This book review is on a biography of Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. This book was written by Stacy Schiff, a Pulitzer-Prize winning biographer. In Cleopatra: A Life, Stacy Schiff has revealed the real woman behind the myth: a smart, independant, unbreakable queen. Her story begins with some background information on Cleopatra. This is always a good way to start a long story in my opinion, especially a bibliography. It is made clear in this biography that Cleopatra is one of the most powerful women of her time. I have a great amount of respect for Stacy Schiff. Out of all the subjects you can choose from to write a bibliography on, I would have to say Cleopatra is one of the toughest. There is so much debate and arguing about her life. …show more content…
So many other poets, historians, and biographers who initially wrote about Cleopatra made her out to be no more than some type of sexual woman who got her power through charming powerful men. “Many people have spoken for her, including the greatest playwrights, and poets; we have been putting words in her mouth for almost two thousand years.” Stacy Schiff put an end to this nonsense. “She nonetheless survives as a wanton temptress, not the last time a woman has been transmuted into a shamelessly seductive one.” It is true Cleopatra was a political genius, had an irresistible charm, and knew how to play people, but this does not make her the underrated woman that other writers portray. “Cleopatra’s story was passed down by her enemies,” they wrote about her flaws instead of her success. She acknowledged Cleopatra’s intellectual gifts and independent, strong mindset. “A goddess as a child, a queen at eighteen, a celebrity soon thereafter, she was the object of speculation and veneration, gossip and legend, even in her own time.” Cleopatra was nothing short of a legend. She, also, showed Cleopatra’s fun and witty side that Schiff believes Cleopatra had. You can tell that Schiff really took the time to get to know …show more content…
“Alexandria, in contrast, was a city of dazzling luxury, beauty, and culture; of broad, well-shaped avenues, ravishing mosaics, scholarly colleges, an unparalleled library, and bookstores.” The way she described Cleopatra’s home and Egypt’s capital, Alexandria, made you feel like you were present amidst the sparkling Mediterranean coast and statues. You could feel Alexandria’s luxury, beauty, and culture. “Alexandria’s greatest gift to the beautiful young ruler may have been a lesson in the power of pageantry. These displays allowed Cleopatra to glorify herself, demonstrating a close connection to Egypt’s gods. “At eighteen Cleopatra and her ten-year-old brother assumed control of a country with a weighty past and a wobbly future.” She deserves a great amount of respect for that. In this day and age it is hard enough for an eighteen-year-old to move off to