How To Write An Essay About Cleopatra

Cleopatra During her reign, Cleopatra, achieved many things. She was one of the most powerful and manipulative female rulers of all time. She was not only beautiful, but smart and knew how to get what she wanted. From the time Cleopatra was born to the time she died, she did many amazing, crazy, exciting, and difficult things. Most of the exciting things that happened to her happened during the time that she ruled over egypt, but all things must come to an end and in 30 BC Cleopatra lost power over Egypt for the final time when she died on August 12. Cleopatra was born in 69 BC. She was born into a very troubled dynasty, which eventually led to her having to fight her own brother. Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII, ruled from 80-58 BC, but
was pressured by the Romans and struggled to hold onto power. “Ptolemy XII was heavily dependent upon the Romans and as their ‘friendship’ put an increased strain upon the Egyptian economy, his rule came under increasing scrutiny from the Egyptian elite,” writes Sally-Ann Ashton, a keeper at the University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, in her book “Cleopatra and Egypt” (Blackwell Publishing, 2008).
("Cleopatra: Facts & Biography." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016.) In 55 BC Ptolemy XII was put back on the throne with the support of the Romans, and he made his 17 year old daughter, Cleopatra, his co-ruler, but in 51 BC the king died and in his will it said that Cleopatra would have to share the throne with her older brother, Ptolemy XIII. When Ptolemy XIII heard about this arrangement he became upset and he and his advisors refused to acknowledge it. This caused fighting to break out and Cleopatra was forced to leave the royal palace. Cleopatra soon regained her throne, with the help of Caesar, but Ptolemy XIII barred his sister from seeing Caesar and tried to convince him to acknowledge him as sole ruler of egypt. “Ptolemy XIII had gone to bed that night a happy lad, secure in the knowledge that his sister, trapped at Pelusium, would be unable to plead her case before Caesar,” writes Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley in her book “Cleopatra, Last Queen of Egypt” (Profile Books, 2008).“He woke up the next morning to find that his sister had somehow arrived at the palace. She was already on the most intimate of terms with
Caesar and had managed to persuade him to support her cause,” she writes. “It was all too much for a thirteen-year-old boy to bear. Rushing from the palace he ripped off his diadem and, in a well-orchestrated public display of anger, the crowd surged forward, intent on mobbing the palace.” However, “Caesar would not be intimidated. Before a formal assembly he read out Ptolemy XII’s will, making it clear that he expected the elder brother and sister to rule Egypt together.” ("Cleopatra: Facts & Biography." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016.) Cleopatra, again, returned to power. Cleopatra and Caesar relationship became stronger and soon the had a son together named Caesarion.
After Cleopatra had gained her power back for the final time, Ptolemy XIII died in a failed rebellion and was replaced as co-ruler by Ptolemy XIV, Cleopatra's little brother.
Eventually, Cleopatra had her little brother, Ptolemy XIV, and her sister, Arsinoe IV, killed which made Cleopatra the only one left of her siblings. With no more siblings to share the throne with, Cleopatra made her son, Caesarion, her co-ruler. Cleopatra, already had being looked at as a goddess, was now identified with Egypt’s most famous single mother, the goddess
Isis.