condemned for her vile ways. However, another aspect of this famous heroine emerged with Geoffrey Chauffer and Shakespeare celebrating her full character as strong and loyal (Mason, 2002). While several details of her era and rule have been established, there is still a raging debate about the motives she had in mind when having relationships with two of the roman empires most famous and prudent soldiers/generals – Caesar and Antony. This report will comprise of this debate in particular, while also discussing several other aspects such as relationship with Rome after Cleopatra took power in Egypt, Caesar as the king of Egypt, Egypt as one of Rome’s provinces and so on. Before Cleopatra, Relations between the Egypt and Roman Empires Before Cleopatra, the Egypt was under the ruler ship of Macedonian dynasty, ruling for over 300 years (323BC to 30 BC), with Cleopatra as being the last of them. The dynasty was established by Ptolemy I, the key general of Alexander the Great, when Alexander won Egypt. The Ptolemaic empire in Egypt was once an immensely strong empire, with huge potential of spreading across the world. However, with the rise of the Roman Empire, the Egyptian strong hold started crumbling bit by bit. A few lost wars brought the Egyptian empire to the feet of the Romans. At this crucial stage, Ptolemaic rulers decided to make the Romans as their allies, making a pact that was honored for over two centuries. As Rome spread its power, exploitation of Egypt began, plundering of the immense wealth of Egypt for the benefit of the Roman rulers. By the time Cleopatra came to power, Rome had announced itself as the guardian of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. After the death of Cleopatra’s father, Ptolemy XII, the end of the dynasty and Egyptian empire seemed like inevitable. Ptolemy XII paid several tributes to the Roman emperors. However, the Romans and Egyptians maintained a comparatively cordial relation amongst themselves. It was only the wicked and expert political maneuvers by Cleopatra that Egypt remained in its sovereignty for longer than expected. If not for Cleopatra, Egypt would have long become a part of the Roman Empire, as happened after the death of Cleopatra. If not Cleopatra, Caesar as Egypt’s King? After the death of Ptolemy XII, the throne was given to Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIII. Cleopatra married her brother Ptolemy XIII because according to the Egyptian law, a woman could only rule if she had a consort in the form of her husband or son, while sisters were allowed to marry their brothers. Since there was a wide gap in the ages of Cleopatra and her brother, who was only eleven, while Cleopatra was eighteen, Cleopatra assumed the sole role of the ruler of Egypt. However, after three years of this arrangement, the few counsels of her brother/husband Ptolemy XIII made her oust from the regime, sending her and her sister into an exile. During this time, a civil war had begun in Rome, where Caesar was fighting his bosom friend and counsel, the Roman general Pompey. Pompey fled to Egypt taking refuge under Cleopatra’s brother/husband Ptolemy XIII. However, Ptolemy XIII, in an urge to please Caesar, killed Pompey and presented his battered head to Caesar when Caesar visited Egypt in search for Pompey. This enraged Caesar immensely, bringing down the wrath on Ptolemy XIII. Cleopatra, who was already vying to get the throne back, conspired and presented herself to Caesar, wrapped in an Egyptian carpet. Winning Caesar to her side, Cleopatra got her brother ousted from the throne, murdering him in all possibilities, while getting reinstated on the throne herself. This is where the assumption arises – what if Caesar had taken the throne himself? In case Caesar had not fallen for the charms of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Cleopatra (who was not Egyptian in truth!), Caesar would also not have had the wrath of his friends befall upon himself. Thus, Caesar would have ruled the world and Roman Empire longer than the history records, possibly, bringing the whole world under the head of Roman Empire, unifying it all. Secondly, the battles that ensued because of Cleopatra would not have happened, saving a lot of precious lives and morals of several roman generals, most specifically Antony’s and Caesar’s. The offside of Caesar taking charge of Egypt, however, would have been a miss of some amazing legends, referring correctly to “Antony and Cleopatra” and “Cleopatra” herself! Egypt’s relations with Rome during Cleopatra’s reign Referring to the earlier section, Rome had proclaimed itself a savior of the Egyptian empire. After Cleopatra came to the power, these relations with Rome, however, started deteriorating. There are several factors owing to the detrimental relations between Egypt and Rome, some of which are mentioned below (Maggie Goedecke): 1. Romans were extremely wary of the ways of Cleopatra. Romans were simple people, who detested the extravagant and lavish ways adopted by Cleopatra. As mentioned by Maggie Goedecke, Romans view Cleopatra as “presumptuous, promiscuous and lavish in her way of life. The Egyptian queen is more Greek in the way she lives, as her palace and her entire court are equipped with all the luxuries that money can buy.” 2. Romans were extremely moral based people. According to them, Rome and Egypt were at different statuses, with Egypt owing its survival to Rome. While the gratitude was evident before Cleopatra started her affair with Caesar, the latter time period brought nothing but gusts of guffaws from the Egyptian to the Romans. This enraged the Romans beyond explanation, starting with the souring relations between the two empires. 