Studied by 2 peopleMedea ( Greece )
barbarian priestess who can do magic descended from the sun god and a priestess of Hecate
She does’’t conform to female stereotypes - the complete opposite to what Greeks want in a woman
isn’t controlled by men
independent
fearless
Her lover is Jason of the Argonauts
What is the name of Jasons half uncle and king of thessely ?
Pelias
What did Jason have to bring Pelias in order to be king ?
The golden fleece
Where was the fleece located ?
Colchis
Who is the king of colchis ?
Aietes - circe’s brother and medeas dad
What challenges did Aietes set Jason ?
plough a field using 2 metal oxen that breathed fire and sow serpent teeth that would immediately turn into warriors to fight
If he finished the fist task a fierce serpent guarded the fleece
Which god favoured him ?
Hera
What did Hera do to help Jason ?
Made Eros shoot an arrow at Medea so she would fall in love with him and aid him in his tasks
How does Medea feel about helping Jason ?
She spends all night debating what she should do and even considers suicide as she would be betraying her father
She eventually decides to help him as that’s what her heart says to do
What does Medea do to help Jason ?
gives him a charm that makes him invulnerable
drugs the serpent to make it sleep so he can take the fleece
What does Medea do after helping Jason ?
She begs him to take her with him and he agrees to take her and marry her
What does Aietes do when Medea leaves with Jason ?
Sends colchian ships to chase jason
What clever plan does Meda have to stop the Colchians from following her ?
She chops her brother into pieces and whenever the boats got close she drops a part of him in as they have to stop and get it so he can be buried
What does Medea’s plan say about her ?
she is ruthless
She is cunning
willing to do anything
Love before family
Who lives in Crete and attacks them when their ship lands ?
A metal giant - Talos
How does Medea save everyone from Talos ?
She calls spirits from the underworld to fight him
How does Pelias react when Jason returns ?
He is surprised and refuses to give Jason his throne
What does Medea do in retaliation to Jason being refused the throne ?
She shows Pelias daughters a ‘anti-ageing’ ritual where she chops up an old ram and when they aren’t looking swaps it for a lamb
They try and do it on their father and just end up killing him - he is chopped and boiled
What happens to Medea and Jason after Pielias is killed ?
They are exiled and move to corinth
Why does Jason leave Medea for a younger woman after living in Corinth for so long happily ?
Jason wants to be king
He cannot do this with medea as she is bad for his popularity
She is a murderer
She is a foreigner
So he marry’s Glauce a younger princess to improve his status
Why does Creon exile Medea from Corinth ?
Her grief over losing Jason was so extreme that Creon was worried she might do something to his daughter ( Glauce )
What does Medea ask Creon for before she is exiled ?
1 day
What is the source for Medea ?
‘ Medea’ Euripides
What does Medea do as revenge for Jason leaving her ?
She sends Glauce a dress and a tiara on her wedding day and when she puts them on they stick to her and start to burn
Creon tries to pull them off her but gets stuck as well they both die
She kills her 2 sons to hurt Jason even though it hurts her
Why is her hatred toward Jason so strong ?
Her original love was due to magic
So when it turns to hate is is equally as magical and strong
What was Egypt’s relationship with Rome like ?
Egypt was a client kingdom of Rome
What royal family ruled Egypt ?
The Ptolemies
Where were the Ptolemies from ?
they were greek and descended from one of Alexander the greats generals
When was Cleopatra VII born ?
69 BC
Why did she have to flee to Rome with her dad ?
Her two older sisters took Egypts throne but the Romans overthrew them
How old was Cleopatra when she became co-ruler with her dad ?
Only 14 in 55 BC
Why did she have to technically marry her father ?
Egypt has to have a man and a woman ruling jointly but the woman had to obey the man
How well educated was Cleo at this point ?
Very well she spoke 12 languages and was educated by professors
What happened in 51 BC when her dad died ?
Her 10 year old brother came to the throne as her new co ruler
How did she use his age to her advantage ?
she practically ruled Egypt independently and was a great leader
Why was she forced to flee in 48 BC ?
Palace officials forced her out because they wanted to manipulate her younger brother
In Rome who did Ceaser beat in a civil war ?
Pompey
Where did pompey flee to ?
Alexandria
Why was Pompey beheaded ?
Ptolemy XIII thought that if he killed Pompey he would gain favour with Caeser
Why was Ptolemy XIII pushed out so Cleo could take control ?
Caeser was angry about Pompey’s death as he was a friend and son in law and ruled rome together
As well as being dictator of rome for the next 10 years what was caeser in control of ?
Alexandria
How did Cleo and Caeser supposedly meet ?
She was carried in a rug by a slave into caesers room unnoticed
How does their first meeting go ?
Very well and they become lovers
What is the name of Cleo and Caeser’s child ?
Caesarion - small caeser
When her brother died whom she was ruling with who became the new ruler ?
Her older brother Ptolemy XIV but it was pretty much Cleo in charge
When Cleo and Caesarion visited rome what did she insist on being called ? And why did the romans hate it ?
She wanted to be called Queen and the romans hate the monarchy
Why was Caeser having an affair with Cleo bad ?
Romans could have affairs with lower class women but Even though Cleo is foreign which makes her lower class she is one of the most powerful people alive
What did Caeser do that made people think he was turning Rome into egypt ?
He put a statue of her as the godess isis in the temple of a godess of motherhood suggesting that they are gods similar to how in egypt rulers are worshipped as gods
Why was Caeser assasinated by a group of senators (lead by brutus) ?
They beleived he was undemocratic as he was named dictator for life so was basically a king dating a queen which is a royal family that Rome is so against
After Caeser’s death who fought for power ?
Octavian - caesers nephew
Mark antony - Caesers deputy
Why did Cleo and Antony originally meet ?And what happened ?
he wanted to ally against octavian - She ended up seducing him and they fell in love
How did they name their twins ?
One had an Egyptian name and the other a Roman name
How did Cleopatra seduce Antony ?
She arrived on a golden boat dressed as venus surrounded by slaves dressed as cupid
What god did Antony consider himself to be the human form of ?
Bacchus
What was their third child named after ?
Only named after Cleo’s family very greek name not at all roman
Why did Cleo and Antony’s marriage cause a stir ?
He already had a wife and it was illegal under roman law as well as this if he won the civil war there would be a foreign queen and her children would have claim to Antony’s power and property
What was wrong with the victory parade Cleo and Antony held ?
Antony and Cleo held a victory parade in Alexandria instead of Rome and Cleo was the star of the parade in a golden throne ( suggesting she was responsible for the victory)
What did Antony name Cleo ?
Queen of kings suggesting she is more powerful than him but also the Romans do not want a king or queen so causes outrage And made her and her children ruler of other countries which should have been for roman generals
Why did Cleo and Antony retreat to Alexandria ?
Octavians had declared war on Cleo and at the battle of actium his army dominated the battle and the her navy was forced to retreat back to land
Why did Antony kill himself ?
he thought he was about to be captured and didn't want to be shamed by Octavian and believed Cleo was already dead
Why did Cleo kill herself ?
Antony died in her arms and did not want to be Octavian’s prisoner
What happened to Egypt after their deaths ?
It became part of the roman empire and ceased being a country
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