3/4/20

Day 15 Class Notes

I. Mental Warmup: Donald O’Connor “Balloon Dance”
A. Comedic dance, you have to fall down and act while also performing
B. The only one to do the balloon dance
C. Impressive to have such clean tap sounds while also appearing to be stumbling
and drunk
D. His voice is an interesting variation of traditional musical theatre technique
E. His tap sounds are SO CLEAN
1. While also performing as if he is drunk so well
2. The tap looks more natural than tap usually does
F. A fun example of performing on things that are not the ground, especially her
performing on the xylophone
G. The popping of balloons reemphasizes his precision when it comes to his dancing
H. Learn from the best
1. Michael Jackson learned from him and Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly
II. Cleopatra Cont.
A. Alexandrian War
1. Ptolemy had no intention of giving up his throne so easily
2. Under leadership of the young coregent’s advisor, Ponthinus, 20,000
soldiers surrounded Alexandria in 47 BC
3. During the resulting battle, parts of the Alexandrians Library were
destroyed by fire
4. Caesar’s forces maintained upper hand in maintaining authority over the
Pharos Lighthouse and the harbor
a) Ptolemy drowned in the Nile while trying to flee
5. During the battle, Cleopatra’s younger sister, Arsinoe, declared herself the
Queen of Egypt
a) She was quickly captured by Caesar’s forces
b) Think walk of shame from GOT
c) I wonder what she was like, this is all history remembers her for
(1) I wonder if she was a wonder woman too and just is not
remembered that way
6. Cont Co-regency
a) Cleopatra becomes sole ruler of Egypt
B. Cleopatra and Caesar
1. Cleopatra and Caesar spend multiple weeks together after the victory
2. Cleopatra gives birth to her first son, Caesarion
a) The child represented a vital connection between Rome and Egypt
3. Caesar spent a number of weeks in Egypt, he gave Cleopatra his “Ring of
Power” to give to Caesarian when he was older
a) Ring of power is an heirloom given to the firstborn son
b) Gave the boy the claim to being the heir of Caesar and that he has
the right to rule
4. The child’s existence was a problem for Rome
a) The child was the result of adultery
(1) Men were allowed a mistress who would live in the house
and used for the enjoyment of sex
(2) Wives were for breeding stock
b) Caesar’s wife was a powerful, lovely, well-respected Roman
Woman
(1) Maybe she was a wonder woman too?
c) Roman Senators do not like that Cleopatra is Caesar’s mistress is
Cleopatra
(1) Senators also do not like that Caesar once he has conquered
the world is claiming to be a god and the dictator for life
d) Christianity is a religion that liberates women
(1) When you look at how Christianity and Jesus treated
women you see that women were liberated
5. Cleopatra knows that she will never rule the world and thus she always
sets herself equal to her son
a) Her goal is for her son to rule the world
6. Caesar returned to Rome and Cleopatra her son and younger brother arrive
a year later
a) Cleopatra fashioned herself as an Egyptian goddess, offending the
conservative republicans
b) As the “New Isis” she insisted on the finest luxury
c) In contrast, her sister Arsinoe was paraded through the streets as a
conquered slave when she arrived in Rome in chains
(1) Significant to acknowledge that despite Cleopatra’s fanfare
and seeming exceptions to many rules, most women of the
time were still suffering
d) The senator’s disdain for the entirety of the proceedings paired
with Caesar claiming to be a god leads to them inviting him to the
senate hall where he is stabbed 23 times
(1) Once Caesar is assassinated Mark Antony and Octavian
will try to share the world and then will fight for control
 (a) Octavian will win and eventually become the first
emperor of Rome
7. Watching the scene from the movie Cleopatra
a) Looks so similar to some GOT scenes with Daenerys
8. Caesar claimed his and Cleopatra’s son and declared that he would marry
Cleopatra despite laws against bigamy and foreign marriage
a) He made himself dictator of Rome
C. Caesar’s death
1. A conspiracy formed by Roman senators resulting in the assassination of
Caesar outside the Senate building
a) Feared that Caesar was planning to take over the Republic
2. Cleopatra and her son were not named in Caesar’s will
a) Mark Antony was not named in the will
