Cleopatra VII

CLEOPATRA VII:
The Last Pharaoh
By: Colin Romano

You have probably heard of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Cleopatra, but do you really know anything about her? Or why she is an important female figure in history? You might have only heard of her from the famous 1963 film: Cleopatra featuring Elizabeth Taylor. But the film is not 100% accurate and has some pretty big flaws that were made for the sake of a good movie. Here is the real story and legacy of Egypt's last Pharaoh.

Cleopatra was born a princess with 4 four other siblings. After her father's death, Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, became married (yes, I know incest is gross) and took over the as co-leaders of Egypt. Ptolemy XIII became jealous of how much power Cleopatra had and kicked her out of her spot as co-leader and became the sole Pharaoh. (Jarus)

Cleopatra was pissed at that and decided to meet with Julius Caesar and planned to take back her spot as rightful Pharaoh with his help. Ptolemy XIII died while trying to escape Caesar from battle. Julius and Caesar fall in love and had a son named Ptolemy Caesarion, with whom she ruled Egypt with. Three years after Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra meet and fell in love with another Roman leader, Marc Antony. They had three kids. Together they formed a strong military alliance and plotted against one of the other Roman leaders: Octavian *dun dun dun*. They wanted Octavian to fall as one of Rome's leaders because he was the heir to the Roman throne after Julius Caesar died. Cleopatra wanted her and Caesar's son, Ptolemy Caesarion, to be the next heir. She thought that Marc Antony could help her achieve her wishes for son. (Jarus)

This is where it goes downhill for Cleopatra and Egypt. Cleopatra and Marc Antony go into battle against Octavian and lose badly. After the battle, Cleopatra returns to Egypt but Marc Antony returns to battle only to get captured. While in captivity, Marc Antony hears fake news that Cleopatra has died. He is so heartbroken that he takes his own life. When word of Marc Antony's death reaches Egypt, Cleopatra also decided to take her own life by allowing a poisonous cobra to bite her. After her death, Octavian took over Egypt and made it part of the Roman Empire. With no king, the Egyptian Empire fell and Cleopatra was known as the last Pharaoh. (Jarus)

Cleopatra was a very popular Pharaoh among the Egyptian people. Even though she was romantically involved with Caesar, she wanted Egypt to remain independent from Rome. She wanted this because she worked very hard to boost the economy with newly available trade routes with many other nations (Unknown). 

Many people don't know that Cleopatra also had a huge impact on the health of women during her time. Her family was known for their practices in medicine and science. She studied gynecological diseases and knew a lot about how to treat them. She even wrote a book about it so I guess you could call her a doctor of some kind. Cleopatra was also seen as a goddess living among the mortals. Her divine beauty can be distinguished from her heavy use of make-up, as it was popular in that time to use a lot of it (Tsoucalas).

I feel that Cleopatra VII is worthy of warrior women status because she is a powerful leader who cares about her family and her country. She fought many battles for the greater good of Egypt. It took strength, courage, and bravery to accomplish what she did. She made Egypt a better place while she could.

Works Cited

Jarus, Owen. “Cleopatra: Facts & Biography.” LiveScience, Purch, 13 Mar. 2014, www.livescience.com/44071-cleopatra-biography.html.

Tsoucalas, Gregory, et al. "Queen Cleopatra and the Other 'Cleopatras': Their Medical Legacy." Journal of Medical Biography, vol. 22, no. 2, May 2014, pp. 115-121. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0967772013480602.

(unknown author) ://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_egypt/cleopatra_vii.php