Cleopatra: A Life by Stacey Shiff

I loved the book.  I never suspected so many possibilities I'd never considered to be possible.  That's what I loved about this book.  It's a fact that nothing could ever be plain fact about Cleopatra VII since her story is told to us by her conquerors that hated and detested everything about her for their belief she personally either some truly 'magically' way or as one of those dangerous Eastern Asiatic Greek Women your mother always warned you about (I'm guessing by the reaction in Rome *wink* ) had used the arts of seduction and sexual prowess to completely enchant, ensnare, and destroy not one but TWO Great Roman Men.  Now, you KNOW this is a lie when in Rome after the dust settles and Cleopatra's three younger children by Mark Antony are taken by none other than Octavia--Cleopatra's rival for Antony's affection.  The two twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, along with their younger brother Ptolemy Philodelphoi.  As of yet I've not heard any satisfactory answer on what happened to the boys.  BUT, the daughter was arranged in marriage to another displaced royal child named King Juba who went on to rule modern day Algeria.  What is compelling, is to take pity on these children even bringing the boys and not just Cleopatra Selene! Why do that if you're going to murder them later?  It doesn't seem likely unless the boys tried revenge or caused trouble.  And if they did...it would be memorable one would think.  

No, the more fascinating event is after blaming Cleopatra VII as the evil temptress to Roman decency....

It is Mark Antony that Octavian Caesar Augustus tries to erase all memory from.  And really I believe that is because he is and WAS the only reason for the war.  If Cleopatra had not gotten romantically involved with him, she may have found herself a Queen for a while longer.  For the pretext to annex Egypt wasn't given.  Just like in our world today when politicians want to wage war.  They may have less than honorable reasons.  Sometimes it may just be a personal vendetta.  But they can't gather and muster troops to fight for a cause that week.  You can't tax your homeland on that weak excuse to pay for that extraordinary cost of war because you want to eliminate a rival.  Or keep one in check.  So you have to create a reason through propaganda to get everyone on your side of "RIGHTEOUS PATRIOTISM!"  Nobody but Antony and Octavian wanted that war as they seemed to had been trying to find reasons to unleash it.  It was important to Octavian to goad Antony into making the first move so he could seem like he was just as surprised and as upset as anyone else.  Octavian wanted Egypt as his prize as much as he wanted to rid himself of his rival.  But only as a couple romantically attached and bound to each other did Cleopatra make that possible.  I can't make myself believe a woman who was so level headed and calculating took a misstep because she thought she could 'rule the roman east' or ludicrously Rome itself.  That's propaganda.  I think she miscalculated with rose colored glasses of love that no matter what her and Antony were doing, they could handle things if only together.  

Love can bring the best and worst out of people.

I have had a fascination with the last "EGYPTIAN" Queen who was from the ARISTOCRACY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT'S official taster, Ptolemy line--since forever. Cleopatra BIO is the first fully "liberated", really smart women I was exposed to as a girl in school. Even in the 1980s there aren't many options for girls to look up to heroes really. And because most if not all of what we do know about her was written Augustus or his lot....we have a one sided story. I really enjoyed this book. It opened avenues of thought I never considered, such as if she really did kill herself or was she, "helped"by a very manipulative politician Caesar adopted. We will never know but it is a striking, NEVER thought of till now idea. Just as with the differing reasons she and Antony made some of their biggest PR mistakes with Rome. It could be a lot of compellingly mad and salacious reasons on both or at different times either party causing the damage. Or it could be they actually were in volatile adult relationship of TO equal parties. The kind of relationships that make "proper" Roman men SICK. A woman was to be dominated in that era. Roman women had a debt to Cleopatra that they never realized. Antony always seemed to favor women like Fulvia & Cleopatra. They were equal partners who screamed and raged. Octavia was beautiful, submissive, everything a Roman woman should be. That was a strategic political marriage since any marriage to Cleopatra would not be legal. I suppose I never realized how far Octavian went to trap Antony and annex Egypt. The political grand standing alone is shocking as it is impressive it worked! Antony spent too much time away from Rome DOING the job Octavian laid like a snare for Antony. It's as if he gave him that work hoping they'd meet...two people he needed to destroy. It was interesting. so interesting I'm off to read a book on AUGUSTUS: The First Emperor by Anthony Everett! Because really, maybe they weren't being consumed by romantic induced (or otherwise) megalomania at all. Antony was conducting an affair with a foreigner that could NEVER hope to have a shred of legitimacy in Rome. Cleopatra wanted her oldest son for own dynastic purposes. Maybe the true undoing of both Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony was seriously underestimating the ambitions of Julius Caesar's adopted heir and biological grand-nephew???? Yes, maybe Antony and Cleopatra were in love, maybe in one another they found a kindred spirit--what we in modern times would call a "soulmate". She was able to let her hair down and have 'fun' in refined and most decidedly UNREFINED ways. But men don't usually carry on petty "PHYSICAL" driven affairs for a decade. That is a long term commitment. And as all literature seems to suggest, she was exceptionally jealous of other women he was with--even his own WIFE when still wedded to his devoted and loving wife Octavia! And Antony had the same outrageous explosions when he felt she was being flirtatious to other men in the record. But was it, WAS IT there love that did them in???????