Cleopatra Manipulation

Most pharaoh-queens were named Cleopatra; however, when referenced, Cleopatra VII nearly always comes to mind. Modern day depictions of Cleopatra put a strong emphasis on her supposed beauty. Even Ancient Roman historians had much to say in this respect – “For she was a woman of surpassing beauty, and at that time, when she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking; she also possessed a most charming voice and a knowledge of how to make herself agreeable with everyone.” However, while current standards of Cleopatra grasp onto these words and those alike, most end up missing the influential impact that Cleopatra played on the world’s stage. Cleopatra was an apt female leader, who lived in an ancient, male-driven world. Her leadership

Subsequently, Cleopatra claimed to be the re-incarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who was the goddess of motherhood and fertility. It may have been this manipulation of Egypt’s cultural values that allowed her to remain assertive in her goddess-like status. Nevertheless, at age 18, Cleopatra’s father died, leaving Cleopatra to marry her much younger brother, Ptolemy XIII. Upon first becoming co-ruler, Cleopatra demonstrated her independence and power as both a woman and a leader. However, guided by his advisors, Cleopatra’s brother banished her due to his fears that she would “gain too much power independently.” Even though her brother was young, he still had more legitimate power than she, being that he was male, and had more legal rights to the throne. Societal expectations forced brothers and sisters to rule Egypt; however, Cleopatra quickly realized that her brothers were not intelligent enough, and thought they lacked the necessary skills she sought to compete with the politics of the time. Even though Cleopatra was exiled, her followers still marveled her, admiring how she took the time to recognize her subjects’ existence, tying in with how she was the first of fourteen Ptolemies to learn the Egyptian language. In the midst of this

It is thought that Ptolemy ordered this execution as a means to attract the goodwill of Caesar, and to become an ally of the expanding Roman state. However, the death of Pompey only enraged Caesar, as Pompey was a Roman consul, and once married to Caesar’s only daughter who died in childbirth. Caesar quickly captured the Egyptian capital, where he played as a mediator between the competing claims of Ptolemy and Cleopatra. Intent on taking advantage of Caesar’s anger toward Ptolemy, Cleopatra snuck back into Alexandria, seeking an alternative to building her own military power. Instead, Cleopatra sought to negotiate with Caesar to be reinstated as ruler, being fully aware that Caesar had a sexual appetite, especially with “bold scheming females whose intelligence challenged his own and whose wit struck sparks from his own brilliance.” The two quickly became lovers. It wasn’t long before Cleopatra was reinstated as the ruler of