Her diary takes us through a brief slice of her life during which she has to deal with the absence of her father (who has fled fearing death at the hands of the Alexandrian mob) and the threat of death from her jealous older sister. Gregory's diary is a departure from the more usual depictions of Cleopatra as we are introduced to her aged twelve, while still a princess. It is Plutarch who tells us not only of her literacy and polyglossy, but also of how it was her personal charisma, rather than any great physical beauty, which made her so irresistible to men. While little can be known about the actual woman herself, we do have Plutarch's biography in addition to numerous monumental renderings of the queen and her son, Caesarion. Reviewed by Alexandra O'Brien (University of Chicago)Ĭleopatra VII was the last Ptolemy and the last queen of Egypt upon her defeat with Marc Antony at the battle of Actium in 31 BC, Egypt became part of the Roman Empire, never to experience independence again until the twentieth century.Ĭleopatra is a potent historical character, immortalized in the work of Shakespeare as well as numerous painters, who portray her as a clever and manipulative woman.
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