Queen Cleopatra: An Extraordinary Woman - Essay Example

CLEOPATRA I. INTRODUCTION Cleopatra (69-30 bc), ill-fated queen. It was the throne of a number of Macedonian queens of ancient Egypt, celebrated for her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Cleopatra, or more precisely, Cleopatra VII, was the daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes, king of Egypt. On her father's death in 51 bc Cleopatra, then about 17 years old, and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, a child of about 12 years, succeeded jointly to the throne of Egypt with the provision that they should marry. But it was a marriage for convenience only. She became queen at the age of 18. In the third year of their reign Ptolemy, encouraged by his advisers, assumed sole control of the government and drove Cleopatra into exile. She was determined to regain her throne. She promptly gathered an army in Syria but was unable to assert her claim until the arrival at Alexandria of Julius Caesar, who became her lover and espoused her cause. He was for a time hard pressed by the Egyptians but ultimately triumphed, and in 47 bc Ptolemy XIII was killed. And that time, Caesar proclaimed Cleopatra Queen of Egypt. II. Queen Cleopatra: An Extraordinary Woman Cleopatra is described as a beautiful, sensuous, intelligent, and desirous of bringing her beloved Egypt into the forefront of world power and politics. She started out as a famous queen of a wealthy nation in time of ancient history and her fame grew from there. During her reign, "Cleopatra promoted herself relentlessly, making public displays of her power, her image as pharaoh and goddess, and her links with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony." She is considered extraordinary and most influential woman in the world history. Not all government has been run by men. According to website "Cleopatra is a woman who both combines, political wit and foresight, as well as a strong personal will combined with rigorous self-confidence." She has wielded power, revealed her feats during her times. To an imperious will, boldness and boundless ambition, Cleopatra added great intellectual power and physical seductiveness with which she twice nearly succeeded in becoming queen of the known world. In her both complex relationships with the two most powerful men, first is Julius Caesar, and several years after Caesar's death Is Mark Antony, she see to it that she had join forces with them to assure her place for Egypt in the shaping of the empire. In her relationships with the two great generals, Cleopatra used her body as well as her mind to achieve political ends. Her standards of conduct differed widely from Roman custom and law. But it was for her determination, and intelligence that she was feared at Rome, and Cleopatra deserves to be remembered as a nearly successful contender for control of the Hellenistic world. III. CLEOPATRA and JULIUS CAESAR Julius Caesar is the Roman general and a good leader who ruled the Roman Republic as a dictator. Cleopatra was restored to the throne by the Roman armies of Julius Caesar. She uses Julius Caesar to exercise his power over Egypt and proclaim her as a queen. Legend has it that Cleopatra had herself delivered to Caesar rolled up in a carpet. Whatever the truth, he fell in love with her, and she had a son, Caesarion, by him. Caesar invited Cleopatra and Caesarion to Rome, where she stayed until 44 BC, when Caesar was assassinated. IV. CLEOPATRA and MARK ANTONY Mark Antony is the Roman general went to Cleopatra for her support in his bid for power in Rome. He too fell in love with her. They later married and had three children. Mark Anthony and Cleopatra were ambitious and strove to take over the eastern Roman Empire. But their armies were defeated at the Battle of Actium, off Greece, by the forces of Octavian. As Octavian chased Cleopatra and Mark Antony to Alexandria, Cleopatra spread rumours that she was dead. In despair, Mark Antony stabbed himself. He died in her arms. Cleopatra committed suicide also. V. OCTAVIAN The war between Queen Cleopatra (assisted by Mark Antony) and Octavian was last and probably most important of the Roman civil wars of the republic. After the Roman Senate declared war on the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, Antony, her lover and ally, betrayed Rome and joined the war on Cleopatra's side. After the decisive victory for Octavian at the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra and Antony withdrew to Alexandria, where Octavian besieged the city until both Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. Cleopatra tried to make peace with Octavian but failed. She took her life by placing an asp, a poisonous snake, on her breast. Works Cited: Wallbank, W. History and Life: The World and Its People. World Literature.1977. Scott Foresman & Company. United States of America. "Cleopatra: The Last Pharaoh of Egypt" http://www.royalty.nu/Africa/Egypt/Cleopatra.html Cleopatra was then forced by custom to marry her younger brother, Ptolemy XIV, then about 11 years old. After settling their joint government on a secure basis, Cleopatra went to Rome, where she lived as Caesar's mistress. She gave birth to a son, Caesarion, later Ptolemy XV; it is believed that Caesar was his father. After Caesar's assassination in 44 bc, Cleopatra is said to have poisoned Ptolemy XIV. She then returned to Egypt and made Caesarion her coregent. Because Cleopatra hesitated to take sides in the civil war following Caesar's death, Mark Antony summoned her to meet him to explain her conduct. He fell in love with her and returned with her to Egypt. After living with her for some time, Antony was compelled to return to Rome, where he married Octavia, a sister of Caesar's heir Octavian, later Roman emperor as Augustus. After Antony's departure Cleopatra bore him twins. In 36 bc Antony went to the East as commander of an expedition against the Parthians. He sent for Cleopatra, who joined him at Antioch. They were married, and a third child was born. In 34 bc, after a successful campaign against the Parthians, he celebrated his triumph at Alexandria. He continued to reside in Egypt. In 32 bc, when Octavian declared war against Cleopatra and Antony, Antony divorced Octavia. Cleopatra insisted on taking part in the campaign. At the naval engagement at Actium in 31 bc, believing Antony's defeat to be inevitable, she withdrew her fleet from action, and she and Antony fled to Alexandria. On the approach of Octavian, Antony, deceived by a false report of the death of the queen, committed suicide. Hearing that Octavian intended to exhibit her in his triumph at Rome, Cleopatra killed herself, probably by poison, or, according to an old tradition, by the bite of an asp. Caesarion, the last member of the Ptolemy dynasty, was put to death by Octavian, and Egypt subsequently became a Roman province. Cleopatra's life has formed the basis for many literary works, the most notable of which are the plays Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare, All for Love by the English dramatist John Dryden, and Caesar and Cleopatra by the British playwright George Bernard Shaw. Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003. 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Read More