case studies Flashcards
what are the historiographical areas of debate surrounding Cleopatra VII?
- constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender
- role as Pharaoh
- the relationship with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian
what are examples of different historians’ representations of Cleopatra?
- ancient Roman writers: foreign, greedy, excessive, deceitful
- female writers: can be either admirers or dislike her
- medieval era writers: excessive, wealthy
- Arab writers: genius, Pharaoh
- Afrocentric writers: of African descent, powerful woman of history
- archaeological sources: not beautiful, intelligent
- Augustan propaganda: royal whore, deceitful
- Romantic writers: femme fatale
- modern female writers: inspirational, powerful, victim of history
- 1934/1945/1963 films: stupid, lustful, deceitful
- modern films: powerful
what historical sources are there regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- archaeological sources: ‘Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt’, Joyce Tyldesley
- Boccacio
- Charlotte Bronte
- Algernon Swinburne
- O’Shaughnessy
- Alexander Pushkin
- Plutarch
- Pliny the Elder
- Lucy Hughes-Hallett
- Kara Cooney
- Alberto Angela
- Shelley Haley
- Netflix
- Francine Prose
what do archaeological sources say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- “Within the wider, more Egyptian Egypt beyond Alexandria, the Cleopatra who graces the temple wall at Dendera (Greek Tentyra) appears as one of a long line of royal women presenting a uniform, age-defying propaganda of immortal queenship”
- “[in 2007], Cleopatra was in the news. A silver coin had been ‘discovered’ in the collection of the Society of Antiquaries at Newcastle. […] The [media sources] were all discussing Cleopatra’s beauty (or rather her shocking lack of beauty) as if she were a modern celebrity”
what does Boccacio say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- “She was known throughout the world for her greed, cruelty, and excess”
what does Charlotte Bronte say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- “I calculated that
this lady… was, indeed, extremely well fed” - “She lay half-reclined on a couch, why, it would be difficult to say;”
what does Algernon Swinburne say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- “Between the beauty of her brows /
And the amorous deep lids divine.” - “Her great curled hair makes luminous / Her cheeks, her lifted throat and chin.”
what does O’Shaughnessy say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- “A splendid pageantry of all her East / Beauteous and captive,- so she did amass / The riches of each land in that one feast”
what does Alexander Pushkin say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- “So lustful that she often prostituted herself, and so beautiful that many men bought a night with
her, at the price of their lives.”
what does Plutarch say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- “For indeed her own beauty, as they say, was not, in and of itself, completely incomparable, nor was it the sort that would astound those who saw her; but interaction with her was captivating, and her appearance, along with her persuasiveness in discussion and her character that accompanied every interchange, was stimulating.”
what does Pliny the Elder say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- “And so, with Antony eagerly anticipating what she would do, she took [a pearl] off [her earring] and dropped it in [a cup of vinegar], and when it was wasted away she swallowed it.”
what does Lucy Hughes-Hallett say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- (‘Cleopatra: Queen, Lover, Legend’ 2006):
- “She is ‘the wickedest woman in history’; she is a pattern of female virtue. She is a sexual glutton; she is a true and tender lover who died for her man. She is a royal princess whose courage is proof of her nobility; she is an untrustworthy foreigner whose lasciviousness and cunning are typical of her race. She is a public benefactor, builder of aqueducts and lighthouses; she is a selfish tyrant who tortures slaves for her entertainment. She is as playful as a child; she is as old as sin. She is Cleopatra VII,”
what does Kara Cooney say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- (‘When Women Ruled the World’, 2018):
- “Cleopatra made sure her arrival in Tarsus was a display of wealth and excess.”
- “We should let ancient history be our guide and let women be our salvations once more.”
what does Alberto Angela say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- (‘Cleopatra: The Queen Who Challenged Rome and Conquered Eternity’, 2021):
- “The story of Cleopatra is that of a woman capable of influencing the course of history like few others can.”
what does Shelley Haley say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- “In our Black oral tradition, Cleopatra becomes a symbolic construction voicing our Black African heritage so long suppressed by racism and the ideology of miscegenation.”
what does Netflix say regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- (‘Queen Cleopatra’, 2023):
- “I remember my grandmother saying to me, ‘I don’t care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black’.”
what does say Francine Prose regarding constructions of Cleopatra’s identities and gender?
