Essay on Cleopatra Vii

Cleopatra Cleopatra is most often remembered as the lover of two Roman consuls, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, thereby forever connecting the Egyptian queen to the history of Rome. The stories of her relationships with the two men do not always paint a flattering picture of Cleopatra, as her reported promiscuity and presumption give her a colorful reputation. Cleopatra is also sometimes seen as a misunderstood woman, someone who was never given a fair opportunity to be accepted as the wife of Marc Antony nor the mother of Caesar's child. Some historians and authors use the issue of Cleopatra's race as a reason that she was ostracized from Roman society, saying that the Romans were prejudiced against Egyptians, and despite Cleopatra's Greek background, would never accept her as a suitable mate for a Roman consul. This theory, however, is far outweighed by the numerous justifications the Roman people had for their distaste of Cleoaptra. It is not surprising that Cleopatra never found acceptance in Rome. Cleopatra’s father was Ptolemy XII, who began his rule of Egypt in 80 BC but he was not respected and thought to be weak. His nickname was “Auletes”, which means flute player in Greek. Cleopatra’s mother could possibly be Cleopatra V. Cleopatra had two older sisters, two younger brothers, and one younger sister. Ptolemy XII ruled until his death in 51 BC. His will said that Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII were heirs to the throne. The two married and jointly ruled Egypt. Ptolemy II had established these brother-sister marriages as custom, when he married his sister Arsinoe II. Cleopatra and her brother ruled jointly, though the marriage was solely in law. Cleopatra was about 18, and Ptolemy XIII was about 10. They were named King and Queen of Egypt in 51 BC. Cleopatra did most of the ruling and left her brother out it. Ptolemy served as a puppet for power-hungry advisors and in 48 BC kicked Cleopatra out of the palace. Cleopatra retaliated by building her own army outside the city. Cleopatra knew that she had to get to Caesar and tell her side of the story. She had herself smuggled into the palace in a rug. The young Queen enchanted Caesar, and the two spent the night together. Ptolemy XIII was called to the audience and was dismayed to see that Cleopatra was at his side. Cleopatra was then restored to the throne and again married to her brother, Ptolemy XIV. It was 47 BC, and Cleopatra was 22 years old, and Ptolemy XIV was 12. Cleopatra again acted as sole ruler, and this time managed to keep Ptolemy XIV from influence. It is very likely that Cleopatra became pregnant while she was in Alexandria with Caesar. She claimed Caesar was the father. Caesar had only one child; a daughter named Julia, and had had many affairs with women that never produced children. Caesar's alleged son was probably born in 47 BC. Most sources roughly claim this as his birth year, though some sources claim he was born as late as 44 BC, which would place his birth after Caesar's death. If he was born in 47 BC, Caesar had left for Rome shortly before his birth. Cleopatra's son was officially named Ptolemy XV Caesar, but he was popularly called "Caesarion", meaning "Little Caesar". Cleopatra, Ptolemy XIV and Caesarion went to Rome as Caesar's guests in 46 BC, and they stayed in a villa of his outside of Rome. Cleopatra remained in Rome for about 2 years.
On the Ides of March in 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated outside the Senate Building in Rome. Most of the senators thought he posed a threat to the well being of the republic. They believed that he was going to have himself declared king. Soon after Caesar's death, Cleopatra left Rome and returned to Egypt. Ptolemy XIV is thought to have survived the voyage back to Egypt, but he died soon after. He may have died of natural causes, or Cleopatra may have had him killed. In 41 BC, Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus. Antony was in need of money to launch a campaign against the Parthians, and he hoped

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