Cleopatra: Last Pharaoh of Egypt's Ptolemaic Dynasty - Essay Sample

Introduction

Cleopatra VII Philopator was an Egyptian Queen, who served as the last Pharaoh. Her full name implicates her goddess, who loved her father. She was born in 69BC and died IN 30 BC. She was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled over Egypt between 300 and 30BC and remained one of the most famous female rulers of the world. Her father Ptolemy XII died in 51 BC when she was only eighteen years of age, leaving her and her brother Ptolemy XIII who was ten years old as co-regents. According to the then Egyptian culture, she was married to her brother, although younger than her by eight years. Her age advantage, therefore, gave her a dominance advantage, which gave her the power to make decrees without consulting him. However, their union did not last long as they soon started disagreeing. Ruling together became a source of conflict since the society was chauvinistic. Despite Ptolemy being the younger one, chauvinism encouraged him to overthrow his sister and become the ruler because he was a man. To stay in power, Ptolemy exiled her in Syria.

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It is prospected Cleopatra also had a son with Julius Caesar, although the father never declared it openly. She named him Caserion, meaning little Caesar. Little is mentioned about the son, but Octavian (an enemy of Cleopatra) ordered him to be strangled as a means to end Cleopatra's lineage. The Egyptian Queen also had three children: a set of twins and a single child with Mark Anthony, but they were not legally married. Anthony's legal wife was Octavian's sister. Little is also known about the three children and their fate after Cleopatra's death.

Cleopatra's Political Power

After she was sent away into exile, Cleopatra did not give up on her desire to rule. It was a period for her to re-strategize and devised a means to restore her queenship. In 48BC, Julius Caesar went to war with Pompey. Pompey was a significant enemy of Caesar, and it took him two years to deal with the opposition from Pompey's followers. He even celebrated the triumph for four days. Pompey fled into Ptolemy's territory (Alexandria in Egypt). Seeking to find favor with Julius Caesar, Ptolemy ordered the killing of Pompey. On arriving in Alexandria, Caesar was not happy that a Roman official had been killed on foreign land. During his stay in Egypt, Caesar noticed and got attracted to Cleopatra.

Cleopatra, therefore, seized that opportunity of disharmony between her brother and Julius Cesar to find favor with Caesar. She seduced him, and he fell for the trap. She knew she needed him, and so did he. Besides providing Cleopatra access to a strong and well-organized army, Caesar brought money to pay debts that Cleopatra's father had incurred while trying to stabilize the economy of the kingdom. She maintained the relationship with Caesar to gain access to his military weapon to conquer Ptolemy. Cleopatra gained trust from Caesar by assuring him of his support and her beauty. In 46BC, her brother was overthrown and killed, allowing Cleopatra to take up his position as the Queen and ruler of Egypt. Although Caesar denied siring a child with Cleopatra, in 47BC, she announced giving birth to Caesarion (little Caesar). She maintained Egypt as a kingdom by protecting it from invasion. She aligned herself with Caesar Julius to maintain her power. Cleopatra brought stability that led to economic growth in the region for some time, as Egypt had been experiencing a series of wars. She also fostered unity by relating well with the locals. For instance, she was brought up speaking Greek, but when she became a ruler in Egypt, she learned the local language and even later abandoned Greek.

Cleopatra remained loyal to Caesar until he was murdered in 48BC. The death of Caesar led to a power struggle between Octavian (Caesar's adopted son) and Mark Anthony. Mark Anthony was married to Octavian's sister but had an affair with Cleopatra anyway. The relationship increased the hatred between the two men, with Octavian claiming that the Egyptian Queen had him under her spell, so would lure him into giving away part of the Roman Empire as a gift. Octavian had made up the story, but the citizens did not take it lightly. They were offended by the thought, and a significant portion of them turned against Mark. It was a grave offense to use public property as private, especially by gifting it to a foreigner.

The tension grew based on personal and political differences until it developed into a civil war. Octavian hated Mark for cheating on his sister, in addition to them struggling for power after the death of Julius Caesar. Mark also fueled the hatred by declaring Cleopatra's son Caesarion as the legal heir of Caesar's property. Octavian was supposed to have a share of the same as he was an adopted son, but Mark utilized his power to deny him the right. Cleopatra partnered with Mark Antony against Octavian, during which the couple was defeated. They tried to escape, but soldiers caught up with them at Alexandria and were taken captive. They swore never to fall into the hands of Octavian, so they opted to commit suicide. To finish the Cleopatra dynasty, Octavian ordered the killing of Caserion.

The Legacy of Cleopatra

Cleopatra's name has been passed down through history despite the many years that have passed since her death. She is identified as an iconic leader who interacted with one of the most powerful empires: the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was a powerful one that destroyed and was also the cause of rising for numerous kingdoms. Leaders who opposed it were often crushed while those who cooperated received favors. Although it did not always end well, Cleopatra used her beauty and charm to lure its leaders for the benefit of Egypt. The death of her father at an early age did not deter her from achieving her mission of political prosperity. At her young age, she took over the roles of the Queen, which could not be stopped by her hostile brother. Despite her brother being challenging to handle and later sending her into exile, she did not give up her dream in the male-dominated field. During that time, females were despised and not considered rulers, but she rose above the male chauvinism to become the last Pharaoh.

She is also an icon of the influence that women can have on society. Using her charm, she was able to sway Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony to believe in her, which she used to conquer and restore order in Egypt after it had been degraded by war. She knew that she needed men as a connection to an army to conquer her brother. She, therefore, took the time to relate with the powerful and gain their trust. She figured out that unless she gained favor before them, it would be hard to make them believe in her. Her strategy finally worked, and she was restored to Queenship.

Her life has inspired a play by William Shakespeare called Anthony and Cleopatra and several movies. Although the cinematic has a varying showcase of the scenes, the idea remains that Cleopatra was a powerful Queen. She also identified herself as a reincarnation of the goddess Isis, which set her apart from the rest of the female rulers. Although she had been brought up in a Greek setting, she abandoned the foreign culture and learned her local language as a way to connect with the locals. She restored harmony and economic stability in Egypt for some time after the kingdom had been distraught for years due to unending wars. During her reign, Egypt recorded a positive growth before the war between Mark and Octavian disrupted it. She spoke in both Greek and the local language, which explains why there are two languages used in Egyptian courts.

The Egyptians still treasure her, although her body and that of Anthony were never found. Her portrait was included in Egyptian coins as a symbol of honor due to the influence she had on leadership in Egypt, something that no other female leader in Egypt achieved. She is still remembered to date and taught not only Egypt, but worldwide as an iconic female ruler who used her feminine nature to benefit her people.

Bibliography

Blackaby, Susan. Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2009.

Cutter, Paul. Cleopatra. Harvard University Press, 2009.

Roller, Duane W. Cleopatra: A biography. Oxford University Press, 2010.