So, it turns out Cleopatra was loved for her mind, not her body. Feminism was on the march in ancient Egypt too I guess.
Some British archaeologists--for Valentine's Day no less--published findings based on a Roman coin depicting Cleopatra. They show that she was no physical beauty at all.
Compare:
and
Then think about the modern mind's traditional view of Cleopatra:
Which images are closer? Cleopatra and Susan B. Anthony or Cleopatra and Elizabeth Taylor?
I think the artists since Cleopatra's time have altered our perception, bringing it down to the "lowest common denominator" of sorts--physical beauty. In doing so, they have altered the reason she was probably revered from her personality to her body. (And for those of us in the viewing audience, thank goodness for that! As for society, well, that's another story--the audience v. societal benefits, is the perpetual battle, isn't it?)
Consider this progression of descriptions over the centuries--from closest in time (see the coin above for the physical depiction) to the most modern (see E. Taylor's picture nearby.)
From the article:
Plutarch, in the "Life of Antony" written a century after the great romance, said of Cleopatra: "her actual beauty, it is said, was not in itself so remarkable that none could be compared with her."..."But the contact of her presence, if you lived with her, was irresistible; the attraction of her person, joining with the charm of her conversation, and the character that attended all she said or did, was something bewitching. It was a pleasure merely to hear the sound of her voice ..."
Then to Chaucer:
"fair as is the rose in May."
And to Shakespeare:
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety; other women cloy the appetites they feed, but she makes hungry where most she satisfies."
Well, it turns out that the reason age couldn't wither her was that it had already occurred! Nevertheless, the woman's beauty was in her presence and company. This, I imagine is something Susan B. Anthony would have applauded. And maybe, just maybe, we have in Rome and Egypt an early example of the type of mind-over-body womanhood so much discussed in erudite circles today.
Nevertheless, I doubt the movie would have been such a hit had Susan B. had the lead!
We blog, you decide,
Thomas More
allthesemore@yahoo.com
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