Open AccessCleopatra's Translational Power
Author(s) -
Bess R. H. Myers
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
actio nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2530-4437
DOI - 10.15366/actionova2021.m5.006
Subject(s) - cleopatra , extant taxon , character (mathematics) , association (psychology) , literature , gesture , power (physics) , reputation , art , history , philosophy , linguistics , physics , sociology , mathematics , epistemology , biology , evolutionary biology , social science , geometry , quantum mechanics
When Plutarch introduces Cleopatra in the Life of Antony, he notes that though she was not beautiful, she charmed those around her with her ability to speak an abundance of languages. In this passage, he associates the word hermeneus, «translator», with Cleopatra. Analyzing all appearances of hermeneus in Plutarch’s corpus reveals how, on the surface, Cleopatra’s association with the translator figure reinforces her reputation as a femme fatale, though this association gestures to a three-dimensional character who resists the two-dimensional bounds of extant written accounts—including Plutarch’s own.