Wat was volgens verhalen Cleopatra schoonheidsgeheim?
Ook in de oude bronnen is Cleopatra veelvuldig omschreven als een uiterst mooie en verleidelijke vrouw. Zo schreef de Romeinse historicus Cassius Dio dat ze “een onovertreffelijke schoonheid” bezat en dat ze de beschikking had over “een uiterst verleidelijke stem”, waarmee ze zich “door iedereen geliefd kon maken”.
Is Plutarch’s “the life of Antony” about Cleopatra?
Plutarch’s Life of Antony is one of the earliest and richest “sources” on the interaction of Cleopatra and the Romans. Plutarch’s reckless Antony (paired in the Lives with the drunkard Demetrius Polyorcetes) exemplifies the man of great potential who throws away his opportunities for greatness because he lacks strength of character (Plu. Demetr.
How old was Cleopatra when she first met Antony?
When they first meet, she’s twenty-eight, and has already had an affair with Julius Caesar, a union which secured her position as queen of Egypt. [7] She meets Antony in 41 BC in Tarsus, Turkey, and travels to him on the river Cyndus, under a ‘canopy of cloth of gold, dressed in the character of Venus.’
Was Cleopatra smuggled into the palace in a linen sack?
Plutarch is famous for the more romanticized tale of Cleopatra being smuggled into the palace at Alexandria in a bed roll bundle or linen sack, while Dio simply writes that Cleopatra arrived at the palace in secret. Sergeant mentions both versions in his work, but Weigall only includes Plutarch’s bed roll story.
Is Cleopatra a real person?
The Cleopatra of Plutarch is a carefully constructed character that serves a narrative purpose.Plutarch’s treatment of Cleopatra set the course for her portrayal in most of western literature. Most people will admit that Shakespeare’s Cleopatra is fictional, but fewer will accept that Plutarch’s might be just as imaginary.