Cleopatra is shown on film as an almost caring being and an intelligent woman. In the 1934 production, Cleopatra tells Antony as she kisses his hand “I am no longer Queen, I am a woman.” This suggests that in that particular moment, she is allowing her emotions to rule, perhaps even going as far to say that as a Queen she is quite a stony and hard character, but as an ordinary woman, she is allowing herself to love.
In the 1963 film, Cleopatra speaks of “One World, one nation, living in peace.” This again shows her caring nature that she wants the world to live in harmony. In real life, this could be a rather obvious reference to the UN and stopping war.
Again, in the 1963 production, a rather sexist remark is made about Cleopatra “If she wasn’t a woman, one might think she’s an intellect.” This Roman depiction shows Cleopatra to be a clever and smart Queen, but as she is female, she is not given full credit.
In most TV and film productions of Cleopatra, she is seen as a beautiful ‘Goddess’ with lashings of make up and dressed in extravagant costumes and jewellery to show her wealth. This portrayal of her makes her look almost high maintenance and authoritative. However, the Roman coins, which reveal her portrait, decipher Cleopatra as less of a beauty but almost hag like. As these coins are the only piece of history that show what Cleopatra may have looked like, I think it is a case that this is one depiction that has been glamorised by TV and film.
Throughout the years as various productions have been filmed, the actresses playing Cleopatra have changed in appearance e.g. their ethnicity, which may show a change in how society sees her. This shows how the world has changed by allowing more ethnic groups into the world of acting.
TV and film seem to develop the depictions of Cleopatra to fit in with the world in which we live at the time of which the production was made.
It would appear that the Roman depictions of Cleopatra seem accurate in terms of her character, wealth and extravagant lifestyle but not her looks, as this is the only inconsistency against the historical artefacts we have. As time and society change, we may never know the true identity of Cleopatra.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
* Rood screen, function, issues with its installation and removal in 1967 in a re-ordering…
- 1405 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
* She was a very beautiful woman who possessed a great strength of character. Men were afraid of her but also were seduced by her. Here was a woman who wasn’t afraid of using her sexuality to achieve what she wanted. Egypt under her reign was seen by Rome to be a…
- 696 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
One main thing people in this world strive and desire for is power. It’s what strongly drives humans to make themselves feel privileged. In the play, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Portia is a character that seems to struggle to free herself from the power of her husband, Brutus. In addition, to being a woman, she is viewed at differently and treated differently than men. Women are the weak figures of the world and hold different responsibilities than of men.…
- 687 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
A chorus is a common element to Greek tragedy’s and in ancient theatre consisted of a group of people who provide a number of different contributions to a play, providing a historical perspective, acting as counsellors and advisors to the plays characters and at times representing various groups such as villagers or a jury. Within this essay, I will consider the main contributions of the chorus within “The Burial at Thebes”…
- 1142 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Assessing a Queen Plutarch and Octavian both write damning accounts concerning the behavior and actions of Marc Antony and his lover Cleopatra. While Plutarch appears to take a more objective approach, Octavian sets out to condemn the former general and the Egyptian Queen. He declares that Cleopatra is everything a woman of nobility should not be and the soul reason Antony has gone so far astray. Octavian goes on to label Antony as “either irrational or insane” when referring to the mental state of the former roman general. He argues that for a roman man of such great esteem to have been lead so far astray only the worst type of woman could have infected his mind, leading to his scathing description of Cleopatra.…
- 651 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Cleopatra relationship with Julius Caesar and that of Marc Anthony was one of control and alliance to obtain the necessary power needed to protect her beloved Egypt and not one of love for the person.…
- 284 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Such great looks and talent came along the idea of Caesar being a “womanizer and a sodomite” (Garland ) as Suetonius describes the reaction of the public to Caesar as being “every woman’s man and every man’s woman” linking to the concept of him being strongly admired by many Roman people at his time. He encountered many relationships at his time including Cleopatra who wasn’t even from the same country at him. His charm had an affect everywhere he…
- 1043 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Bibliography: Fear, T. (2008) ‘Cleopatra’, in Moohan (ed.) Reputations (AA100 Book 1), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 1-28.…
