Cleopatras Beauty Essay -- Egypt History Papers

Cleopatra's Beauty Was Cleopatra beautiful? This is a seemingly straightforward question but there are many characteristics of beauty and all must be considered when applied to Cleopatra. Firstly, what is beauty? Beauty is different for every person and every time period. The old saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder remains truthful today. It is not only the person that dictates what is beautiful; the time period during which beauty is portrayed must be taken into account as well. The aesthetic ideal of the Renaissance is quite different from that of today's typical "beauty." When applying these questions to Cleopatra, the only way to judge her beauty is by the works in which she is depicted. One obvious obstacle with this judgment is that everyone creates his or her works during different time periods. Another problem with the depiction of Cleopatra's beauty is the artist's hidden agenda. Every artist that depicts Cleopatra has a reason for portraying her in the way that they do, weather i t be to show what a woman should not be or to promote anti-orientalism. The only concrete proof of Cleopatra's appearance is the marble statues and the coins that bear her face. Are these even the real Cleopatra? The real Cleopatra's beauty is a mix between physical beauty and actual beauty. Actual beauty can be defined as the interaction of personality and sensuality with the external. Cleopatra is lauded for her beauty but this beauty is, in fact, actual beauty. Would we consider Cleopatra beautiful in this day and age? I say no. Perhaps if we knew her and were ensnared by her legendary charms, she would be beautiful to us but one must decipher her personality before discovering her actual beauty. PHYSICAL BEAUTY Physica... ...100 C.E.]. Trans. Sir Thomas North (1579). Ed. Geoffrey Bullough, Narrative and Dramatic Sources of Shakespeare. Vol. V. Columbia UP, 1964. Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken Books, 1995. Pomeroy, Sarah B. Women in Hellenistic Egypt: From Alexander to Cleopatra. New York: Schocken Books, 1984. Roddam, Frank. Cleopatra [Leonor Varela]. ABC, 1999. Shakespeare, William. Anthony and Cleopatra [1608]. Ed. Michael Neill. Oxford UP, 1994. Sidney, Mary. "The Tragedy of Antonie." In Renaissance Drama By Women: Texts and documents, Ed. S.P. Cerasano and Marion Wynne-Davies, 19-42. New York: Routledge, 1992. The Real Cleopatra: Cleopatra's Palace. Discovery, 1999. Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1991.