An Analysis Of The Stereotypes Of Cleopatra

Depictions of Cleopatra in film and TV series, focus more on the personal aspects of her life, with little excerpts of her political life being thrown in. Each depiction having undertones, of what is happening politically, at the time the film was made.

The historical epic film, “Cleopatra” depicts the queen and her relationships with two great Roman rulers, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Produced in 1963, this movie is a one of a kind as it portrays the Roman Republic transition. Although the motion picture is mostly very true to the historic facts, there are a few examples where the producers deviated from accuracy. The movie is not entirely correct with some of the costume and set choices, representation of the character Octavian, and Mark Antony’s family affairs. More importantly, Octavian’s character is adapted for the movie and does not precisely represent his true character. In general, “Cleopatra” gives the viewer a factual look at the events of Cleopatra and her

The three representations of Cleopatra I will be looking at are the films from 1917 staring Theda Bara and 1963 starring Elizabeth Taylor and the

The purpose of this paper is to look at the history of Cleopatra VII, as well as how and why she wanted to be portrayed in a certain manner with respect to visual art. As the last noble of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, her images communicate her political abilities, her religious feeling, her caring duties and determination in preserving royal lineage, and her direct connection to ancient Egyptian gods. In addition, having relationships with two of the most powerful men in ancient Roman history, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony. Cleopatra was also able to improve her skills as a powerful pharaoh and set her status as pharaoh.

Almost every pharaoh-queen was named Cleopatra, yet only one is ever thought of, Cleopatra Thea Philopator VII, “The Goddess and Beloved of her Father”. Every moment of her life from 69 BCE until August 12, 30 BCE was a story larger than life, epic in scale, and over the top in its grandeur. As the last reigning pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, she is remembered for her ability to rule as a political genius and a strong female leader living in a male-dominated world despite all odds being against her. Firstly, Cleopatra grew up in the Ptolemaic palace living a life of luxury, yet her subjects worshipped and even felt connected to her as more than just their queen. Secondly, after Cleopatra was exiled by her incompetent brother, Ptolemy XII, she came back with an army of mercenaries and took back Egypt to be its sole and more qualified ruler. Lastly, Cleopatra went to any means to secure her power and to ensure her nation’s financial and political strength; therefore what started off as a strategic alliance with Rome slowly became her dominance over most of the ancient world.

Cleopatra, Greek queen of Egypt, was born at the beginning of 69 B.C and one of the few women rulers in ancient Egypt. Her father was Ptolemy XII And Cleopatra was the last pharaoh in Egypt. She is known as clever, covetous, skilled, beguiling and manipulative. Cleopatra’s physical features are not certain and there is not enough information about her profile. “The colour of her eyes and of her hair is not known; nor can it be said whether her skin was white as alabaster, like that of many of her Macedonian fellow countrywomen, or whether it had that olive tone so often observed amongst the Greeks. Even her beauty, or rather the degree of her beauty, is not clearly defined.” Cleopatra was born at the finish of the Ptolemaic dynasty, because,

In the world of popular culture, Cleopatra VII is regarded as a woman with heavy eye makeup, a thing of beauty, someone with power sourced from her looks. However, the Cleopatra that history recalls is one of deadly determination and dedication, a teenager with a thirst for power, then a woman with a goal to keep Egypt out of the Roman Empire’s reach. Throughout her life as a leader, Cleopatra VII faced many difficulties, each one of which she met with an intricate strategy that showcase her deep knowledge of the politics and governance of the world around her. As she faced misogyny, bias and turmoil in both her civil and personal life, Cleopatra remained a capable and resilient leader of an imminently crumbling Egypt, and she defied all stereotypes

(“Cleopatra: The Woman…”) In 49 B.C., Cleopatra was forced to flee to Syria after Pothinus, Achillas, and Theodotus, who were Ptolemy XIII’s advisors, sought to overthrow her. They convinced the Egyptian people that Cleopatra was the cause of the famine that they were experiencing. (“Cleopatra.”)(“Cleopatra VII’s Childhood…”) She smuggled herself into the royal palace in a rug to plead her case with Julius Caesar. Cleopatra and Caesar became lovers. Ptolemy XIII discovered this and declared war on Caesar. Caesar overpowered Ptolemy XIII’s army and Ptolemy XIII drowned in the Nile River while trying to escape. (Cleopatra: The Woman…”)

I have recently read an amazing biography called, Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff. The book, written by a well-known author of biographies, tells the story of Cleopatra, the most powerful woman in history, who ruled Egypt in 70 BC. She is also the beauty, with whom Caesar and Mark Anthony fell hopelessly in love. Written in a unique way, trying to abolish stereotypes about Cleopatra, it is a fascinating novel, about power and love. It shows how these two mix and matched, while creating history.

Shakespeare reveals the political and cultural angst of the Elizabethan era specifically through Cleopatra. Portrayed as a highly theatrical, sexualised woman ruler, Cleopatra goes against the model of feminine virtue. This model of virtue is associated with purity and obedience, therefore as powerful Egyptian woman, Cleopatra is viewed as threatening and as an object of scrutiny. Cleopatra’s extravagant and theatrical nature makes her threatening to men and women. For this reason, she goes against the social norms of the time period rather than being submissive and compliant, Cleopatra possesses qualities that are the contrary to ideal woman.

In terms of the portrayal of Cleopatra as a sexual entity; she moves on from being asubtle seductress in the 1963 production, and in some ways the 1964 production, to becoming more brazen in the use of her sexuality in the 1999 production andsubsequent productions. In the 2005 production Cleopatra knows what she wants andtakes it by any means necessary. In this case, by using sex as a means to an end,‘undeterred by his absence at the most opportune moment, she selects and sleepswith one of his soldiers instead and passes off the resulting child as Caesar’s’ (Trevor Fear, speaking in ‘Cleopatra’, 2008, Chapter 4) This is in line with other interpretations of Cleopatra; such as those in the National Geographic’s documentarywhich states that ‘Legend

Images and interpretations of a person can change over time. Such movement is paralleled with changes in opinion and morals throughout generations. Cleopatra the seventh is subject to this fluctuation. Ancient images and interpretations differ greatly to the impression left today merely by her name. Chris Dumasis, a modern day historian amplifies this theory in ‘Interpretations of Cleopatra’. She argues, “women have been demeaned of their true substance since the early time of patriarchal society.” Taken into account, this argument entails that when studying ancient sources it must be understood that at times, only a very narrow view of the events are presented

Cleopatra was a noteworthy Egyptian Pharaoh whose legacy and role was shaped by her experiences and achievements in ancient Egypt. It can be argued Cleopatra was a significant figure and her role and legacy was formed by her experiences, achievements because she stood for a symbol of power and strength in a time where society was male dominated. Cleopatra’s personality and early life impacted the beginning of her rise to power and in 51 BC she became sole leader of the Egypt. The key events in Cleopatra’s reign and the role she played during the alliance between herself and Caesar impacted on her reign. External factors informed her motives, which pushed her to make decisions during her rule, as it significantly impacted her relationship with Mark Antony. Cleopatra’s legacy had short and long-term effects; the consequences of her decisions pushed her to commit suicide, the events and choices she made during her life portrayed her significance.

Since the 1940’s, movies have predominately portrayed women as sex symbols. Beginning in the 1940’s and continuing though the 1980’s, women did not have major roles in movies. When they did have a leading role the women was either pretreated as unintelligent and beautiful, or as conniving and beautiful: But she was always beautiful. Before the 1990’s, men alone, wrote and directed all the movies, and the movies were written for men. In comparison, movies of the 90’s are not only written and directed by women, but leading roles are also held by older and unattractive women. In this paper I will show the variations and growth of women’s roles in movies from the 1940’s though the 1990’s.

In society, women are often perceived as the weaker sex, both physically and mentally. In modern times women have leveled the playing field between men and women, and feminism is a highly discussed topic, but for years, women faced discrimination and prejudice both in life and in the workplace, due to their sex. This way of thinking flooded into the world of film. In their works, the authors of each of the various sources address the limitations and liberations of women both on and off the screen in nineteenth century Film and Cinema. Not every source is completely filled with information related to the research topic, but they do cover and analyze many of the same points from different perspectives. Prominent points addressed in each