Cleopatra in a Pre-modern Society - Essay Example

Question: Do you agree that Cleopatra was a modern woman in a pre-modern society, or is she a product of her time as much as Antony is? Women in the past held less power and were viewed as being inferior to men. It was hard to find jobs that accepted women, and they did not have the power of voice. In William Shakespeare’s play “Antony and Cleopatra,” Shakespeare illustrates the relationship between Antony, Caesar, and Cleopatra through a historical event in Rome. Caesar was the ruler of Rome, and Antony was one of the generals of Rome.

Cleopatra, on the other hand, was the Queen of Egypt, as well as Antony’s lover. Later, Caesar and Antony declared war on one another. Knowing that he would not win the war, Antony committed suicide. After his death, Cleopatra also killed herself because she could not live without Antony’s love and support. I strongly agree that Cleopatra was a modern woman because she was the Queen of Egypt, and many modern women are just like Cleopatra. In the past, women did not have any power. They had to listen to their husbands on everything, they did not have the power to make decisions or speak, and they could only stay and work at home.

Unlike most women in the past, Cleopatra was a powerful and charismatic Queen. She had the power to speak and to make decisions. Most of the men would have fallen in love with her, and almost all of the servants were also willing to serve her. In another scene in Shakespeare’s play, Antony and Caesar after declaring war on each other; Antony was trying to make a decision on whether he should fight on land or on the sea. Cleopatra suggested that he should fight on the sea with Caesar. Later, Antony decided to fight on sea, even though he knew that he is far better at fighting on land.

This scene shows that Cleopatra was an influential and powerful woman that even an important man such as Antony would take her suggestions into consideration. During that point in time, most women were not allowed to interfere with any of the men’s business, and could not have their own opinion and decisions heard. Therefore, Cleopatra can be viewed as a powerful as well as a strong modern female in her era. Modern women are strong, independent, and powerful. Unlike pre-modern females, modern women can have jobs, speak for themselves, or make decisions for themselves.

In today’s society, almost half of the leaders today are female, something which was highly rare and unlikely to happen in the past centuries. For example, Hilary Clinton, who made history by becoming the first female presidential candidate for the United States in 2008, is a successful and important female character. Although she lost the election, she did not only win over many people but also persuaded several to support her bid. Nevertheless, her oratory skills and speech were strong and persuasive, and she herself was strong in addition to independent female leader; traits that convinced many people that she could govern America.

Cleopatra was similar to Hilary Clinton. Cleopatra was the Queen of Egypt, as well as a powerful and influential leader; hence, my belief is that Cleopatra can satisfactorily be classified as a modern-day female because her roles and actions were similar to those of modern females. In conclusion, therefore, Shakespeare’s play “Antony and Cleopatra,” talks about the historical event in Rome from the relationship between Antony, Caesar, and Cleopatra. Cleopatra is portrayed as being a strong leading modern woman of her era because she was not only the leader of Egypt but also had several other characteristics that distinguished her as a modern-day female.