Cleopatra: Part 2

"the contact of her presence, if you lived with her, was irresistible; the attraction of her person, joining with the charm of her conversation, and the character that attended all she said or did, was something bewitching. It was a pleasure merely to hear the sound of her voice, with which, like an instrument of many strings, she could pass from one language to another; so that there were few of the barbarian nations that she answered by an interpreter; to most of them".

This quote is indicative of the immense intelligence and skill Cleopatra possessed and why she was so suited to being a pharaoh. Her appearance itself may or may not have been striking but it is undeniable that Cleopatra was much more than her beauty, she was diplomatic, clever and cunning and it is important we recognise this fact. What makes her captivating and striking is her knowledge and charms, demonstrating how women are more than just their appearance. It is a shame to ignore the fact that a woman can have power through other means than her beauty, such as through intellect.  Her knowledge of languages is surprising as previous kings hardly bothered to learn a language, not even their own. This is demonstrative of her skill in diplomacy, as by not relying on translators, she shows respect to other countries and their exchanges would seem more trustworthy. Furthermore, this is stated by Plutarch, making it all the more surprising yet believable. Roman sources were very biased against Cleopatra and would do anything to paint her as an evil temptress who turned Mark Antony against the Romans; however, Plutarch is quite complementary about Cleopatra here.  This highlights how we are not necessarily seeing just Roman propaganda here, we are actually getting an idea of what she was like as a queen. 

In addition, Dio claims she had "the power to subjugate" anyone and "perfected her schemes" to regain her throne through the seduction of Antony. What makes this evidence important is that we gain a more well-rounded impression of Cleopatra, especially important with the loss of any Egyptian sources. When we look at women through history, it is undeniable that the men who wrote the history do not acknowledge the strengths of women, they are not the focus of the history we have access to. Cleopatra was pharaoh for 21 years and took the throne at 18, and was both desirable and merciless. When she lost the throne because of her younger brother, she seduced Julius Caesar and took advantage of his fury towards Ptolemy (as he executed Pompey the Great in 48BC) and thus gained the throne once again. Furthermore, she had a hand in exiling her sister Arsinoë in 46BC to ensure there would be no competition for the throne and she later had her executed in 41BC. Cleopatra is more than just glamour and a temptress, more than just the lover of Mark Antony who committed suicide, she was discerning and a strong woman.

Moreover, Cleopatra is famed for being the lover of Mark Antony and, to a lesser extent, Julius Caesar. It is said that she used her beauty to her advantage which emphasises her cunning nature, again something the sources mention to try and degrade her. It is obvious that the Roman sources would portray Cleopatra as determined to bring down Rome and so she is mostly mentioned in relation to Mark Antony and his actions. Similar to this, modern portrayals of Cleopatra mention how they were star crossed lovers, completely ignoring the political side to their relationship. For Cleopatra, Egypt became a friend and ally of Rome following Caesar’s death, meaning if she required assistance, they would be more likely to help. She would ensure the massive empire of Rome would be an ally of Egypt and so would provide military and political aid. Although it did not turn out as such, it was a good plan to strengthen Egypt. With Julius Caesar’s help, she managed to regain her throne and rule with no opposition. After Julius Caesar’s death, she began an affair with one if the most powerful men in Rome, Mark Antony. This ensured her throne would not be removed and she would build a strong alliance with the ever-growing power of Rome. This did prove to be beneficial as Antony confirmed the children he has with and bestowed gifts such as provinces on her in 34BC. Cleopatra would then appear a stronger queen to her people because Egypt appears to be growing and Antony seems to be a great ally for Rome. It could be said that Cleopatra miscalculated who she supported but she did attempt to ensure Egypt would remain its own great power, Rome was merely too unstable at that period of time. 

When viewing Cleopatra, often it is her relationship with Mark Antony that defines her rather than her as a pharaoh, again contributing to the erasure of women in history. While her name is known, it is known for the wrong reasons and we do not let who she was a person define her or her intelligence define her. Also, the focus on how romantic her love was is frustrating, there was definitely a politically driven motive behind it as she chose the strong men of Rome to produce heirs with. Ultimately, Cleopatra did not JUST fall in love with Mark Antony, she was clever enough to choose her lover carefully and to let the supposedly beautiful love story be the most memorable aspect of her life is a tragedy.

In conclusion, Cleopatra was not just beautiful nor was she just the lover of Mark Antony.  She was a smart and resourceful pharaoh who attempted to stabilise Egypt and build up its powers and relations. Furthermore, she was talented, cunning and so much more, it is a shame that the Roman sources do not recognise this as they demonised her due to their sexism and xenophobia.