From the Publisher
Francine Prose offers a feminist reinterpretation of the life of the Egyptian queen. Her chapter ‘Cleopatra on Film’ features biting observations.”—Martin Chilton, Independent, “Books of the Month”“What distinguishes this book from [previous biographies] is the author’s efficient and persuasive writing style. Prose’s prose is, predictably, beautiful. The urban Mediterranean, which forms the background for much of the narrative, is compellingly described. The author’s acerbic deconstruction of harmful tropes further adds to the book’s distinctive tone.”—Arienne King, World History Encyclopedia“A lucid and persuasive reinterpretation. Readers won’t see Cleopatra the same way again.”—Publishers Weekly“A thoughtful, sympathetic portrait of a legendary historical figure.”—Kirkus Reviews“The most effective part of the book is when Prose steps outside of history entirely and casts a critical eye on how books and movies made Cleopatra into a villain.”—Marissa Moss, New York Journal of Books“A nuanced portrait of a powerful woman of enduring fascination.”—Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe“Where Prose really sparkles: her critiques of the cultural depictions of Cleopatra.”—Allison Arieff, San Francisco Chronicle“With her signature wit, incisiveness, and command, . . . Prose elucidates historical and cultural complexities, separates facts from fantasy, shares vivid and arresting intimate details, and brings humor and ‘human warmth’ to her corrective portrait of this extraordinarily brilliant and heroic ruler.”—Donna Seaman, Booklist“This account stands out from the rest by highlighting the racist, imperialist and orientalist nature of Cleopatra’s portrayals, and for this it should be applauded.”—Emma Southon, author of A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Emma Southon
This account stands out from the rest by highlighting the racist, imperialist and orientalist nature of Cleopatra’s portrayals, and for this it should be applauded.”—Emma Southon, author of A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Kirkus Reviews
2022-08-30
A fresh look at the famed Egyptian queen.
In a succinct biography, part of Yale’s Ancient Lives series, Prose examines how Cleopatra (69 B.C.E.-30 B.C.E.) has been represented for over 2,000 years in myths, legends, literary works, histories, paintings, and films. Many chroniclers, Prose notes, believed she was a liar; some were apologists for Roman imperial expansion; others refused to allow that a woman could be a leader. The most prevalent image of Cleopatra has been that of a “witchy, seductive Egyptian,” notable for her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony rather than for her considerable prowess as a “city planner, military strategist, diplomat, linguist,” and leader. A Macedonian Greek, daughter of Ptolemy XII, by the age of 18, Cleopatra ruled Egypt along with her 10-year-old brother—and husband—Ptolemy XIII. The time was rife with “strangling, poisoning, and dismembering,” even among family members. The shared leadership of Cleopatra and Ptolemy incited a bloody civil war, ending with Ptolemy’s murder, after which Cleopatra married Ptolemy XIV; the marriage was short-lived—Ptolemy died in 44 B.C.E. Prose mines classical sources, including Plutarch’s chronicles, to trace the course of Cleopatra’s affair with Caesar, which resulted in the birth of a son; and with Antony, with whom she had twins and another son. As for her suicide, it is unlikely, Prose argues, that she could have smuggled an asp into her quarters and just as unlikely that its venom could have killed her instantly. The author also explores Cleopatra’s afterlife in literature. Dante and Boccaccio damned her as a “libertine and a seductress,” and Shakespeare saw her as Antony’s “serious mistake.” In movies, Theda Bara, Claudette Colbert, Vivien Leigh, and Elizabeth Taylor all underscored the lascivious seductiveness of the doomed queen. In contrast, Prose imagines her as a wily strategist determined, above all, to protect her children.
A thoughtful, sympathetic portrait of a legendary historical figure.
