History UsefulNotes / RamsesII

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: He tends to be depicted as the tyrannical [[NephariousPharaoh Pharaoh of the Exodus]] in media the most often out of the historical candidates for the role (with his son Merneptah being the second most frequent and Amenmesse, son or grandson to Ramses, having been portrayed in the role once). Historical consensus is that it's unlikely for him to have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus because the dates don't line up (Ramses was from the Nineteenth Dynasty in the thirteenth century, whereas Biblical chronology indicates that the Exodus would've likely occurred within the fifteenth century and around the Eighteenth Dynasty) and historical records show that Rameses II was actually one of the most successful pharaohs of Egyptian history, which he couldn't have been had his workforce left overnight. That would've definitely plunged Egypt into chaos for generations.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: He tends to be depicted as the tyrannical [[NephariousPharaoh Pharaoh of the Exodus]] in media the most often out of the historical candidates for the role (with his son Merneptah being the second most frequent and Amenmesse, son or grandson to Ramses, having been portrayed in the role once). Historical consensus is that it's unlikely for him to have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus because the dates don't line up (Ramses was from the Nineteenth Dynasty in the thirteenth century, whereas Biblical chronology indicates that the Exodus would've likely occurred within the fifteenth century and around the Eighteenth Dynasty).

* He is Egypt's leader in every game of ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{CivilizationCallToPower}}'', sharing the pool of national leaders with Hatshepsut in ''IV''. He aims for a cultural victory and will try to build as many wonders as possible.

* He is Egypt's leader in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V''. In ''IV'', he shares the pool of national leaders with Hatshepsut. He aims for a cultural victory and will try to build as many wonders as possible.

* RaceLift: Some screen portrayals of him do not seem to match Ceccaldi's observation of Ramesses having been a "Berber type", who can be fair-skinned and red-haired. This may be in relation to the fact that Egypt is not always portrayed as diverse as it was in ancient times.

* He is Egypt's leader in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V''. In ''IV'', he shares the pool of national leaders with Hatshepsut.

[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
* ''Series/MosesTheLawgiver'' is a rare exception among ''Exodus'' adaptations for once. This time the Pharaoh is Merneptah, one of the sons of Ramses II.
* In ''Moses'' (1995), he appears as the Pharaoh of the Oppression (father of the antagonist pharaoh), played by Creator/ChristopherLee (who was the only actor who both played him and who out-lived him past age 92).
[[/folder]]

* He appears in the 1974 miniseries ''Moses the Lawgiver'' as the Pharaoh of the Oppression but for some unfathomable reason Merneptah is portrayed as his grandson rather than his son as Moses' adoptive mother is referred to as Ramses' daughter yet Merneptah's father is not referred to as Ramses but rather the brother of Moses' adoptive mother.
* He is a mejor character in the Brazilian telenovela Moses and the Ten Commandments in which he is as usual portrayed as Moses' adoptive brother and the Phraoh of Exodus. One of the rare potrayals in which despite being an antagonist he is made a complex and even tragic character easy to sympathize with. He is portrayed by Sergio Marone.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Historical consensus is that he almost certainly wasn't the [[NephariousPharaoh Pharaoh of the Exodus]], but he's frequently depicted as the notorious tyrant in popular culture with his son Merneptah being the second most frequent and Amenmesse, son or grandson to Ramses, having been portrayed in the role once. Bottom line: The man and his descendants get a bad portrayal most of the time. Positive portrayals of Ramses and Merneptah can be found but due to Amenmesse having been a usurper his portrayals are universally negative and it is even possible to find downplayed versions of this trope, for in Creator/HRiderHaggard's novel ''Moon of Israel'', Ramesses is identified as the Pharaoh of the Oppression and the order that all male Hebrew infants should be killed is made, but never carried out due to Moses' adoptive mother having pleaded for them, Moses himself having been a case of prematurely hiding the infant.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: There are three different accepted spellings of his name so naturally it varies depending on the work. His name could be spelled "Ramses", "Rameses" or "Ramesses."

* Appears as a BonusBoss in the ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins:'' ''Curse of the Pharaohs'' DLC. Stands as being one of the few depictions to actually mention he had red hair (we don't get to see it on Ramses himself, but it's noted that his offspring and descendants ''do'' have it).

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Historical consensus is that he almost certainly wasn't the [[NephariousPharaoh Pharaoh of the Exodus]], but he's frequently depicted as the notorious tyrant in popular culture with his son Merneptah being the second most frequent and Amenmesse, son or grandson to Ramses, having been portrayed in the role once. Bottom line: The man and his descendants get a bad portrayal most of the time. Positive portrayals of Ramses and Merneptah can be found but due to Amenmesse having been a usurper his portrayals are universally negative and it is even possible to find downplayed versions of this trope, for in Creator/HRiderHaggard's novel ''Moon of Israel'', Ramesses is identified as the Pharaoh of the Oppression and the order that all male Hebrew infants is made, but never carried out due to Moses' adoptive mother having pleaded for them, Moses himself having been a case of prematurely hiding the infant.

** As a young man, Ramses owned a lion that fought alongside him at Kadesh. The only works of fiction to have featured this lion has been the book series by Christian Jacq,''Literature/ThunderAtKadesh'' by Gordon Doherty and the ''Classics Illustrated'' issue "The Ten Commandments".

* Often cast as the villain in most renditions of the Biblical exodus (the pharaoh is not named in the original), such as:
** ''Film/TheTenCommandments1923'', portrayed by Charles De Rochefort.
** ''Film/TheTenCommandments1956'', portrayed by Creator/YulBrynner.
** ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', voiced by Creator/RalphFiennes.
** ''Film/ExodusGodsAndKings'', portrayed by Creator/JoelEdgerton.
** In 1995's ''Moses'', he appears as the Pharaoh of the Oppression (father of the antagonist pharaoh), played by Creator/ChristopherLee (who was the only actor who both played him and who out-lived him past age 92).

** Screen adaptations tend to omit most of his children to the point where he only has one or two, though this depends on his role in adaptations of the Exodus. When he is the Pharaoh of the Oppression, he will have two at the most, while he usually only has one when he is the Pharaoh of the Exodus. The H. Rider Haggard novel ''Moon of Israel'' is notable for featuring him as the Pharaoh of the Oppression and going pass the two child limit with his thirteenth son and successor Merneptah being the initial pharaoh in the story, Merneptah's elder brother Khaemwaset being mentioned, and an unidentified daughter, who was Moses' adoptive mother, being mentioned.