Cleopatra Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cleopatra - Research Paper Example Her family, the Ptolomies, had taken over the Egyptian throne after Alexander the Great won the territory. Although they continued the pharoic tradition of royal inbreeding, the family didn’t seem to adopt many of the other Egyptian traditions, continuing to speak Greek and maintaining their close ties with the Empire, but Cleopatra changed much of these customs. Unfortunately, though, she was to be the last pharaoh of Egypt, living her life from 69-30 BC. Her life and exploits became legendary as did her beauty, the tool she used to gain the degree of influence she had over the other rulers of her time. According to historic sources, Cleopatra began her reign in Egypt as a co-ruler, first with her father and later with her brothers, whom she married according to tradition. She was only 14 years old when she was first given a throne at her father’s side and 18 when he died, leaving the country to her and her 10 year old brother (Perry et al, 2004). At this time, the country had already been struggling for several years and the Egyptian throne, as always, remained an unstable place. From 51 BC to 48 BC, the brother-sister and husband-wife team officially ruled jointly over a country that was troubled by famine, floods, political conflict and economic issues, but Cleopatra made it clear on a consistent basis that she had no intention of giving her younger brother greater authority over her or in sharing his bed (Dudley, 1960). Troubles only escalated when she took her brother’s name off of official documents and his face off of the national coin finally instigating a reb ellion against her among the eunuchs of the palace. Although she tried to resist their forces, she was eventually forced to flee with her sister Arsinoe as her brother Ptolemy was restored to the throne (Green, 1990). This might have been the end of her career had her brother been more mature or more politically astute, but it was largely through his actions that Cleopatra was able to