Did I really hear this person criticize HBO’s Rome? Netflix Cleopatra director Tina Gharavi has responded to the backlash of her docu-series not by defending her own product, but rather by criticizing HBO Rome’s legendary depiction of Cleopatra.
Perhaps I’m a little biased as Rome is one of my favorite T.V. shows of all-time, but this is criticisms is downright stupid.
In the wake of Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra getting a ton of backlash and hate online (with even Egyptian lawyers filling lawsuits to get the series and Netflix as a whole banned in the country), the director of the doc-series, Tina Gharavi, has had the nerve to not come out and viciously criticize Lyndsey Marshal’s portrayal of Cleopatra in HBO’s Rome.
I honestly can’t believe in 2023 I have to write an article defending the portray of Cleopatra in HBO’s Rome, a show that prematurely came off the air in 2007, but here we are. But, before I actually get into what Gharavi actually said about Rome, let me just say that this T.V. show is one of the best prematurely cancelled shows of all-time (if not the best) and one of the best mini-series ever.
Season 1 of Rome is one of the best seasons of television history as it was the very first politics-heavy, courtly intriguing, and character-based drama series in the vein of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Succession, etc. on HBO, while it’s also one of the best depictions of Ancient Rome (Gladiator and this show are inseparable).
It’s unfortune the budget constraints of HBO at the time and the ballooning costs to produce a show that depicts one of the most vital moments in human history (the transition of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire) forced HBO to squish three seasons worth of material into Season 2, and then cancel the whole series abruptly. I highly recommend anyone who has an interest in that time period to watch Rome.
Nevertheless, as for what Gharavi said, she said “The HBO series “Rome” portrayed one of the most intelligent, sophisticated and powerful women in the world as a sleazy, dissipated drug addict, yet Egypt didn’t seem to mind. Where was the outrage then? But portraying her as Black?” to fight back against the criticisms of the Queen Cleopatra trailer. A low blow to HBO’s Rome, right?
First off, to call Lyndsey Marshal’s depiction of Cleopatra as a “sleezy, dissipated drug addict” not only discredits the nuances a show made in 2005 gave to the character, who had suffered from some serious vilification/biased depictions in the past 2,000+ years since her death, but also makes a mockery of the actual Cleopatra (who she is directing a historical documentary about).
Judging by the trailer for Queen Cleopatra alone, it seems like Ghavari has directed a depiction of Cleopatra that paints her as an extremely patriotic, arrogant, highly intelligent, ruthless, and fearless a warrior-queen that would do anything and everything to persevere Egypt from the all-conquering eyes of Rome. Sounds like a compelling character, right?
Well, that is exactly that. Just a character.
Yes, Cleopatra was extremely intelligent as she was well versed in mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, literature, and over a dozen languages (including Egyptian, which made her the first and only Ptolemaic ruler to ever learn), and she was ruthless and fearless as she won her throne from her brother, maintained her power and dynasty during the height of the Roman civilization, and was able to befriend (and seduce) Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
But everything else is nonsense.
(Netflix-Queen Cleopatra-Official Trailer)
There’s nothing in recorded history that indicates Cleopatra ever lifted a sword, let alone was besting her bodyguards in single combat (as shown in the trailer), while her only taste of battle was from the rear (whether against Emperor Augustus at Actium or fighting her brother by the Nile).
Now, there’s nothing wrong with being a back seat leader as the greatest Roman Emperor ever and her rival, Emperor Augustus, was equally as pitiful a warrior and always sat in the back of the army. Being a tactical genius (which really can’t be said about either person when it comes to warfare) doesn’t mean you have to also be the greatest warrior of the era too.
In fact, these two things were rarely embodied in any man or woman throughout the ages of human history. That’s what made famous conquers, such as Alexander the Great and William Plantagenet (William the Conqueror), so famous.
Moreover, as for Cleopatra’s “patriotism” for Egypt, that claim is almost laughable.
I hate to break it to Gharavi and the producers behind this docu-series, but there’s not a chance in hell Cleopatra ever uttered the words “I’d die for Egypt” as the concept of nation states and patriotic fervor wasn’t invented until 1648 at the Treaty of Westphalia…a full 1,700+ years after Cleopatra died.
Cleopatra, along with mostly every other noble in the world up until the 1600’s or so, were not loyal to a country, but rather to their families.
Prior to the invention of the nation state, loyalty to one’s family and the wider dynasty was what people were “patriotic” about, not the “nations” of Egypt, Greece, or even Rome.
Sure, the average Roman and Latin (essentially, an Italian not born in the city of Rome or of two Roman parents) had a strong loyalty to the city of Rome and the republic that dominated it similarly to the Greeks living in the city-states of Athens, Sparta, Thebes, etc., but that is not the same thing as being loyal to all of Italy (as is the common idea with modern Patriotism to the best of my understanding).
In fact, the people living in Northern Italy (aka: Milan, Venice, Genoa) were not even considered to be Latins (Italians) until Caesar’s reforms in the 40’s BC. And it was even more tribalized in Egypt for Cleopatra given her heritage as a descendent Macedonian ruler from Ptolemy I, a Macedonian general who became the Pharaoh of Egypt after the collapse Alexander the Great’s Macedonian Empire.
Like I said, she was the only Ptolemy ruler to even bother learning the Egyptian language in over 300 years of rule, so to say have her say “I will die for Egypt” is ridiculous and the HBO series did a masterful job portraying Cleopatra’s dynastic interests and ambitious.
And, lastly, as for the claim that she was nothing but a “sleezy, drug addict”, that may not be too far from the actual truth.
Okay, the sleezy part is most definitely not true and Ghavari never watched the show if she thinks Marshal’s Cleopatra is “sleezy” as she’s the exact opposite. Just watch her first negotiation with Mark Antony scene and you’ll see how intelligent and cunning she is portrayed.
(Warner Bros./HBO-Rome-Season 2 Trailer)
Nevertheless, portraying her as a human who unknowingly suffers from an addiction (whether it be drugs, alcohol, or something else) during a time where substance addiction wasn’t widely (yes, I know many ancient authors thought it was bad, but the common people clearly didn’t) viewed as dangerous as it is now shouldn’t be seen as “sleezy” or classless either.
Honestly, it’s most likely realistic given the fact that she and Mark Antony, who was a well-publicized alcoholic, created a literal society/cult in devotion to the Greek God Dionysus, who is the god of the grape-harvest, wine making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre.
I haven’t seen anything with Julius Caesar, Cicero, Emperor Augustus, Lepidus, Pompey Magnus, Brutus, Ptolemy XII, etc. making cults to a god of fertility, wine, insanity, ritual madness, or religious ecstasy.
Thus, Lyndsey Marshal’s portrayal of a smart, ruthless, intuitive, opportunistic but flawed (she did have her sisters and brother killed, after all) power player in the ancient political world is far more appealing to me than someone who is great at everything and displays modern-day principles that wouldn’t have even of been thought of during her day.
Images Source: Featured Image: (Warner Bros./HBO) (Rome Trailer (HBO) – YouTube)
In Text Image 1: (Netflix) (Queen Cleopatra | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube)
In Text Image 2: (Warner Bros./HBO) (Rome – Season 2 Trailer – Official HBO UK – YouTube)
