Listen&Learn: Cleopatra

Posted by: Jaksyn Peacock

Learn about the famous female pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

Pre-listening vocabulary

reign: to lead a country as a monarch
seductress: a woman who tempts men with her beauty
fabrication: a lie, a myth
delegitimize: to make someone seem incompetent or unimportant
ruthless: cruel, merciless
persona: a personality that someone is known for, but is not necessarily real
iconic: famous and recognizable

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:20 — 1.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

See answers below

Cleopatra’s body was
a. mummified
b. destroyed
c. never found
Some historians have suggested
a. that Cleopatra never really existed
b. that Cleopatra’s beauty was a myth
c. that Cleopatra was actually multiple people
Aside from her beauty, Cleopatra was known for her
a. intelligence
b. kindness
c. physical strength

Discussion/essay questions

Do you know of any other people who have been mischaracterized by history?
Why is history difficult to agree on?

Transcript

Cleopatra VII, or simply Cleopatra, was the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt. She reigned from 51–30 BCE. There are conflicting stories about Cleopatra’s life. Her body was never found, and most surviving accounts of her are secondhand. Although she is often depicted as a beautiful seductress, some historians have claimed that this was a Roman fabrication meant to delegitimize her as a leader. Records suggest that Cleopatra was known for her intelligence rather than her beauty. She spoke several languages, and was ruthless in protecting her throne. Still, she is remembered for her romantic involvement with Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. The “seductress” persona has made her an iconic figure in popular culture, and it is now difficult to separate history from myth.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2b 3a

Written and recorded by Jaksyn Peacock for EnglishClub

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10 comments

English Club Indonesia says:

There is a saying that history is written by the winner. Hard to accept, but this one is actually true. Some history is written with plays of favoritism and bias. For instance, the story of Columbus. He is always depicted as a guy who traveled the world to prove that the earth was round. The fact is, the people at that time already knew that the earth is round.
Wutt says:

I like this site
karam aburomman says:

thank you teacher that was easy have a good day
Yudy says:

thanks for sharing that magnificent stories, it is good for improving my English, thanks a lot
Sonia says:

I am surprised how writers describe about those characters, Cleopatra such being her beauty She reigned Egypt with intelligence and sometimes being cruel. Is the kind of woman which always will be remembered.

Sonia
Mohammed Alnidawi says:

I am really interested in reading such historical subjects which talk about the great masterpieces of mythic traditions that belong to the past eras. Thank you Mr.Jaksyn peacock for your great efforts in writing this historical story. I look forward to hearing from you about something like this in upcoming future. Thank you once again and goodbye.
Soreba Janko dibasey says:

It very interesting to me
Mauro says:

Egipty is a country utterly mysterious and beautiful. How I would like to know it. Sincerely thanks Sir. Josef and Mss. Jaksyn.
Have a nice evening.
Mauro.
The king of love from IRAN says:

Thank you for sharing it with us.

But it’s better to share us the story of people who tried for creating peace & love among people of the world like Mandela, Gandhi & Luther king & so on.

Best wishes,
Mara says:

I like to listen to the stories of those famous people. However, how about stories from those who lived or lives in the centuries close to us ?!?!?
Mara