Macalester Journal of Philosophy
Cleopatra’s Corpse: Motivation for Cleopatra’s Suicide in
the Ancient Texts
Aubyn Eli
Abstarc :
Each era has a tendency to reinvent the history of Cleopatra VII, giving her
different motivations and inclinations each time. As Lucy Hughes-Hallett wrote, “The
vicissitudes of Cleopatra’s legend, to which so many different morals have been attached,
may act as a reminder that even the simplest piece of information can be made to serve a
polemical purpose iIn the years directly following the defeat of Cleopatra and Antony
by Octavian, it was in the best interests of the Roman Empire to dehumanize Cleopatra
and reinvent her as a monstrous, unprincipled seductress. She was a foreigner, an enemy,
and there must be no question that the better people had won. The ancient Roman sources
all agree on these points.
Key Word :
Cleopatra’s Corpse, Motivation, Ancient Texts
Volume 1, Number 1, April 2007