Cleopatra - Last Queen of Egypt

Joyce Tyldesley

Basic Books

2008

320 páginas

10h 40m

ISBN-13: 9780465009404

The Romans regarded her as “fatale monstrum”—a fatal omen. Pascal said the shape of her nose changed the history of the world. Shakespeare portrayed her as an icon of tragic love. But who was Cleopatra, really?
Cleopatra was the last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty of Ptolemies. Highly intelligent, she spoke many languages and was rumored to be the only Ptolemy to read and speak Egyptian. Her famous liaisons with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony had as much to do with politics as the heart. Ruthless in dealing with her enemies, many within her own family, Cleopatra steered her kingdom through difficult times, and very nearly succeeded in creating an eastern empire to rival the growing might of Rome.

Her story was well documented by her near contemporaries, and the tragic tale of contrasts and oppositions—the seductive but failing power of ancient Egypt versus the virile strength of modern Rome—is so familiar we almost feel that we know Cleopatra. But our picture is highly distorted. Cleopatra is often portrayed as a woman ruled by emotion rather than reason; a queen hurtling towards inevitable self-destruction. But these tales of seduction, intrigue, and suicide by asp have obfuscated Cleopatra’s true political genius.

Stripping away our preconceptions, many of them as old as Egypt’s Roman conquerors, Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley offers a magnificent biography of a most extraordinary queen.

Resenhas (1)

5 (Perfeito)

Eu adorei esse livro! Desde o romance histórico da Margaret George sobre Cleópatra, eu ainda não tinha pego outro que falasse tanto dos antepassados da rainha. Fiquei muito confusa no início, tive que recorrer várias vezes a árvore genealógica com que a autora ilustra o livro, para poder entender de qual Cleópatra, Ptolomeu e Berenice se estava falando (os nomes são muito repetidos). A autora faz um apanhado histórico da situação política pela qual o Egito passava, e essa foi uma das melhores partes porque Joyce consegue ser sucinta. Para o leitor não ficar perdido, além da árvore genealógica, ela também incluiu uma lista de faraós, desde Alexandre o Grande. Uma das melhores biografias de Cleópatra que já li, recomendado.