Hence, a brief survey of literary, historical and other art forms reveals to us the rich and profound effect Cleopatra has had on the world in general and its culture in particular. Not only has the aura surrounding her remained luminous, but also her legend seems to evolve and grow through time. Indeed, the lapse of two millennia since her death has spawned more colorful, intriguing and erotic representations of her life and events. This is why Cleopatra’s statues, costumes, jewelry and other paraphernalia continue to draw impressive viewers in museums across the world. Many of these objects of art are designed based on circumstantial and secondary sources of evidence. But they nevertheless try to capture the essential qualities and features of the great Empress.
Works Cited
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“Egypt’s Queen of Seduction; POWER LOVER: Lyndsey Marshal as Cleopatra in the BBC Series Rome.” The Mail on Sunday (London, England) 10 Feb. 2008: 64.
Gadeken, Sara. “Gender, Empire and Nation in Sarah Fielding’s Lives of Cleopatra and Octavia.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 39.3 (1999): 523.
Hughes-Hallett, Lucy. “Cleopatra’s Make-Over: Cultural Historian Lucy Hughes-Hallett Considers How Perceptions of Cleopatra Have Moved in the Last Decade and a Half.” History Today Aug. 2006: 70+..
Walker, Susan. “Cleopatra: From History to Myth.” History Today Apr. 2001: 6.