- 1250 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Both depict her as an intellectual manipulator who used the weaknesses of others to attempt to fulfil her ambitions. In the film when Cleopatra enters into Rome she displays an array of lavish performances conducted by ornately decorated subjects in a bid to win over the roman populous and senators. This is similar to Plutarch’s account of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra’s meeting at Tarsus. Plutarch vividly describes a barge decorated with gold and silver with purple sails, displaying Cleopatra as Venus (AA100 Book 1 Reputations, P. 9-10); he suggests she does this to draw the attention to her through a display of power and wealth. In the same scene a roman also says “in obtaining her objectives she employs torture, poison and even her own sexual talents” the second roman statement resembles Plutarch’s view of Cleopatra heavily. Plutarch indicates that Cleopatra is cleaver and has an aptitude for manipulation and cunning; he says “she was a master of a thousand flatteries “(AA100 Book 1 Reputations, P11) both versions of Cleopatra represent her as an intellectual and a manipulator.…
- 505 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Despite her unpopularity amongst the Romans, she was was still viewed as a sophisticated and clever woman. Throughout her life, Cleopatra…
- 694 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Cleopatra, formally known as Cleopatra VII Philopator, was a prominent figure in both Roman and Egyptian history with substantial effects in both societies. In Rome specifically, she played a large part in ending the republic entirely, giving way to Rome’s political rebirth into an empire. Without her influence and involvement with two political leaders, the events after Caesar’s death undoubtedly would have resulted with a far different outcome. Even before Caesar’s death, Cleopatra was in the Roman scene. Cleopatra was the daughter of Ptolemy XII and the sister of Ptolemy XIII who was actually involved in conflict with Roman General Pompey as well as Cleopatra herself.…
- 791 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Cleopatra VII was a remarkably intelligent woman with great charisma and political astuteness. The ancient historian, Plutarch, stated that “to know her was to be touched with an irresistible charm. Her delightful manner of speaking was such as to win the heart.” (Bradford 14). She utilized these assets to win over the favor of two of the most powerful man of Ancient Rome, Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. Cleopatra is portrayed as being manipulative, conniving; and accused of utilizing her relationships for the advancement for power and the expansion of her empire. Although this is true, there were stark differences in the two relationships Cleopatra had with each man. She reached out to Caesar in her time of no power and continued to be submissive to him throughout their relationship. Even though there was a speculated love connection between the two, Caesar never lost sight of his priority as a politician and did not concede to every one of his mistresses’ requests. While a reversal of roles occurred with Marc Antony, she had the upper hand and he eventually became fiscally and emotionally dependent on her. In addition, he was easily manipulated, thus Cleopatra frequently got her way. Overall, the territorial gain and the power she had over him proved that Cleopatra’s relationship with Marc Antony was more politically beneficial than with Julius Caesar.…
- 442 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
This indicates to the audience that Antony’s appeal to his love for Cleopatra has become so visible that even his subordinate, who once viewed him as powerful and heroic, now criticises him as emasculated and devoid of honour since he would exchange glory for a “gypsy’s lust”.…
- 802 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
What is it that makes Shakespeare’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ such a timeless classic that transcends time? It is the ideas and themes that are shown throughout the play and the techniques, such as hyperbolic language, used to present those. Love and duty are juxtaposed in the play and this shows the connection most people face today, the choice between what they need to do and the pleasure they want. The other theme explore in ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ is jealousy. This is what makes Antony and Cleopatra so relatable today, it shows they are human beings and are not perfect, just like us.…
- 812 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Augustan perception of Queen Cleopatra is closely connected to Dido’s characterisation in Virgil’s work. In superficial terms, the fictional North African queen was leader of the Carthaginians, a significant and worrying rival to Roman control of Mediterranean power. Here, an allegory can be drawn between the two; like Virgil's character, Cleopatra was the widowed queen of an African kingdom that, like Carthage, had challenged Rome's right to dominate the Mediterranean (Taylor, 2003). Cleopatra, having ancestry from the Ptolemy Greeks, was not a native to the kingdom she ruled, just as Dido immigrated from the Phoecia before the events of The Aeneid (Weeda, 2015). As surmised by classical historian A.S Pease, through the figure of the foreign queen who tries to seduce the Roman from his destiny and his home, we feel a certain vibration of the unforgettable Cleopatra (Griffin, 1986). Further, it was Dido’s obsessive love for Aeneas that lead to the crumbling of her new empire, as, trying hard to escape from the love she dared not tell… work hung suspended. Dido loses her reputation as a competent queen and alienates the local African chieftains who had approached her as suitors (Webber, 1999). Dido, defined by Virgil with ignorance and goodness of heart, reflected the Roman perspective of women at the time, simultaneously providing a…
- 1692 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays