References to Cleopatra in The Female Quixote
Book I Chapter XIII
“Since, my Lord, resumed she, in an exalted Tone, I do not yield, either in Virtue or Courage, to many others of my Sex, who, when persecuted like me, have fled to Death for Relief, I know not why I should be thought less capable of it than they; and if Artimisa, Candace, and the beautiful daughter of Cleopatra, could brave the Terrors of Death for the sake of the Men they loved, there is no Question but I also could imitate their Courage, to avoid the Man I have so much Reason to hate” (Lennox 54).
Here Arabella responds to her father’s command to marry Mr. Glanville. Arabella refuses to comply, and in fact, threatens to die in order to avoid her fate. Her “exalted” tone in this passage presumes she believes very strongly that she has the moral upper-hand regarding the fact that she should be able to determine her own marriage. She appeals to the examples of others of her “sex”; even if they are romance characters, they represent strong women role-models with convictions, and Arabella derives her resolve on the issue from them.
Book II Chapter XI
“Let me ask you, then, If you are acquainted with Parthenissa, or Cleopatra? Who were both, for some Months, in the Hands of their Ravishers.
As for Parthenissa, Madam, said he, neither have I heard of her; nor do I remember to have heard of any more than one Cleopatra: But she was never ravished, I am certain; for she was too willing.
How! Sir, said Arabella: Was Cleopatra ever willing to run away with her Ravisher?
Cleopatra was a Whore, was she not, Madam? said he.
Hold thy Peace, unworthy Man, said Arabella; and profane not the Memory of that fair and glorious Queen, by such injurious Language” (Lennox 105).
Here Arabella reacts with outrage, first to Mr. Glanville’s ignorance of the histories contained in the romances she reads, but second, to his assertion that Cleopatra (the daughter of the Cleopatra he is thinking of) is a whore. Throughout the novel, Arabella refers to and defends the community of women she has created for herself through the romances she has read, and takes personal offense that a man should judge one of her heroines to be a “whore” so quickly, with little basis. Here she is completely comfortable insulting a man in defense of a woman.
Book III Chapter II
“Therefore, Glanville, considering you, as Cleopatra did that Unfortunate Prince, who was before suspected by her, as neither guilty nor innocent, I can only, like her, wish you may find some occasion of justifying yourself, from the Crime laid to your Charge: Till then, I must be under a Necessity of banishing you from my Presence, with the same consolatory Speech she used to that unfortunate Prince: ‘Go, therefore, Glanville, go, and endeavor your own Justification; I desire you should effect it, no less than you do yourself; and, if my Prayers can obtain from Heaven this Favour for you, I shall not scruple to offer some in your behalf’” (Lennox 115)
What is interesting here is that Arabella is perfectly comfortable ordering Glanville in what he should do, in order for him to prove himself to her. He insists throughout the novel that their love be on her terms, and this is another instance where she does that. Her reaction to Mr. Glanville’s fault, and her subsequent punishment of that fault, is based on Cleopatra’s actions towards Coriolanus. Her speech to Mr. Glanville here also uses Cleopatra’s language. This is another example of where Arabella relies on the example of the women who have “come before her” to guide her own conduct in love, rather than letting society govern the rules of courtship.
Book IV Chapter I
“I assure you, replied Arabella, if ever I go to London, I shall not scruple to maintain that Opinion to every one, who will mention that Fair-one to me; and use all my Endeavors to confirm them in it. Your Ladyship would do well, said Miss Glanville, to persuade People, that Miss Groves, at Fifteen, did not want to run away with her Writing-Master.
As I am persuaded myself, said Arabella, that Writing master was some noble Stranger in Disguise, who was passionately in Love with her, I shall not suffer any body, in my Hearing, to propogate such an unlikely Story; but since he was a Person worthy of her Affection, If she had run away with him, her Fault was not without Example, and even Excuse: You know what the fair Artemisa did for Alexander, Sir, pursued she, turning to Sir George. I would fain know your Sentiments upon the Action of that Princess, which some have not scrupled to condemn” (Lennox 141-2).
In this scene, Miss Glanville and Arabelle are debating the situation of Miss Groves, a young woman who has become the center of a certain amount of scandal. Arabella defends Miss Groves, who has transgressed societal norms, by referring to the character of Artemisa in Cleopatra, who ran away with the man she loved. Arabella uses romance to defend the marginalized Miss Groves, who has become the object of attack even among other women.
Book VI Chapter X
“But your suffering so tamely the loss of this last Beauty, and allowing her to remain in the Hands of her Ravisher, while you permit another Affection to take Possession of your Soul, is such an Outrage to all Truth and Constancy, that you deserve to be ranked among the falsest of Mankind….
Had you preserved in your Affection, and continued your Pursuit of that Fair-one; you would perhaps, ere this, have found her sleeping under the Shade of a Tree in some lone Forest, as Philodaspes did his admirable Delia, or disguised in a Slave’s Habit, as Ariobarsanes saw his Divine Olympia; or bound haply in a Chariot, and have had the glory of freeing her, as Ambriomer did the beauteous Agione; or in a Ship in the Hands of Pirates, like the comparable Eliza…” (Lennox 250-251)
In this section, unbeknownst to Arabella, Sir George is spinning an elaborate, romance-oriented and entirely fabricated history of his life. By speaking the language of romance, he is able to impress Arabella for a short while. But a slip-up right at the end of his story, where he admits he lost a lover (Philonice) and did not seek her out, enrages Arabella, since the noble heroes of romance would never allow this to happen. Sir George has used the conventions of romance to convince Arabella of his fluency with the “language,” though falsely, since he does not truly love her. Arabella demands her suitors to obey the rules of romance, and this mistake by Sir George proves that he is a false lover, both in Arabella’s constructed world, and by normal social standards. She points to the proofs from romances, mostly from Cleopatra (referenced in the quote above), as justification for Sir George’s error, and consequently “forbids” him to “appear in [her] Presence again” till he is “capable of treating [her] with that Respect, that is [her] Due” (Lennox 251).
Book VII Chapter VII
“You can never persuade me, said Arabella, that any Fashion can be more becoming than that of Princess Julia’s, who was the most gallant Princess upon earth, and knew better than any other, how to set off her Charms. It may indeed be a little obsolete now, pursued she, for the Fashion could not but alter a little in the Compass of near two thousand years.
Two thousand years! Madam, said the Woman, in a great Surprize; Lord help us Tradespeople, if they did not alter a thousand times in as many Days! I thought your Ladyship was speaking of the last Month’s Taste; which, as I said before, is quite out now.
Well, replied Arabella, let the present Mode be what it will, I insist upon having my Cloaths made after the Pattern of the beautiful Daughter of Augustus; being convinced, that none other can be half so becoming” (Lennox 270).
Here Arabella is negotiating a custom dress with a dress-maker in preparation for the Ball Night. She insists on a dress in the fashion of Princess Julia’s, from Cleopatra. The dress is quite unique and exotic compared to the fashion seen at balls, and Miss Glanville is excited to see Arabella ridiculed by the ball-goers for her strange appearance. However, Miss Glanville is disappointed, as Arabella is received with awe and respect, and is thought to be beautiful by the whole room. Here is one instance where Arabella’s stringent application of romance conventions works well in a social context. Though she transgresses social norms with her unusual dress, the “singularity” of her appearance is well-received and admired, rather than mocked.
Book VIII Chapter IV
“Love requires a more unlimited Obedience from its Slaves, than any other Monarch can expect from his Subjects; an Obedience which is circumscrib’d by no Laws whatever, and dependent upon nothing but itself.
….Say only that you wish I should conquer, said the great Juba to the comparable Cleopatra, and my Enemies will be already vanquish’d—Victory will come over to the side you favor—and an Army of a hundred thousand Men will not be able to overcome the Man who has your Commands to conquer” (Lennox 321)
In this section, Arabella lays out her own “laws of love,” which she has derived from the romances (Cleopatra is specifically referenced here, though she does also refer to others). Mr. Glanville tries to persuade her that “Our Laws have fix’d the Boundaries of Honour as well as those of Love,” insinuating that social norms have the final say on what is considered good and proper in these areas. Arabella presses against these assumptions, insisting on a more stylized, noble, and “sovereign” notion of love.
“Since, my Lord, resumed she, in an exalted Tone, I do not yield, either in Virtue or Courage, to many others of my Sex, who, when persecuted like me, have fled to Death for Relief, I know not why I should be thought less capable of it than they; and if Artimisa, Candace, and the beautiful daughter of Cleopatra, could brave the Terrors of Death for the sake of the Men they loved, there is no Question but I also could imitate their Courage, to avoid the Man I have so much Reason to hate” (Lennox 54).
Here Arabella responds to her father’s command to marry Mr. Glanville. Arabella refuses to comply, and in fact, threatens to die in order to avoid her fate. Her “exalted” tone in this passage presumes she believes very strongly that she has the moral upper-hand regarding the fact that she should be able to determine her own marriage. She appeals to the examples of others of her “sex”; even if they are romance characters, they represent strong women role-models with convictions, and Arabella derives her resolve on the issue from them.
Book II Chapter XI
“Let me ask you, then, If you are acquainted with Parthenissa, or Cleopatra? Who were both, for some Months, in the Hands of their Ravishers.
As for Parthenissa, Madam, said he, neither have I heard of her; nor do I remember to have heard of any more than one Cleopatra: But she was never ravished, I am certain; for she was too willing.
How! Sir, said Arabella: Was Cleopatra ever willing to run away with her Ravisher?
Cleopatra was a Whore, was she not, Madam? said he.
Hold thy Peace, unworthy Man, said Arabella; and profane not the Memory of that fair and glorious Queen, by such injurious Language” (Lennox 105).
Here Arabella reacts with outrage, first to Mr. Glanville’s ignorance of the histories contained in the romances she reads, but second, to his assertion that Cleopatra (the daughter of the Cleopatra he is thinking of) is a whore. Throughout the novel, Arabella refers to and defends the community of women she has created for herself through the romances she has read, and takes personal offense that a man should judge one of her heroines to be a “whore” so quickly, with little basis. Here she is completely comfortable insulting a man in defense of a woman.
Book III Chapter II
“Therefore, Glanville, considering you, as Cleopatra did that Unfortunate Prince, who was before suspected by her, as neither guilty nor innocent, I can only, like her, wish you may find some occasion of justifying yourself, from the Crime laid to your Charge: Till then, I must be under a Necessity of banishing you from my Presence, with the same consolatory Speech she used to that unfortunate Prince: ‘Go, therefore, Glanville, go, and endeavor your own Justification; I desire you should effect it, no less than you do yourself; and, if my Prayers can obtain from Heaven this Favour for you, I shall not scruple to offer some in your behalf’” (Lennox 115)
What is interesting here is that Arabella is perfectly comfortable ordering Glanville in what he should do, in order for him to prove himself to her. He insists throughout the novel that their love be on her terms, and this is another instance where she does that. Her reaction to Mr. Glanville’s fault, and her subsequent punishment of that fault, is based on Cleopatra’s actions towards Coriolanus. Her speech to Mr. Glanville here also uses Cleopatra’s language. This is another example of where Arabella relies on the example of the women who have “come before her” to guide her own conduct in love, rather than letting society govern the rules of courtship.
Book IV Chapter I
“I assure you, replied Arabella, if ever I go to London, I shall not scruple to maintain that Opinion to every one, who will mention that Fair-one to me; and use all my Endeavors to confirm them in it. Your Ladyship would do well, said Miss Glanville, to persuade People, that Miss Groves, at Fifteen, did not want to run away with her Writing-Master.
As I am persuaded myself, said Arabella, that Writing master was some noble Stranger in Disguise, who was passionately in Love with her, I shall not suffer any body, in my Hearing, to propogate such an unlikely Story; but since he was a Person worthy of her Affection, If she had run away with him, her Fault was not without Example, and even Excuse: You know what the fair Artemisa did for Alexander, Sir, pursued she, turning to Sir George. I would fain know your Sentiments upon the Action of that Princess, which some have not scrupled to condemn” (Lennox 141-2).
In this scene, Miss Glanville and Arabelle are debating the situation of Miss Groves, a young woman who has become the center of a certain amount of scandal. Arabella defends Miss Groves, who has transgressed societal norms, by referring to the character of Artemisa in Cleopatra, who ran away with the man she loved. Arabella uses romance to defend the marginalized Miss Groves, who has become the object of attack even among other women.
Book VI Chapter X
“But your suffering so tamely the loss of this last Beauty, and allowing her to remain in the Hands of her Ravisher, while you permit another Affection to take Possession of your Soul, is such an Outrage to all Truth and Constancy, that you deserve to be ranked among the falsest of Mankind….
Had you preserved in your Affection, and continued your Pursuit of that Fair-one; you would perhaps, ere this, have found her sleeping under the Shade of a Tree in some lone Forest, as Philodaspes did his admirable Delia, or disguised in a Slave’s Habit, as Ariobarsanes saw his Divine Olympia; or bound haply in a Chariot, and have had the glory of freeing her, as Ambriomer did the beauteous Agione; or in a Ship in the Hands of Pirates, like the comparable Eliza…” (Lennox 250-251)
In this section, unbeknownst to Arabella, Sir George is spinning an elaborate, romance-oriented and entirely fabricated history of his life. By speaking the language of romance, he is able to impress Arabella for a short while. But a slip-up right at the end of his story, where he admits he lost a lover (Philonice) and did not seek her out, enrages Arabella, since the noble heroes of romance would never allow this to happen. Sir George has used the conventions of romance to convince Arabella of his fluency with the “language,” though falsely, since he does not truly love her. Arabella demands her suitors to obey the rules of romance, and this mistake by Sir George proves that he is a false lover, both in Arabella’s constructed world, and by normal social standards. She points to the proofs from romances, mostly from Cleopatra (referenced in the quote above), as justification for Sir George’s error, and consequently “forbids” him to “appear in [her] Presence again” till he is “capable of treating [her] with that Respect, that is [her] Due” (Lennox 251).
Book VII Chapter VII
“You can never persuade me, said Arabella, that any Fashion can be more becoming than that of Princess Julia’s, who was the most gallant Princess upon earth, and knew better than any other, how to set off her Charms. It may indeed be a little obsolete now, pursued she, for the Fashion could not but alter a little in the Compass of near two thousand years.
Two thousand years! Madam, said the Woman, in a great Surprize; Lord help us Tradespeople, if they did not alter a thousand times in as many Days! I thought your Ladyship was speaking of the last Month’s Taste; which, as I said before, is quite out now.
Well, replied Arabella, let the present Mode be what it will, I insist upon having my Cloaths made after the Pattern of the beautiful Daughter of Augustus; being convinced, that none other can be half so becoming” (Lennox 270).
Here Arabella is negotiating a custom dress with a dress-maker in preparation for the Ball Night. She insists on a dress in the fashion of Princess Julia’s, from Cleopatra. The dress is quite unique and exotic compared to the fashion seen at balls, and Miss Glanville is excited to see Arabella ridiculed by the ball-goers for her strange appearance. However, Miss Glanville is disappointed, as Arabella is received with awe and respect, and is thought to be beautiful by the whole room. Here is one instance where Arabella’s stringent application of romance conventions works well in a social context. Though she transgresses social norms with her unusual dress, the “singularity” of her appearance is well-received and admired, rather than mocked.
Book VIII Chapter IV
“Love requires a more unlimited Obedience from its Slaves, than any other Monarch can expect from his Subjects; an Obedience which is circumscrib’d by no Laws whatever, and dependent upon nothing but itself.
….Say only that you wish I should conquer, said the great Juba to the comparable Cleopatra, and my Enemies will be already vanquish’d—Victory will come over to the side you favor—and an Army of a hundred thousand Men will not be able to overcome the Man who has your Commands to conquer” (Lennox 321)
In this section, Arabella lays out her own “laws of love,” which she has derived from the romances (Cleopatra is specifically referenced here, though she does also refer to others). Mr. Glanville tries to persuade her that “Our Laws have fix’d the Boundaries of Honour as well as those of Love,” insinuating that social norms have the final say on what is considered good and proper in these areas. Arabella presses against these assumptions, insisting on a more stylized, noble, and “sovereign” notion of love.