- (‘Cleopatra: Her History, Her Myth’, 2022)
- “Her life can be seen as a feminist story, if only because it includes so much that women were not supposed to do.”
what historical sources are there regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- archaeological sources: ‘Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt’, Joyce Tyldesley
- Appian
- Cassius Dio
- Cleopatra’s autograph
- John, Bishop of Nikiu
- Al Mas’udi
- Ahmad Shawqi
- Joyce Tyldesley
- ‘Horrible Histories’
- Katy Perry
what do archaeological sources say regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- “She might appear as an Egyptian pharaoh in a portrait intended for an audience of native Egyptians, or in the style of the classical period in a Hellenising portrait bust, or looking very much like Mark Antony in a coin portrait.”
what does Appian say regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- “Recently, Cleopatra had been exiled from Egypt, where previously she had ruled with her brother;”
what does Cassius Dio say regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- “She won the throne of Egypt by love; hoping to become queen of the Romans by the same method, she failed and lost Egypt as well”
what does Cleopatra’s autograph say regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- “originally thought to be a private contract, the document, Minnen demonstrates, is a royal decree”
what does John, Bishop of Nikiu say regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- “And this woman, the most illustrious and wise amongst women, died in the fourteenth year of the reign of Caesar Augustus”
what does Al Mas’udi say regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- “She was wise, tried her hands at philosophy and was a close companion to wise men”
what does Ahmad Shawqi say regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- “What is surprising is that at the highest, I was daughter and queen of Egypt.”
what does ‘Horrible Histories’ say regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- (with Lady Gaga imagery):
- “Famous pharaoh coming at you”
- “Finest linen robe, top prices”
what does Katy Perry regarding the role of Cleopatra as Pharaoh?
- “‘cos I’m coming at you like a dark horse”
- “‘cos once you’re mine, there’s no going back”
what historical sources are there regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- Augustan propaganda
- Plutarch
- Cassius Dio
- Chaucer
- Shakespeare
- Dryden
- Sarah Fielding
- Horace
- Kara Cooney
what does Augustan propaganda say regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- “Indeed, after her death, Augustus instigated a propaganda campaign in which she was slandered as a royal whore […] Though Augustus wanted to erase all memory of her, the opposite occurred: the myth of Cleopatra was born.”
what does Plutarch say regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- “But Antony, […] frequently surrendered his weapons to Cleopatra and was bewitched by her.”
- “Cleopatra should have paid Fulvia tuition for schooling Antony to obey a woman, so docile and trained to obey a woman’s commands was he when she took him on.”
what does Cassius Dio say regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- “She met [Octavian] humbly on a mat wearing only a tunic, but when he entered, she leapt up and prostrated herself; her hair was in disarray and her face had a crazed expression, but her voice trembled and her eyes were lifeless.”
what does Chaucer say regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- “For love of Anthony, that was so dere:- / And this is storial (historial) sooth (truly), hit is no fable.”
what does Shakespeare say regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- “Antony call: I see him rouse himself / To praise my noble act; I hear him mock / The luck of Caesar, which the gods give men”
what does Dryden say regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- “No lovers liv’d so great, or died so well.”
what does Sarah Fielding say regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- “The famous amours of Antony and Cleopatra… will more effectually impress the fatal Consequences of a mad intoxicated Lover, and a false insinuating Woman, than may be expected from the most admired or accomplished Novels”
what does Horace say regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- “for she was clearly an enemy but [Mark Antony], as a citizen, might possibly be reasoned with.”
- “Therefore, let no one consider [Mark Antony] a Roman, but rather an Egyptian”
what does Kara Cooney say regarding Cleopatra’s relationships with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian?
- (‘When Women Ruled the World’, 2008):
- “It was a stroke of political genius to vilify the woman, Cleopatra, all the while allowing Octavian to commit to military aggression against his compatriot with impunity.”
