Antony and Cleopatra

 

Summary (from the publisher): The love affair between Antony and Cleopatra is one of the most famous stories from the ancient world, and has been depicted in countless novels, plays and films. As one of the three men in control of the Roman Empire, Antony was perhaps the most powerful man of his day; while Cleopatra, who had already been Julius Caesar's lover, was the beautiful queen of Egypt, Rome's most important province. The clash of cultures, the power politics, and the personal passion have proven irresistible to storytellers.

But in the course of this storytelling dozens of myths have grown up. The popular image of Cleopatra in ancient Egyptian costume is a fallacy; she was actually Greek, and far better versed in Roman culture than most storytellers give her credit for. Despite her local dominance in Egypt, her real power came from her ability to forge strong personal allegiances with the most important men in Rome. Likewise, Mark Antony was not the bluff soldier of legend, brought low by his love for an exotic woman - actually he was first and foremost a politician, and never allowed Cleopatra to dictate policy to him.

In this history, based exclusively on ancient sources and archaeological evidence, Adrian Goldsworthy gives us the facts behind this famous couple. It may not be the story we expect or even wish for, but it is every bit as fascinating as the myth.

Review: In this historical text, Adrian Goldsworthy tells the dual biography of Antony and Cleopatra, one of the ruling men of Rome and the queen of Egypt. Shrouded in centuries of myths, Goldsworthy focuses on the facts to reveal the real people behind the legends. 

While well researched and illuminating, I didn't particularly enjoy this biography. It reads as more of a history than a biography, although to be fair, the author is limited by what can be known or safely assumed about the subjects from a distance of centuries. Goldsworthy focused significant portions of the text to detailing Antony's military strategy and movements rather than his personal life and relationships. Furthermore, Cleopatra seemed to feature far less in the text than Antony. 

I did enjoy reading about what can be known about Cleopatra and Antony's family background and upbringings. It was also interesting to see what has been exaggerated by Hollywood. For example, "the young queen was concealed in a bag used for carrying laundry - not the oriental carpet so beloved of film-makers" (172). Much has been lost to time, but Goldsworthy's meticulous research helped illuminate two characters immortalized through the ages. 

Stars: 3.5