“Her dowry was Egypt, through her marriages she expected to win dominion over the Roman world.” Cleopatra VII was the final Ptolemaic queen of Egypt and, most likely, one of the most influential and powerful of her time. Not only was she one of the first queens of the Macedonian era to know many languages in order to avoid translators during her rule, she also used powerful tools such as likening herself to the Goddess Isis to gain respect of her people. Despite all of these things, one of the strongest assets that Cleopatra used to gain power and maintain her image was through her relationships. Throughout her life in the various obstacles she had to overcome, Cleopatra VII used her wit, intelligence, and beauty to control some of the most
…show more content…
This relationship was with Marc Antony. “She would have known that with Caesar dead, Antony was, in theory at least, the most powerful man in Rome.” After returning to Egypt to check on her dynasty, Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus in 41 BCE. Once again, we see Cleopatra use beauty to form an alliance with Marc Antony. As Plutarch wrote, “she was going to visit Antony at the very time when women have the most brilliant beauty and are at the acme of intellectual power.” She was so beautiful that “Antony the triumvir was reduced to the uncertainty of a naive boy, stammering his amazement at such opulence.” As such, we see the relationship between the two develop. Soon after, in 40 BCE, Cleopatra had twins by Antony. Antony publicly acknowledged and gave them highest honors with the names of Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene meaning the “sun” and the “moon” which denoted much significance for the Greeks and Romans. Around 36 BCE, Antony moved to Egypt for good, destroying his marriage with Octavia. During this time, Antony and Cleopatra produced one more child, Ptolemy Philadelphus. As Cleopatra had gained three heirs with Antony and a committed relationship, her relationship with Antony gained Cleopatra a lot of power over lands. She gained many cities on the coast of Syria, the kingdom of Ituraea, some control of cities on the border of modern day Israel and Jordan, and finally territories in Cilicia. As Tyldesley states in her book, “Cleopatra was the wealthiest monarch in the world.” Unfortunately, this gain of land would be short
This relationship was with Marc Antony. “She would have known that with Caesar dead, Antony was, in theory at least, the most powerful man in Rome.” After returning to Egypt to check on her dynasty, Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus in 41 BCE. Once again, we see Cleopatra use beauty to form an alliance with Marc Antony. As Plutarch wrote, “she was going to visit Antony at the very time when women have the most brilliant beauty and are at the acme of intellectual power.” She was so beautiful that “Antony the triumvir was reduced to the uncertainty of a naive boy, stammering his amazement at such opulence.” As such, we see the relationship between the two develop. Soon after, in 40 BCE, Cleopatra had twins by Antony. Antony publicly acknowledged and gave them highest honors with the names of Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene meaning the “sun” and the “moon” which denoted much significance for the Greeks and Romans. Around 36 BCE, Antony moved to Egypt for good, destroying his marriage with Octavia. During this time, Antony and Cleopatra produced one more child, Ptolemy Philadelphus. As Cleopatra had gained three heirs with Antony and a committed relationship, her relationship with Antony gained Cleopatra a lot of power over lands. She gained many cities on the coast of Syria, the kingdom of Ituraea, some control of cities on the border of modern day Israel and Jordan, and finally territories in Cilicia. As Tyldesley states in her book, “Cleopatra was the wealthiest monarch in the world.” Unfortunately, this gain of land would be short