Speech: The Great Pharaoh Hatshepsut

History Speech - Hatshepsut

Good Morning, I am delighted to be here today to share my depiction of the great Pharaoh Hatshepsut.

Pharaoh Hatshepsut ‘Foremost of Noble Ladies’, became the first great woman in history. She was only the third woman to become pharaoh in 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history and the first women to obtain full power of the position. She was one of the most fascinating personalities of the ancient world with most of the interest focused on her coming from the fact that she was a woman in a man’s world. Traditionally most of the Egyptian rulers were men, but Hatshepsut managed to establish herself as pharaoh of Egypt in 1473 BC, with her impressive reign spanning 22 years. During Hatshepsut’s reign Egypt flourished economically, and through religious architecture. She was labelled an intelligent and competent ruler, but most notably an innovator. She created a stable, prosperous and secure Egypt.

The idea that a woman could be Pharaoh was detestable to the people of Egypt. However,

In order solidify her position and assert her authority she wore male garments, such as the kilt, the nemes headdress and false beard. Another female characteristic she abandoned were titles. She replaced titles only women could hold with those of Pharaoh’s. Eventually, she even removed the ‘t’ from the end of her name, another female tradition, and officially becoming ‘his majesty’. These male adaptations show her intelligence, and that she understood to be a successful ruler in this age she would have to gain respect of the people, and she used male customs to achieve this. However, despite this, she never intended to pass off as a male, referring to herself as the ‘female falcon’. This gives insight into her personality, showing she was intelligent, innovative and proud to be a women; a rare quality for this period in