海角大神

The picture of Cleopatra to which we have become accustomed has been painted over the course of decades by both historians and Hollywood directors 鈥� all of them with agendas of their own. Some of the stories are true: Cleopatra had two siblings murdered, consummated two high-profile love affairs, and lived in exceptional opulence. But much of the real story about her is different than we thought: The Egyptian ruler was actually Greek and she wasn鈥檛 necessarily the stunning seductress history depicts. She was, however, a remarkable ruler, the last pharaoh, and perhaps the most powerful woman the world will ever know.

Master biographer Stacy Schiff sifts through the facts in 鈥�Cleopatra: A Life鈥� (Little, Brown and Co., 384 pp., $29.99). I talked with Schiff about the brilliant queen, some of the longstanding misconceptions about her, and the paradoxical ancient city she ruled.

You鈥檝e done biographies on Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov (wife of 鈥淟olita鈥� author), Benjamin Franklin, Antoine de Saint-Exup茅ry (of 鈥淭he Little Prince鈥�), and now Cleopatra. How do you pick your subjects?

It鈥檚 more accurate to say that they pick me. This was an idea I had a long time ago, in 1999. The idea kept reappearing on my list of potential subjects. This one was irresistible because of its all-star cast. You really can鈥檛 do better than Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Cleopatra.

And I鈥檓 always fascinated by a world in transition. Here you have a very textured, very restive moment in which everything is about to change. It鈥檚 30 years before the birth of Christ when Cleopatra dies. It鈥檚 the end of a dynasty, the end of Egyptian autonomy, the end of the Roman Republic, the end of the Hellenistic age. It鈥檚 a real turning point.

It鈥檚 also a look at a very powerful woman, of which there are not that many. Also the misconceptions really thrilled me. Say the name Cleopatra and we all think of Elizabeth Taylor. There was so much to clear away in terms of myth.

Much of what we know about Cleopatra comes from incomplete records and 鈥渢endentious historians鈥� who never even met her. How was it possible then, to create a comprehensive and accurate book about the famed ruler?

In some cases you do have multiple sources who say the same thing. And there are things you can take with a degree of certainty, or with all certainty. For example, everyone is clear about the fact that Cleopatra was no great beauty, but irresistible in her charm.

I had to put context around things, say to the reader, "Here鈥檚 what we have, but remember this was written 200 years after Cleopatra鈥檚 death." A lot of it is reminding the reader of a source鈥檚 bias. In cases where sources were contradictory, her death for example, I present both accounts.

What did you find most surprising as you researched?

For me, the greatest discovery 鈥� something about which I knew nothing 鈥� was the extent of women鈥檚 rights in Egypt in Cleopatra鈥檚 day, and before her, for that matter. I had not realized that women could inherit land, initiate lawsuits, and enter into marriages on their own. The idea that Egypt was a paradoxical place was familiar to me, but the idea that women had these kinds of rights that they wouldn鈥檛 have again for 2,000 years was pretty singular.

Why do you think Alexandria was so progressive?

No one really has been able to account for it. The goddess Isis, who was one of the most popular gods at the time, may have had something to do with it. The strength of the Ptolemy women may have had something to do with it.

And yet, murder in the city was commonplace.

Murder-wise it鈥檚 pretty consistent with every ancient dynasty. Herod, for example, murdered his own children. For many, many years if you were a sovereign鈥檚 blood relative you were a political liability.

Cleopatra was married to her brother. Was incest the norm in other cities?

No! And again, it鈥檚 unclear if the Ptolemies thought this was an Egyptian custom, or if they just invented it themselves. It鈥檚 really odd. Of 15 marriages that predate Cleopatra, 10 of them are full brother-sister marriages. And yet there don鈥檛 seem to be any obvious deformities, at least that we鈥檝e heard of.

Cleopatra had romances with none other than Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Was it love or political prowess?

I don鈥檛 know. To me, it鈥檚 a little convenient that she ends up associated and aligned with the two most powerful military commanders of the day. Was there a rapport there? Clearly, on both accounts. There are hints. She goes to Rome presumably to be with Caesar with their child. But I think when you鈥檙e a sovereign, you鈥檙e in the political alliance business more than you are in the love affair business.

Will readers be disappointed by the real, humanized Cleopatra in your book, or even more dazzled?

I hope they would be dazzled. I鈥檓 dazzled by her. Think about her at the end of her life, for example: She鈥檚 backed into the corner in Alexandria. Octavian鈥檚 found his way in and it鈥檚 clear that all is lost. Poor Mark Antony has gone to pieces, he鈥檚 depressed and disillusioned. And what is Cleopatra doing? She鈥檚 spinning idea after idea, coming up with crazy schemes to get away. I think that鈥檚 astonishing 鈥� her enormous amount of resilience and resourcefulness.

Nora Dunne is a Monitor contributor.

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