Cleopatra Essay Research Paper Cleopatra was an free essay sample

Cleopatra Essay, Research Paper Cleopatra was an intelligent, political, savoury and ambitious adult female who changed the history of Egypt. A immature adult female who was thrust early into the violent and tolerant political relations of a worsening land. Her stragedy involved the seduction of Julius Caesar succeeded by an intense love matter with Mark Antony. She remains as one of histories most powerful and absorbing swayers. Alexander the Great died suddenly in Babylon. His Macedonian Generals all raced to acquire his land. His solider Ptolemy wanted two things the organic structure of Alexander and Egypt. He wanted Egypt because it was the richest topographic point of all Alexander s conquerings. He wanted Alexander s organic structure because he believed it would convey a new God to him and many extraordinary powers to the antediluvian land where he shortly would govern. Ptolemy got the land he desired and became Pharaohs with all the ancient rights and privileges that came with the responsibility. He besides gained the capital Alexandria, which so was one of the greatest metropoliss to have. The Geografer Strabo wrote about the metropolis Alexandia and the great benefit it had. The whole metropolis is crossed by streets broad plenty for Equus caballuss and passenger cars, and crossing at right angles are two really broad streets, being more than 30 metres in comprehensiveness. The metropolis has magnificent public topographic points and edifices and royal castles that cover a one-fourth, even a tierce of the entire metropolis country. Each male monarch, merely as he adds decorations to public edifices, besides builds a castle of his ain to fall in those already at that place. And all are connected to the seaport, even those beyond the seaport walls. Besides organizing portion of the castle one-fourth is the sema, the enclosure incorporating the grave of Alexander and those of the male monarchs in another word the metropolis is full of dedications and sanctuaries. The secondary school is the most beautiful edifice, with a colonnade about 175 meters in length. In the center of the metropolis are the jurisprudence tribunals and unfastened Grovess. There is bes ides the Paneum, an unreal conical hill with coiling stairss traveling unit of ammunition it. From the top, the whole fantastic metropolis spreads out below ( Foss, pg. 36 ) The great general was known as Ptolemy Soter, intending Jesus. The names kept within the household were Ptolemy ( for males ) , Arsinoe, Berenice and Cleopatra. For 100s of old ages they kept the Ptolemies in regulation because of matrimonies between brothers and sisters. Cleopatra s male parent was Ptolemy XII Neos Dionusos. He started governing in 80 BC. Cleopatra s female parent was Cleopatra V Tryphaena. Cipher knows if Cleopatra V Tryphaena is Cleopatras female parent because after the birth of Cleopatra in 68 BC her female parent either died or disappeared. Cleopatra was born in Alexandria in the winter of 69 or 68 BC. She was born in one of the Ptolemies epicurean flats. The ground Cleopatra has her name is because she was her male parent s glorification and that is what Cleopatra means. Cleopatras heritage were Grecian Barbarians. Some of her heritage consisted of Iranian blood. Cleopatra was of assorted blood which conculted to her dark skin color. Which is why some people r efered to her as a itinerant ( connoting to her dark tegument ) . That meant that she was non Egyptian. Cleopatra was a knowing, intelligent individual. For centuries there was an old plan that taught Pharaoh girls course of study of math, doctrine, uranology and maestro military scheme. Cleopatra was taught the same instruction boys recived. Cleopatra was taught and spoke many linguistic communications such as Greek, Aethiopian, Troglodytes, Hebrew, Arabian, Syrian, Medes and Parthian. Some say she was excellently superb and beautiful in her apperence every bit good as her power of head. Plutarch describes in his notes of Cleopatra being beautiful in organic structure every bit good as head Her existent beauty was non in itself so singular ; it was the impact of her spirit that was resistless. The attractive force of her individual, joined with the appeal of her conversation and the characteristic intelligence of all that she did, was capturing. It was delight simply to hear the sound of her voice. As if this were an instrument of many strings, she could go through from one linguistic communication to another. ( Foss, pg. 82 ) Cleopatra had many siblings. She had two older sisters named Cleopatra VI and Berenice IV, which became her challengers because they besides had the opportunity to take the throne. She besides had two younger brothers and one younger sister named Arisione IV, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV. Before Ptolemy XII ( Cleopatra s father ) died he made a will bespeaking that he wanted Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII inheritor of the throne when he passed off. Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra were brother and sister Loving Supreme beings intending they had to get married each other to maintain the royalty in the household. Cleopatra 18 married the immature, 10 twelvemonth old Ptolemy XIII. The matrimony made Cleopatra Queen of Egypt and Ptolemy XIII King. Ptolemy was appointed with council work forces to steer him through jobs if he should confront any. Cleopatra and Ptolemy ruled jointly, although Cleopatra posesed most of the power because she was older and more advanced. In 50 BC the season al inundation of the Nile River was low, doing drouth and dearth. Many people left in hunt of new H2O, Cleopatra left from the countryside and fled to Alexandria. In 48 BC Cleopatra was throwen out of the castle by Ptolemy XIII whose advisers despised her. She built her ain ground forces outside of Alexandria. Due to Ptolemy and his advisers Cleopatra was enraged and Civil war was on its manner. Julius Caesar wrote why Cleopatra was thrown out of the castle. through the male monarchs friends and relations, fastened the incrimination on Cleopatra as the senior of the co-rulers and the ascendant figure in Government. By the terminal of 49 BC the sentiment of the people of Alexandria had turned against her and she was driven from the capital. ( Foss, pg. 74 ) Julius Caesar was a great Roman vanquisher, so each Cleopatra and Ptolemy XII wanted him on their side. Cleopatra wanted to run into with Caesar so she could suduce him and hold him be on her side, but the inquiry was how. Cleopatra smuggled herself into a carpet to acquire to Caesar. She had to make this without the guards seeing her because if Ptolemy XIII knew Cleopatra was traveling to see Caesar he would hold had her killed. Cleopatra did stop up suducing Caesar and they spent the dark together. The following forenoon Ptolemy went to speak to Caesar and found Cleopatra by his side. The Alexandrine War started between Cleopatra and Ptolemy XII with Caesar taking Cleopatra s ground forces. Ptolemy XII realized Caesar was much more skilled so himself so he decided to give up. Later it was heard that he drowned seeking to get away the metropolis in fright of Caesar. An unknown enemy of Cleopatra and Caesar describes the fatel incident of Ptolemy get awaying the Alexandrine War. Then the Alexandrines struggled to get away and threw themselves over the bank near the river. The first groups tumbled into a ditch and were trampled under the pess of others behind. The male monarch got off in a boat, but so many runawaies crowded aboard that the boat sank and he was drowned. ( Foss, pg. 87 ) When Ptolemy XIII died Cleopatra had to get married her brother named Ptolemy XIV. He was 12 old ages old and Cleopatra was 22 old ages old. Cleopatra one time once more claimed the throne and besides had power over Ptolemy XIV. Cleopatra became pregnant while taking a sail on the Nile River with Caesar. Cleopartra had her boy in June 47 BC. She named him Ptolemy XV Caesar. Most people referred to him as Caesarian. Priests thought that Cae sarian had been fathered from the God Amon-Re, besides known as the infant God Horus-Eros. In 46 BC Cleopatra went to Rome with Ptolemy XIV and Caesarian, so she could remain with Caesar. They stayed for 2 old ages at the Villa outside of Rome across the Tiber River, as Caesar s invitees. While she was gone she tested Rome s Society to see how Rome would respond to her absence. Caesar did non desire to get married Cleopatra for political and cultural grounds. For illustration he was non in the Ptolimies household which meant he was non able to get married Cleopatra and he was non the same civilization. Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. That twenty-four hours he was traveling to be appointed king from Antony. He was killed because people thought he was deriving excessively much power. Cleopatra left the Italian capital and headed back to Alexandria. At first, she didn Ts know if she should remain in the Italian capital or to travel back to Alexandria. She decided to travel t o Alexandria because that was her metropolis and the Italian capital was Caesars metropolis. Cleopatra was fixing to travel back to Alexandria before Caesar died. When she went back she had to confront the Nile drouth, dearth and disease. She made had to do difficult determinations about labour and green goods. Administrators started to set excess dues on workers who did agricultural work outside of the metropolis. Cleopatra declared that the workers did non hold excess dues. Few months after Cleopatra s return her brother hubby Ptolemy XIV disappeared. Later it was found that he was poisoned. Some people suspect Cleopatra murdered Ptolemy XIV because she didn t want him to hold control over her. Cleopatra so married her boy Caesarion. The Egyptians liked the thought of the matrimony every bit good as Cleopatra did. Cleopatra particularly liked the thought of get marrieding her boy because he was half Roman, this placed Celopatra on good footings with the Romans. During that clip Cl eopatra watched all events from a safe position and kept out of everybody s jobs. A adult male of the name of Cassius asked Cleopatra if she could assist him out Cleopatra said she couldn T because of poorness, dearth and disease in her land. In the fall of 42 BC Cleopatra was acquiring a fleet together. Antony a powerful and skilled adult male, was be aftering to go more successful. He wanted to keep a meeting stating evrybody of his program. Antony sent Cleopatra letters so she would go to his meeting he had to state everybody of his program. Cleopatra said no to Antony, she felt that Antonys