GRST 102 - Cleopatra

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

A famous historian once wrote “The true history of Antony and Cleopatra will probably never be known; it is buried too deep beneath the version of the victors.” This course examines the life and times of Egypt’s most famous queen, who was both a Hellenistic monarch, last of a dynasty founded by a companion of Alexander the Great, and a goddess incarnate, Pharaoh of one of the world’s oldest societies. However, the ways in which Cleopatra has been depicted over the centuries since her death are equally intriguing, and the course considers versions of Cleopatra from the Romans, who saw her as a foreign queen who tried to steal their empire, to Shakespeare, Shaw, film and television to explore how different societies have created their own image of this bewitching figure. Mr. Lott.

Two 75-minute periods.

Open only to freshmen; satisfies college requirement for a Freshman Writing Seminar.

Courses in English translation, numbered X00-X19 are taught entirely in English. No knowledge of Greek or Latin is required.