The Life And Reign Of Cleopatra

Cleopatra is one of the most well-known pharaohs due to the many myths and legends surrounding her. But she is from an era long passed and due to that many misconceptions have been made about her life. It is due to this that there is a question of the accuracy of the information known about Cleopatra and her life. To a greater extent it is evident that there are many inaccuracies surrounding her and often no records of certain events but there is enough evidence to support many of the known facts concerning her life. One example would be her governance of the land as there are still records of her reign providing substantial evidence.

In her rise to power Cleopatra was forced to fight for the throne amongst her many siblings which led Egypt to instability. It is a well-known fact that Cleopatra was faced with a struggle for power even in many of the stories surrounding her but her time as a ruler is where many misconceptions are made evident. Cleopatra is often depicted as an indulgent self-serving nymphomaniac which to an extent can be seen as true due to the nature of Egyptians at the time. Egyptians were known to follow their passions rather than reason and Cleopatra was no exception. She followed her passions so much that it led to the formation of a drinking club with Antony known as the “Inimitable Livers”. However this did not mean that she neglected her duties as the pharaoh as rather than neglect she brought prosperity to her beloved nation.

Despite many misconceptions regarding her nature Cleopatra was extremely well studied as she could speak several different languages and had an understanding in many fields ranging from alchemy to mathematics. This led her to have an extremely good understanding of how to proceed with state affairs and solidified their strength as a world power thus maintaining their independence from Rome. It is clearly made evident that she was in fact a great ruler and despite her indulgence in her passions she never once neglected governing her nation. It is thus seen that whilst there are falsities surrounding her there is in fact evidence to prove otherwise.

There are many misconceptions surrounding Cleopatra and the primary reason for this would not only be time but Rome. Due to the unfortunate ending of her relationship with Antony Rome took a very firm and negative approach to Egypt and priceless information regarding Cleopatra was either lost or falsified which can be akin to the saying “History is written by the winners” which is clearly the case in this scenario. She was often depicted as a cruel seductress who wooed powerful men in order to keep power all so Rome could save face whilst making her out to be an enemy of Rome rather than a poor soul.

Although it is evident that many sources surrounding Cleopatra would have been inaccurate due to the slander put forth by Rome at the time there are still many sources which can be relied upon for more accurate information. For example Cleopatra has been referred to as an unparalleled beauty in almost every description of her in stories but the truth of the matter has recently been revealed as quite the opposite. A coin from that time was recently uncovered and with her face printed upon it we can create an opinion based on what was there. The truth of the matter is that Cleopatra was actually quite ordinary looking and was loved not for her looks but for her mind which can be further seen in the quote by Plutarch we are told, “Her actual beauty...was not so remarkable that none could be compared with her, or that no one could see her without being struck by it, but the contact of her presence...was irresistible.... The character that attended all she said or did was something bewitching.” It is once again made evident that there is enough information to either prove or disprove many of the known or believed ideas surrounding Cleopatra and her life.

Unfortunately there are some areas that even today it is unclear as to the truth of the matter and the truth will likely never be discovered. One of said areas would be the well-known event of Cleopatra’s suicide. While it is very clear that she did indeed kill herself it is unclear as to the means as some believe it to have been an asps venom she used but there is no evidence to prove said theory. It is further to be considered inaccurate due to the venom of said snake being not all that fatal. The venom would often not kill a person and would also take hours to take full effect rather than the quick five seconds that it is believed to have been. It is far more believable to assume that she had concocted a mixture with her skills in alchemy as it is known that she had researched the easiest, quickest and least painful way to die in regards to poison. This myth regarding the asp that she planted on her breast is one that has little to no proof backing it which does further the questioning of the accuracy regarding Cleopatra and her life.

Cleopatra was often considered a true Egyptian and is depicted as such in many of her stories and productions but the truth is far from it and can be proven. Cleopatra was not Egyptian but rather Greek as she descended from the Ptolemaic Dynasty be it a century or two before her time. This would usually not change much as they could have integrated with the Egyptians but they had a strict custom of preserving their bloodline so incest was considered the norm for their family thus making Cleopatra a thoroughbred Greek. This inaccuracy is one that is commonly believed but due to the proof we have it is able to be disproved thus proving that there is in fact to a greater extent accurate information regarding Cleopatra’s life.

Due to both the time frame and the events proceeding Cleopatra’s death little is truly known about the great pharaoh. But the question of the accuracy of the information we do have is one that can be answered as with the evidence in place it can be seen that while there are many misconceptions regarding her life upon further study there are accurate depictions of the truth behind them. Whilst there are several myths that cannot be proven there are enough cases where the proof is available to prove the accuracy of the information surround Cleopatra and her life.