Cleopatra Feminism

Ancient History Essay

Cleopatra was born in 69 B.C. and died 30 B.C. and is one of the most infamous women in history. She’s renown as a liberated Egyptian pharaoh who used her intelligence and charm to rule Egypt, however people view her as a cunning manipulator, who used support from powerful men to sustain her position on the throne. Historians such as Dr. Jo Quinn and Philip W. Sergeant interpret her actions as heroic and view Cleopatra as a figure of feminism. Other historians including James C. Thompson and Dr. Adrian Goldsworthy argue that Cleopatra was dependent on the most powerful men of her time, and essentially sold herself to gain power, and she may have caused the fall of Egypt.

Cleopatra VII was born into the dynasty of Pharaohs
Many of her actions are seen as highly dependant on men of greater power, and historians such as James C. Thompson and Dr. Adrian Goldsworthy believe there are many misconceptions surrounding the life of Cleopatra, and many untold events. Romans wrote the majority of the historical information that survived as propaganda, citing her influence on the Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony as a great threat to Rome’s future. Cleopatra’s involvement with two of the most powerful men of her time led to her depiction as an Egyptian seductress. Whether Cleopatra seduced Caesar and Antony simply to guarantee her throne or she genuinely had affection for them both may never be known, however Goldsworthy states “We use Cleopatra as we want, reflecting our own desires on how we’d like the past to be…however the powerful image build around her is far from the truth”. Goldsworthy believes that Cleopatra was unprepared to participate, as ruler of Egypt, however was desperate to prevent Ptolemy XIII having any control, and thus made the greedy decision to scavenge support from religion and powerful figures. Some historians have also discussed Cleopatra’s actions of greed, and it’s speculated that she poisoned Ptolemy XIII so she could independently rule. James C. Thompson made many points against Cleopatra’s success. “Cleopatra maintained her position as queen of Egypt essentially by prostitutiing herself to powerful Roman generals. Ultimately however, her country was annexed by Rome and she committed suicide”. Thompson also stated that Cleopatra caused great hardship to the Egyption people by paying huge amounts of tribute to the Romans, which eventuallty led to loosing the battle of Actium, and the Romans being able to invade Egypt. “Cleopatra has been called a shameless temptress who used blatant sexuality to maintain her grip on the