Analyzing The Subjective Nature Of Historical Interpretation Of Cleopatra

Cleopatra
The differing perspectives on Cleopatra’s image and death reveal much about the subjective nature of historical interpretation. The range of competing theories concerning Cleopatra in life and in death are a clear illustration that images in history change according to social context and each individuals perspective. The issue of Cleopatra’s image, particularly her beauty, has remained a popular obsession for two millennia, though the scarcity of reliable evidence prevents a truly objective rendering. Additionally, the mystery and tragedy of her death has captivated audiences throughout time, though again, the array of evidence offers little certainty.
The subjective nature of historical explanation accounts for how events in history
are interpreted differently. The quote “And in the absence of facts, myth rushes in” said by Stacey Schiff explains that when there is limited information on a subject the opinions of others can appear to be fact with no real basis behind them. The writings of historians are all affected in one way or another by the social context of the time, the historians own personal beliefs and views and the context of the historian. Such factors have also clearly impacted upon interpretations of Cleopatra. Information about Cleopatra’s beauty and the mystery surrounding her death are influenced by social context. An example of this would be Hollywood’s portrayal of Cleopatra, which is suited more to what people want her to be rather than who she most likely was. Her death has also been distorted mainly due to there being limited sources on how she actually died, leaving it to the interpretation of various historians.
Cleopatra VII was an Egyptian queen famous for being the woman who managed to seduce two of Rome’s most powerful leaders and also for the mystery that surrounds her beauty and her death. Cleopatra was born around 68-69BC, the daughter of Ptolemy XII who was the King of Egypt at the time of her birth. She had a brother, Ptolemy XIII who she co-ruled Egypt with after the death of their father. Cleopatra was also thought to have been quite intelligent. She was said to be a skilled diplomat and politician as well as being able to speak 7 languages. Cleopatra thought herself to be the incarnation of the Goddess Isis.

Cleopatra’s image has been debated throughout history, often changing to align with societal views during certain time periods.
The lack of evidence on Cleopatra’s image has caused most interpretations of her to be influenced by the historian’s own personal views and context. The most common portrayal of Cleopatra was that she was a woman of extreme beauty. Dio Cassius, a member of the Roman senate and historian was born in 155AD around 185 years after the death of Cleopatra, writes that “For she was a woman of surpassing beauty” and the majority of Roman depictions of Cleopatra followed this trend. Much of Cleopatra’s’ image has been affected by the changing social views of the time, as exemplified by Hollywood depictions. The famous portrayal of Cleopatra by Elizabeth Taylor is what many people came to associate the image of Cleopatra with. Roman sources of Cleopatra, when compared to other sources argue, that Cleopatra was more beautiful than others suggest. The Roman depiction can be seen as a form of propaganda against Cleopatra; by writing that Cleopatra was an irresistible seductress, it shows that their leaders Caesar and Antony were not weak but instead were seduced by a woman able to “subjugate everyone, even a love sated man past his prime” (Dio Cassius). Modern and Hollywood depictions of Cleopatra are largely derived from the idea that she was one of the most beautiful women in the world. In modern films she is shown to be a beautiful woman covered in jewellery
and gold; Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra is the most famous example of this. The other portrayal of Cleopatra, suggests that she was not as beautiful as originally thought to be and was actually considered to be unattractive.
This perspective is exemplified by Plutarch asserted “For her beauty, as we are told, was in itself not altogether incomparable”. The main evidence that suggests this are Roman coins printed during the rule of Mark Antony that show Cleopatra with a sloping forehead, thin lips, pointed chin and a large nose. These coins provide an image that is vastly different from the idea of Cleopatra being a beautiful seductress. However, coins printed around this time were used as a piece of political propaganda, and the altering of certain features to make them look more masculine and powerful could have resulted in this image of Cleopatra. Writings by Plutarch offer a different perspective on Cleopatra from the Romans. Plutarch argued that it wasn’t Cleopatra’s beauty that made her so powerful but rather it was her charisma and intelligence that made her so powerful describing her as having an “irresistible charm, and her presence, combined with the persuasiveness of her discourse” is what made her so attractive to Caesar and
Antony.
The lack of information surrounding Cleopatra’s death has left historians with little choice but to make deductions as to how she died. The most popular theory for the cause of her death is believed to be suicide by snake bite as suggested by Dio Cassius, Plutarch and Octavian. Historians have debated whether this is true, mainly with the suggestion that a snake capable of killing Cleopatra and her two maids would have been too large to hide and sneak into the room. Andrew Gray, who works as the curator of herpetology at Manchester Museum stated that “The venom… will certainly kill you, but quite slowly” and that it “would be impossible to use a snake to kill two or three people one after the other”. The idea that she committed suicide by an Egyptian Cobra bite was most likely formed around the basis that the cobra is a symbol associated with the goddess Isis, who Cleopatra was believed to be. Death by a snake was also symbolic as the Egyptian cobra was seen as a sacred symbol of Isis and for Cleopatra to die by a cobra, romanticizes her death. Strabo, a Greek philosopher, who was thought to be in the city of Alexandria at the time of Cleopatra’s death, believed she was not killed by a snake but instead by a toxic ointment. In his writings Strabo also wrote that he was unsure whether she committed suicide or was murdered. Some historians believe that Cleopatra was instead murdered by Octavian, who some historians believe that Octavian would see Cleopatra as a liability if she lived. However, there are no sources that prove this and as such it is mainly dismissed that Octavian murdered Cleopatra as Octavian would have not gained any real advantages from having her killed.
The differing opinions on Cleopatra’s image and her death show how subjective interpretations are formed when there is a lack of information on a subject. The various interpretations of Cleopatra show how social context and individual preferences can effect history when there are limited sources available. The truth about Cleopatra, in life and death, remains somewhat of a mystery and this is what has made her so fascinating to society throughout time.