A masculine woman's role in Roman history

By Amal Hewavissenti

Even though the life story of Cleopatra is an absorbing read for us, a culture of secrecy and mystery enshrouds much of her life story recounted for centuries. Perhaps the false illustrations of strange events in her life (legends connected with her life) may remain far more in interest than her real life. Historians, poets and great dramatists such as William Shakespeare have eulogised her beauty throughout two thousand years.

For instance, William Shakespeare in his “Antony and Cleopatra” has glorified her mesmerising beauty and her own capacity to engage the attention of men, but has overlooked her intellect and courage.

Cleopatra

In spite of the ‘beautiful legends’ that have been woven around her life for almost two thousand years the real appeal of her real life dramatically eclipses that of the popular myths about her.

What could Cleopatra really have looked like? An analysis of the marble statue of Cleopatra discovered after eighteen centuries of her death shows that she had a curved nose (perhaps redolent of the beak of an eagle!), well shaped mouth and compressed lips. Experts who view the Roman coins with her figure that were unearthed along with Roman ruins conclude that she had been an attractive woman with the very features engraved on the marble statue.

A Hellenistic woman

Cleopatra is totally a Hellenistic woman although she is identified to be of Egyptian origin and regarded as ancient Egypt's most prominent queen.

She was a Macedonian Greek woman and spoke Greek as her mother tongue.

She traced her lineage from Ptolemy, a General of Alexander, the Great but a popular flautist with extreme addiction to drinking. Later he became the ruler of Egypt.

Cleopatra identified herself as the daughter of ‘Ray,’ the sun god and ruled Egypt jointly with her 14 year old brother Ptolemy, the fourteenth. Subsequently she was forced out by Romans but she succeeded in holding on to power when Julius Caesar, entranced by her beauty and speech restored her to power.

It is generally believed that she was a multilingual and possessed the talent of speaking fluently and attractively with a resounding voice. Apart from that she was well trained in martial arts and military arts and had studied philosophy, Greek history and literature. Above all she was the woman of political machinations in the world history.

Julius Caesar

Cleopatra was a woman who practically transformed the course of events which occurred in the civil wars in Rome and Egypt. Her great show of love and speech brought great conquerors such as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony under moral paralysis. By this time, Julius Caesar was the most powerful and invincible leader of the world but Cleopatra's appearance and words seasoned by her intellect, instantly held him captive.

When Caesar had messaged her to come to his palace in Alexandria, she wrapped herself in mats and ordered herself be taken to the palace undetected.

This was a dramatic entrance of a woman into the palace of a triumphant leader in the world and the beginning of a woman's influence on world politics.

Cleopatra arranged a two weeks luxury voyage with Julius Caesar along the river Nile simply to show the great wealth and affluence that Egypt, her kingdom possessed.

Their luxury vessel was accompanied by four hundred vessels which were meant to provide security for the main vessel. Fascinated by the pleasantness and courage shown by this strange woman, Julius Caesar made her the queen of Rome and Egypt - a vast empire ever to have been ruled by a woman.

Gradually, Cleopatra grew accustomed to Roman lifestyle and was instrumental in producing positive changes in Rome as a state. For instance, she even imported craftsmen for making coins from Alexandria and thereby improved the quality of Roman coins. Her astrologers made complex calculations to produce what we call the Roman calendar which was basically the prototype for the modern calendar. Moreover, she extracted wealth freely from the coffers of Egypt for Julius Caesar's military operations and for imperial expansion.

During his time, Julius Caesar produced a coin that displayed Goddess Venus on one side and Eros on the other which precisely resembled Cleopatra. Caesar's sudden death left a power vacuum and numerous internal conflicts in the state of Rome and forced her to go back to Egypt. Nothing is known about Cleopatra's response to Caesar's death and how she escaped unscathed to Egypt.

Mark Antony

Mark Antony who was becoming powerful in the east, invited Cleopatra to his palace in Tarzus. Following the repeated invitations, she set sail for Tarsus accompanied by ships filled with luxuries, horses, gold and slaves. She welcomed Mark Antony on board and there was a splendid banquet for him and his people aboard the ship.

Here Cleopatra, completely attired to the fashion of goddess Venus, presented Mark Antony and his people with priceless gifts and gold as an indication of the great wealth that the state of Egypt possessed.

It is obvious that Cleopatra did all this simply to impress the value of Egypt on Mark Antony, but not to win his love or favour. She strengthened the security of the country while Mark Antony expanded his power to the east.

However, Cleopatra laid down two conditions for Mark Antony. One was that Egypt should regain the territories that belonged to Pharaoh dynasty almost 1,500 years ago and that were being held by Roman empire at the time. The other condition demanded that mark Antony should Marry her.

The twin conditions were forthwith accepted. The coins which were issued in celebration of their wedding ceremony, showed the figures of Mark Antony, and Cleopatra on the other side.

At the age of thirty-three, she persuaded Mark Antony to engage in a decisive battle with Persia but her pregnancy removed her from the battle field. Quite unexpectedly, Antony was defeated in the battle and his army were dispersed due to vehement enemy attack. Meanwhile, she persuaded Antony again to destroy Octavian who had a legal right to the Roman throne and who was establishing his power to the west of Rome.

However, Mark Antony sustained enormous damage in his battle with the advancing army led by Octavian and Cleopatra and made every possible attempt to get support from her friendly countries.

Yet she lamentably failed in all her attempts. Mark Antony committed suicide while Cleopatra was taken prisoner by Octavian’s army.

Even if Octavian had assertively expressed that he would inflict no punishment on her, she would not believed his words because she knew well the Roman tradition. Ultimately she sensed her own fate.

Her maidens had dressed her like the goddess Venus and she had opportunity to converse with those who closely associated with her. While Octavian was celebrating his triumphal success in Rome, the statue of Cleopatra collapsed on the ground and her son was killed. When Octavian’s army broke into her room, they saw that she had pressed a snake to her bosom until it bit her to death.