3. Romans were extremely cautious of Cleopatra, who according to them, was a vile being, seeking to expand her empire beyond horizons, dreaming of engulfing eve the roman empire with the help of the affection from her roman generals. While their fears were about to come true, what with Caesar publicly accepting Cleopatra as his legitimate wife and her son by Caesar, Caesarian, as his son. The fears are well defined and accepted in the works by Mary Butts in her novel, Scenes from the Life of Cleopatra¸ where Iras, the serving maid of Cleopatra, is recorded as saying, “let me repeat the situation you guess so well. Under cover- well, under no particular cover- we are here to insure Cleopatras marriage with Caesar, according to Roman law…and with that secure Caesarian as our Caesars heir” (Maggie Goedecke). 4. Another instance where Cleopatra’s sense for expansion and ambition can be seen is when Cleopatra entices Caesar to expand his functions further. In the Elizabeth Taylor film, Cleopatra, our heroine is showcased as saying to Caesar, “make his (Alexander’s) dream yours, Caesar. One people on earth living in peace.” By doing this, Cleopatra sought to gain respect from the Romans for her countrymen and herself. However, it can also be noticed how Cleopatra manipulated Caesar into actually believing in her theories. 5. Romans blame Cleopatra for the debilitation of its two bravest and prized political and military generals. While Caesar dreams of getting more than the Roman Empire can bestow upon him, antonym completely becomes an alcoholic, deserting his duties as a warrior and enjoying the lavishness of the Cleopatra’s palace and rule. 6. Some Romans also held Cleopatra accountable for the wars that ensued between the roman officials themselves. In the Roman society, harmony amongst the Romans was highly prized. However, due to Cleopatra’s intermittent interference, the roman generals Antony and Octavious turned against each other, to the extent of fighting a war, famously called, the Battle of Actium. With the reasons cited above, it is quietly evident how the dislike of the Romans of the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, ultimately resulted in the fall of Egyptian empire after foiling the relation between the two empires entirely. Why was Cleopatra attracted to the two men – For power or for love? The point final emerges – Were all the actions undertaken by Cleopatra simply for political gains or was she actually in love with the men associated with her, namely, Caesar and Antony? As has been effectively established, Cleopatra did gain from her romantic association with the two generals. While Caesar helped her attain the throne after dethroning her brother Ptolemy XIII, Antony also bestowed upon her and her kids by Antony, most of the Roman provinces under his authority – Tarsus, Cyrene, Crete, Cyprus and Palestine. Both the men helped Cleopatra strengthen the Egyptian empire, while giving the Egyptian empire an entirely separate identity. Therefore, it cannot be entirely denied that both the association with the two roman generals were entirely without any hidden agendas for the Egyptian queen, it also could not be established that Cleopatra’s sole aim was to gain power via these men. The same can be answered to those seeking for answers to the mystery of why Cleopatra decided to fall in love (if entirely for love) with these two men, who possessed completely different personalities from each other. Power being the common factor, Cleopatra knew which way to go in order to remain powerful and acknowledged on the platform of politics worldwide. While Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” showcases the character of Cleopatra in a more sensitive manner, what with Cleopatra dying for the love of Antony and vice versa, the truth also indicates that Cleopatra rather killed herself to save herself from the humiliation from Octavious’s clutches. Sadly, for Cleopatra, Octavious was not smitten by Cleopatra’s beauty and charms, unlike many others. Conclusion While all the arguments do point towards showcasing Cleopatra in a darker realm, as Michel Chauveau and David Lorton put it, “using her considerable intelligence, beauty and ruthlessness, she accomplished what many men before her had done. Perhaps because she was a woman in a time of male dominance such exploits became the stuff of speculation, and were embellished through the ages.” Hence, while Cleopatra can be condemned for getting into relationships for the love of power, she was also one of the wisest and wickedest rulers Egypt could have, in order to sustain in the difficult times. Apart from the suave seductress that has been showcased for Cleopatra by several before, Cleopatra was also one of the most intelligent queens in the entire history, with knowledge of more than eight languages, at a time when education for women was not much accounted for. References: Brainbloggers.com. "Cleopatra (69 B.C. - 30 B.C.)." Extracted from: http://history.brainbloggers.com/2008/06/16/cleopatra-69-bc-30-bc/ Butts, Mary. "Scenes from the Life of Cleopatra." Los Angelos: Sun & Moon Press, 1994. Gemma Wiseman. "An ancient Roman perspective of Cleopatra." Extracted from: http://www.helium.com/items/332486-an-ancient-roman-perspective-of-cleopatra Jonathan Grochowski . "Cleopatra VII (b. 69 B.C.-d. 30 B.C.)." MMVIII Prof. Pavlacs Womens History Site (2005): Extracted from: http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/cleop7.html Maggie Goedecke. "Cleopatra: The Natural Nemesis of Rome." http://f99.middlebury.edu/FS013A/cleopatra_by_goedecke.htm Michel Chauveau (translated from the French by David Lorton). "Cleopatra: Beyond the Myth." Canadian Social Studies 38,.3 (2002): M.S. Mason . "The Allure of Cleopatra." The Christian Science Monitor 25 January, 2002: Pharaohs on the web. "Cleopatra, the Last Pharaoh (B.C. 69-30)." Extracted by: http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/5809/index.htm Read More