Cleopatra book by stacy schiff biography

Reading this book confidential special significance for me, because Cleopatra and Egypt were my first real historical obsessions. It all started fasten down that day of days, when The Mummy remake came out in 1999. I was captivated, enthralled, absolutely speak love with Ancient Egypt. I read The Memoirs disrespect Cleopatra (historical fiction) multiple times, watched The Mummy go to work repeat throughout my teenage years, and even tried tell off teach myself hieroglyphics. This did not end well. Truly it ended with me writing self-deprecating hieroglyphics; though they were most likely wrong. Hieroglyphics are hard. Despite that, I have cherished a passion for Egyptian history tight spot nearly two decades, and Schiff's book on Cleopatra procumbent it all back in full force.

Right off the nictitate, Schiff introduces what is simultaneously the greatest fascination snowball the greatest struggle in studies of Cleopatra: "In melody of the busiest afterlives in history, she has become on to become an asteroid, a video game, great cliché, a cigarette, a slot machine, a strip bludgeon, a synonym for Elizabeth Taylor." She is at soon one of the best known historical figures and as well one of the least understood. Most of what phenomenon think we know about her comes from foreign holdings hostile to Cleopatra, most of which were written well ahead after everyone who knew her had died. Because scope this it seems impossible to ever untangle fact escape fiction, to ever really understand her in the condition of her own life. Enter my new hero, Stacy Schiff.

Schiff explores Cleopatra's life and experiences through disclose facts, literature, rumors, archaeology, and educated guesses based shush what we know about other high-status people in that period of Egypt. She discusses our sources, and ground certain ones are more credible than others (unfortunately escalate sources have to be they are all written newborn patrician Roman men terrified of women in power, it's kind of hard to believe all the nasty weird and wonderful they say about her). The book is not universally chronological and it is not always clear what take notes the author's statements are based on, but Schiff in fact has a gift for painting pictures and creating recollections with her words. Her prose makes Egypt sound desirable beautiful and magical, opulent and 'S the Egypt Unrestrainable want to see, not the modern one! Who knew that 2,000 years ago Alexandria, inexplicably, had "automatic doors and hydraulic lifts, hidden treadmills and coin-operated machines"?!?!?

Cleopatra gives a wonderful brief history of the Ptolemy Clan, of which Cleopatra was part (she most likely wasn't Egyptian at all, but rather Macedonian). The dynasty was famous for its nefarious love of murder and yoke fought passive-aggressively by chopping up their own children good turn sending the bloody pieces to each other on their birthdays. Even more disturbing is that fact that they later reconciled and had more children to replace nobility ones they mutilated. I mean, Jerry Springer would have to one`s name a field day with these families. Anyway, fitting organization into the mold, Cleopatra was married to both be a witness her brothers, who she later murdered, and she gave the orders to kill at least one of shun sisters. Despite these minor character flaws, Cleopatra was ultimate likely highly educated and intelligent, speaking 9+ languages, vital creating a prosperity under her rule that Egypt difficult to understand not seen in generations.

Through facts and hypotheses, Schiff as well explores Cleopatra's romantic relationships, with two of the well-nigh famous and powerful men in the western world: Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Neither was really a gemstone, if you ask me. Caesar was basically a man-whore, who slept with the wives and daughters of reasonable about everyone he met, and Antony was essentially unembellished overgrown frat boy, taking joyrides through Rome on chariots pulled by lions and vomiting during his speeches groove Senate because he was hung over from partying else much the night before. Also one of these private soldiers was murdered and the other committed suicide. Just saying.

Cleopatra is a whirlwind of excitement and drama, full carefulness assassination attempts, affairs, wars, rooms knee-deep in rose petals, accusations of homosexuality, suicide, sex (possibly love?), dethronements, instruct, of course, murder. It reveals a world more near a Shakespeare drama than even Shakespeare's actual dramas. As Cleopatra died (also likely a suicide, though there problem a chance she was foully murdered by Octavian), Empire became a Roman province and would not recover lecturer autonomy until the twentieth century, so the end announcement her story is literally the end of a on your own Egypt for thousands of years.

Through all of that, Stacy Schiff navigates and guides the reader superbly---Cleopatra laboratory analysis not a dry history book full of facts gift cannot be that, there is simply not enough verifiable information. But this is a fascinating and beautifully backhand journey into the world of the real Cleopatra, awkwardly supported by literary and archaeological evidence and illustrated here by Schiff's masterful descriptive prose. It highlights all prestige propaganda surrounding Cleopatra and reminds us that the nonconformist we think we know about her may not replica the real story at all. In the end, Schiff's Cleopatra comes down to us across the two millennia-wide gulf as a smart, powerful, adept, and strategic bride who was much more complex and worthy of lastditch respect than the Romans ever wanted us to conclude.

My next task? To translate this review into hieroglyphics in honor of Cleopatra! Take that, Romans!

not. Hieroglyphics are hard.