Cleopatra
Primary sources are very important in the aid of research. They give us first hand accounts of historical events, whether as an actual participant, witness or simply an historian of the time. Primary resources I used for this paper are the writings of Plutarch and Dio Cassius. There are no primary resources that directly document Cleopatra’s life. While Plutarch and Dio Cassius lived about 200 years after her death, they are the closest resources that give any information about her. Granted the information is given in relation to her affect upon Julius Caesar and Mark Antony’s lives, but it does offer us insight to her personality and character. I would like to note at this time that Plutarch seems to have a more objective viewpoint where she is concerned than that of Dio Cassius. Dio Cassius seems to have a generally sour opinion of her and seems to blame her for the downfall of Caesar and Antony.In the winter of 68 BCE, the famous Cleopatra VII was born into a world of royal corruption and intrigue. She learned early the manipulative methods of survival. She was taught in the pharaonic tradition of her ancestors to rule with their “brother-husbands.”1
In 51 BCE, Cleopatra’s father, Ptolemy XII died. His first heir, his daughter Berenice, was killed by her husband. Therefore Cleopatra, according to dynastic tradition, married her 10 years old brother, Ptolemy XIII, and became Queen of Egypt at the age of 18. Because her husband was so young, the marriage was in name only and left her free to rule at will.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Egypt Cleopatra, Dio Cassius, Rome Cleopatra’s, Queen Egypt, BCE Cleopatra, Antony Pg, Conclusion Cleopatra, Black Inc, Cleopatra Antony’s, Hesiod Euripides, dio cassius, ptolemy xiii, queen egypt, trans plutarch selected, university press 1917, 2 york, vol 2, lives essays, essays vol, plutarch dio cassius, selected lives, walter black inc, louise ropes, harvard university press, trans plutarch,
Approximate Word count = 1787
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