b) Octavian- a sickly 18-year-old boy- was the only person in
Caesar’s will
c) Antony and Octavian agree to share power
(1) Octavian takes the West and Antony takes the east
3. A month after his death, her family returned to Egypt
a) Upon arriving her brother Ptolemy XIV died of poisoning
b) Cleopatra was now the sole ruler of Egypt
c) But her original source of power is dead
4. Cleopatra will not keep power without help
a) She can choose to side with Mark Antony (the older, handsome,
womanizing, experienced strategist man) or Octavian (Sick
18-year-old boy)
(1) Octavian goes on a rampage about Cleopatra saying that
she has bewitched and seduced Antony
5. Becoming Aphrodite
a) By successfully defeating Caesar’s enemies, the Roman Mark
Antony became a powerful leader in Rome
b) She arrives in Tarsus to meet with Antony as a goddess dressed as
Aphrodite
(1) Arrives with silver oars, purple sails
c) He was so charmed by her that he abandoned his plans and left
with her for Alexandria
(1) At her request, he ordered the execution of her sister on the
steps of the temple
d) Within one year Cleopatra gave birth to twins
(1) One boy and one girl
 e) Mark Antony returned to Rome and did not see the children for
four years
(1) Finally returned to Egypt
(2) He reunited and claimed his two children
(3) Despite being married he married Cleopatra in Antioch
(a) Antony’s Roman wife, Octavia remained loyal to
him, but her brother Octavian was outraged
(b) Octavia married Antony because of political
maneuvering she had no choice in the matter and
was used as the political pawn in these two men’s
game
f) Mark Antony gifted Cyprus, Phoenicia, the Sicilian coast,
Coele-Syria, Arabia and Judea
(1) The gift allowed Egypt to build ships from Sicilian lumber
(2) Egypt build a large and impressive fleet
(3) Many Romans began to turn their back on Antony
g) Herod the Great had been in charge of Judea
(1) This enrages him because he hated Cleopatra
(2) Was also a horrible person
(3) Killed his wives and his sons
6. Antony and Cleopatra have another child
a) Celebrations culminated in a political ceremony to give to the
family
b) With Antony’s guidance, Caesarion was royal titles named
Ptolemy IV
c) Antony divorces Octavia
D. The Battle
1. Octavian declares war on Cleopatra
2. Octavian and his Roman forces fight Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s
Roman and Egyptian forces
a) Naval battle on the ocean
b) The battle that changed history
3. Mark Antony’s forces were not strong enough on their own and were
defeated
a) His army surrendered although he retreated to Alexandria and
avoid capture
4. Cleopatra had her son Caesarion taken by soldiers on horseback to India
a) He is the blood of Caesar Octavian is just a nephew
5. She hid in a tower with all her wealth
 6. Antony arrived back in Alexandria and after receiving false word of
Cleopatra’s death
a) Killed himself with his sword
(1) His dead body was pulled up to the window tower where
Cleopatra was hiding
(2) Antony dies in her arms
E. Facing Octavian
1. Cleopatra is brought down and placed under what is essentially house
arrest in a private room
2. When he comes in he just stands there and commands her to come nearer
a) When she looks up at him at his command she sees him wearing
the Ring of Power
b) His soldiers intercepted his son and killed him
3. She does not cry
a) She is taken back to Rome and will be paraded through the way
her sister was
4. She will not be beaten
a) She has her servants bring in a white Cobra because she is Isis the
goddess
b) She grabs the cobra and brings it to her chest to bite her
c) Then has her attendants deck her in her wealth
d) Writes a letter to Octavian
(1) Octavian runs in furious bc the Cobra got to kill her instead
of Octavian getting to kill her
5. Ma’at (order) is the job of the king or pharao
a) When one passes into the afterlife they gain more power and
become one with the gods and goddesses of the afterlife
b) Kills herself so she can die, get to the afterlife, and defeat Octavian
from the afterlife
6. Even in her death, she refused to be triumphed over
F. Cleopatra is such an interesting addition, good to see many different women who
were all great and extremely different
1. Good addition to the class because often we see how ruthless men are but
seeing a woman just as bad and/or as ruthless as men