meeting was unnessisary and she didn t nedd to go to. Antony so sent his friend to state Cleopatra to travel and possibly even threatened her. Finally Ceopatra gave in and went to travel fitting Antony. Shakespeare wrote and described the meeting of Clepatra and Antony. She sailed up the River Cydnus in a flatboat with a crap of gold with purple canvass, her oarsmans stroking the H2O with oars of Ag that kept clip to the music of flutes and pipes and lutings. As for Cleopatra herself, she reclined under a canopy of cloth-of gold, dressed as that Aphrodite we see in pictures, while on either side stood reasonably small Cupids who cooled her with their fans. In her crew were the most beautiful of her adult female clothed as Nereids and Graces, some at the helm, others swerving the tackle and the ropes of the flatboat, out of which came a fantastic Sweet odor of aromas that wafted over the river-banks. A battalion of people raced the riverbank to see her advancement and the metropolis emptied to see her. As the crowds fled off, Antony sat enthroned in the market topographic point to expect the queen. At last, he was left sitting entirely, while the word spread on all sides that Aphrodite had one time to play with Dionysus for the felicity of Asia. ( Foss, pg. 117 ) Cleopatra and Antony had a banquet while Cleopatra let Antony see the heightening portion of her. She showed Antony the side of her that everybody pleasured, her intelligence and sprit. Plato describes Cleopatra and Antonys activieties together. Whether Antony was serious of lighthearted, she knew a manner to delight him, and kept him in her sight dark and twenty-four hours. She played die with him, and drank with him, and hunted with him, and stood watching while he performed his exercising at weaponries. At dark, he would dress like a slave and roll the metropolis, peering into hapless work forces s Windowss, call on the carpeting and doing merriment, and she would travel with him as a maid-servant, taking portion in his adult male jokes, even as he mocked and brawled and sometimes took place blows. But the fact was that the Alexandrians liked this clowning and jolliness, and they played their portion in all these games. They liked Antony with his shots and gags, and used to state that he showed the Romans his tragic mask but kept the comedian for them. ( Foss, pg. 121 ) In the winter of 41 BC Cleopatra and Antony officially were known as lovers. In October 40 BC Antony and Octavian made a trade, with that Rome was split in two parts, Antony got the East and Octavin the West. Octavin was a conquerer who powerful supports. He wanted to hold all the power throgh out Rome, although he merely got the West of Rome. Cleopatra so expected to hold Antony s twins. She named them Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios, intending Moon and Sun. In 36 BC Cleopatra gave birth to another kid by Antony, named Ptolemy Philadelphus. He was named after a male monarch who helped Egypt one time earlier. Augustus decided he wanted to travel to war with Cleopattra for Egypt and the topographic point of pharoah. In 32 BC Octavian went to war with Cleopatra. The concluding conflict was in 31 BC in Actium, Greece. Cleopatra and Antony fled to Egypt in fright of Octavian, they knew they could non succed and Octivian would be the winning victor if they stayed in Greece. Octavian waited for a twelvemonth trusting for them to return. Antony and Cleopatra sent payoffs to Octavin stating Cleopatra would do a trade with him if he surrendered. Octavian sent a missive back to Cleopatra merely stating he would do a trade if Cleopatra had Antony killed, and Cleopatra said no. In July Antonys ground forces attacked Octavin and surrendered. Antony heard that Cleopatra had died from the rumour of the town. He killed himself and stabbed a knife in his tummy, believing he had lost his ture love. Cleopatra had Antony carried to the mausoleum so she could pass the last of his life with him, and he died in her weaponries. The mausoleum was a topographic point that Cleopatra had built for herself. Octavin was scared because he didn T want Cleopatra to kill herself, he wanted her to travel through anguish. The twenty-four hours of Cleopatra s decease she went to Antonys grave one last clip, her retainers, in which she desired made her a fasinating full class dinner and bathe d her in expensive exported oils. Cleopatra killed herself with her retainers by her side. Cleopatra was 39 old ages old and take to decease because she couldn t live without her one true love Mark Antony. Cleopatra sent a missive to Octavian stating she wanted to be buried following to Antony. Octavian went to travel cheque on her but it was excessively late She was found dead with her 2 retainers. Some say Cleopatra died because a peasant sent a basket of branchlets to her and in the basket were aps that spot and posioned her, which she wanted. Although Cleopatra faced many battles and adversities in her determined efforts to alter the destiny of the Greek Roman universe, she was adored by her loyal topics. Julius Caesar was strategic and cunning. She relied above all upon her physical presence and the enchantment and captivation that she created. She is marked in history as one of the most celebrated and wise among adult females as she served her dynasty to the acrimonious terminal.