Cleopatra

Cleopatra

Research Paper on Cleopatra

Cleopatra VII, more commonly known as Cleopatra, was born to Ptolemy XII and his sister Cleopatra Tryphaina in 69 B.C. (Nardo 9). Although she lacked beauty, Cleopatra was regarded as a fascinating woman who was known for her intelligence and charm. Egyptian coins picture her with “a countenance alive rather than beautiful, with a sensitive mouth, firm chin liquid eyes, broad forehead, and prominent nose” (“Cleopatra VII” 377). After her father's death in 51 B.C., Cleopatra became queen. She ruled Egypt with her eldest brother and husband Ptolemy XIII. Marriage between siblings was a “common practice” in ancient Egyptian royal families (Sinnigen 662). She was the last ruler of the dynasty established by Ptolemy I. Cleopatra was of Macedonian descent but took it upon herself to learn the Egyptian language and referred to herself as the daughter of the sun god (“Cleopatra VII” 377). Her capital was Alexandria, discovered by Alexander the Great, and was an excellent center of Hellenistic Greek culture and commercial activity (Krapp 615).

I feel that Cleopatra was a very significant woman in history because she was very aggressive and assertive, characteristics that have always been considered unfeminine. At the same time, however, Cleopatra has been remembered by some as somewhat of a sex object, which is and always has been a common judgement of attractive females. Cleopatra did use her sex appeal to her advantage. It was one of the few manipulations that nobody could take away from her, and it was a very convincing form of persuasion.

Cleopatra's family had been ruling Egypt since 305 BC, when Ptolemy I declared himself King of Egypt sometime after Alexander the Great's death. The Ptolemy family was of Macedonian decent, not Egyptian. Cleopatra, more precisely, Cleopatra VII, was the third daughter of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos “Auletes”, who began his rule of Egypt in 80 BC. Cleopatra VII's mother could possibly have been Cleopatra V Tryphaena, who either died or disappeared in 68 BC, right after Cleopatra VII's birth in 69 BC. Cleopatra VII had two older sisters, Cleopatra VI and Berenice IV, and one younger sister, Arsinoe IV. She also had two younger brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV.

Ptolemy XII ruled until his death in 51 BC, with only a brief interruption in 58 BC when his second eldest daughter, Berenice IV, took over the kingdom. His will named Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII as heirs to the throne. Leaders in Rome were named as guardians and were to uphold the choice of Ptolemy XII for the two to marry and jointly rule Egypt. Ptolemy II had established these brother-sister marriages as custom when he married his sister Arsinoe II. As children, Cleopatra and her siblings witnessed the defeat of their guardian, Pompey, by Julius Caesar in a duel. Meanwhile, Cleopatra and her brother/husband Ptolemy XIII were dueling, albeit silently, over the throne.

In the middle of all this turmoil, Julius Caesar left Rome for Alexandria in 48 BC. During his stay in the Palace, he received ...