The Ancient Modern-Day Woman: What Cleopatra's Legacy Means to Me

Recently in school I had to answer the following question: who is your historical figure, and why?

The question is not complex or demanding, and instantly I knew my answer. It is the same answer I use anytime I am asked this question. Cleopatra. To many, that may be a beaten to the ground, eye-roll inducing, cliché answer. I would agree with those people! I am not normally one to agree with the popular consensus, and yet, Cleopatra will always be my pick.

I think to some extent any high school girl has admiration for Cleopatra. When we learn the big names of ancient history, there’s Alexander the Great, Hammurabi, Xerxes, Mark Antony, Julius Caesar…and Cleopatra. Her name invokes a breath of fresh air, and her image in itself is empowering. She is the one female leader of that time period that the history books could not ignore.

Cleopatra doesn’t just receive recognition for being a woman; her accomplishments as a leader exceed the judgement of gender. Her savvy politics helped her ascend the throne and remain there for two decades until her untimely death. And although modern literature and film enjoy to dramatize her relationships with Mark Antony and Julius Caesar (which were also incredibly impressive feats of leadership and command), Cleopatra stands on her own as a historical figure. In fact, she is definitely more well-known than her two Roman companions.

The fact that she is so prominent in history has always made me gravitate towards her. But what makes Cleopatra’s legacy fascinating to me is beyond her title and her long reign; it is the fact that Cleopatra was a leader who embraced he femininity and led as a woman, and did so unapologetically in a time when that was unthinkable. In these times, I think we could use another Cleopatra, and it is sad that I think the world would have a more adverse reaction to a leader of her nature than they did in ancient times. Cleopatra was the embodiment of an ancient modern-day woman, and I am forever grateful for her rich legacy.