Cleopatra was no Diva!

Written in Uncategorized
24 Comments - Leave a comment!

By Vicky Alvear Shechter

Not once in my new biography on Cleopatra do I call her a diva, despite the fact that, for my young teen readers, it would seem a fun and modern way to describe the great Queen.  After all, “diva” implies high drama, intrigue, and theatrics, which have always been parts of Cleopatra’s story.

But here’s why I avoided the “diva” label: the minute a powerful woman is called diva, she is instantly diminished. She is then assumed to be a spoiled brat and obnoxiously self-centered. Her accomplishments suddenly don’t matter.

Now, we don’t know if Cleopatra was spoiled or self-centered, but we do know that she was a brilliant politician and ruler. Cleopatra ruled her kingdom for more than 20 years during the volatile period when Rome was taking over the world.  She kept Egypt independent and even—with shrewd negotiations—wrested back from Rome important territories that expanded and strengthened her kingdom.

She spoke at least seven languages, wrote a number of books and hosted intellectual salons for the most brilliant scientists and mathematicians from her great Library in Alexandria. She was the devoted mother of four children (yes, four) who negotiated fiercely for their safety after Antony’s death, despite repeated threats on their lives by her enemy (Octavian/Augustus).

Finally, she maintained her independence and dignity until the bitter end, even “stealing” her enemy’s glory by committing suicide in a powerfully symbolic way.

Cleopatra was a complex, multi-faceted human being who captivated the world with her intelligence and daring. Surely, such a great queen deserves a better descriptor than “diva!”

Vicky Alvear Shecter is the author of the recently released, Cleopatra Rules!  The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen.

Editors note: For more on Cleopatra…

Some Little Known Things About Cleopatra (Cleopatra: A Biography)

Cleopatra’s Makeup

Cleopatra’s Daughter review by Kris Waldherr

Cleopatra’s Daughter review by Marie Burton



Giveaway is closed.

Would you like an email notification of other drawings? Sign up for our giveaway email list by clicking here

Related Posts:

24 Comments - Leave a comment!
  • Erin H.

    I’ve always been annoyed when any strong historic female is diminished, whether by a term such as “diva,” or by saying “she did quite well for a woman” (as contemporaries might have said). This sounds like a terrific read.

  • http://dulemba.com Elizabeth Dulemba

    I’ve already got a copy, and must say I adored this book. The modern, conversational voice made the information easy to read and completely accessible. And yet, I learned so much about this amazing woman. It’s a shame history is recorded by the victors, I don’t think Cleopatra got a fair shake. But this book helps restore the balance.
    e

  • librarypat

    When a man has accomplishments in political maneuvering, languages, writing, academic involvement, and running a country not to mention being a good parent, he is lauded for those abilities. If it is a woman, it is somehow downplayed. As with Cleopatra, she is most often shown as Anthony’s paramour and a beautiful woman who uses her beauty and sex to get what she wants.
    We need more books out there that depict women in history as the strong, capable, important and pivotal individuals they were.
    I will make sure our local library knows about this book. It will make a good addition to their YA collection.

  • http://threepipeproblem.blogspot.com H Niyazi

    Being a fan of Opera, I’m more perturbed by the negative connotation that the word ‘diva’ has acquired! Taken from the feminine of the Latin term divus – in its original musical usage, it indicates a precocious, outstanding talent. Modern media has taken it and made it something ugly. Boo!

    I also loved Vicky’s book – and look forward to our upcoming Q&A! I have to admit I’m personally not of the belief that Cleo VII has been *severely* ill-treated by History. She will always be revered and idolised simply because she was a female ruler. By bearing children to Caesar and Antony however, she does makes it extremely difficult to discern her personal motivations from her duties as Ruler of Egypt.

    Can anyone imagine the revered Queen Boudica bearing children to Governor Paulinus or Nero? Had she done so, she also would have a similar perception, as opposed to the heroic Warrior Queen she is now seen as.

    I find it interesting to contemplate what impression a quite young Octavian would have got of her when Caesar brought her to Italy. It must surely have been a negative one – as he seemed quite resolutely against her. Antony, or ‘The Roman Redneck” as Vicky amusingly described him, seemed far more likely to succumb to her charms than Octavian was ever going to be.

    H

  • Woody Miller

    Crap. She spoke 7 languages? I have to admit I bought the whole Elizabeth Taylor (now Angelina Jolie) portrayal of a beautiful woman who seduced her way to the halls of power. Once, I had a girlfriend who was nominated for a “Diva Award” from the now defunct Diva Magazine. She politely rejected it. It’s funny… is there a male version of the word “diva?” That’s how you know it’s sexist.

  • http://truebookaddictsmom.blogspot.com/ Michelle @ The True Book Addict

    I’ve always been fascinated by Cleopatra and despite how she has been portrayed previously, I have always known in my heart that she was a strong and capable woman. One thing that always bothers me though is the fact that it is known that Cleopatra was not beautiful, at least not by modern standards. Yet she continues to be portrayed in films by beautiful, or, at least, attractive women. Case in point: The new film based on a recent biography of Cleopatra is casting Angelina Jolie in the role (last I heard anyway)…ugh! Why not Sarah Jessica Parker or another woman that isn’t a “beauty” persay, but has her own inner something that makes her attractive. So in regards to this subject, I wanted to ask Vicki whether she also found in her research that Cleopatra was not gorgeous?

    Thanks for the giveaway!

  • http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/ Michelle @ The True Book Addict

    On my last comment, I put the wrong blog address. I put my mom’s instead of mine. It should be http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/

    Thanks!

  • http://whatnowatlanta.com Caleb

    I’m SHOCKED to say the least, but then again, I’m ignorant when it comes to Cleopatra. I thought (from assumption) that she was a MAJOR diva– interesting to read a true portrayal that delineates her brilliance.

  • http://historywithatwist.blogspot.com Vicky Alvear Shecter

    H–thanks for leaving a comment. Although we don’t know exactly what Cleo’s motivation was, it does appear that we can extrapolate through her actions that she made a decision to ally herself to Rome through marriage. Which, if it had worked, would have been a brilliant move for Egypt. Was she “severely” ill-treated throughout history? I would agree with you that the answer is no, not severely, but ill-treaded just the same. Here’s one example: Shakespeare’s play, “Julius Caesar.” Are you aware that not ONCE in the entire play is Cleopatra even mentioned? And yet Cleo was waiting for him, with their son, in his villa across the Tiber at the time of his murder. Surely one of the tipping points for murdering Caesar must have been his petition to the Senate for allowing Roman men to marry foreign wives and to allow foreign born children of Roman men to be legal heirs. And yet Shakespeare ignores Cleopatra as if her existence was irrelevant (except, of course, when it comes to his play “Antony and Cleopatra” where she is depicted as faintly hysterical and is described as a “piece of work.”). So it’s subtle, but insidious…

  • http://historywithatwist.blogspot.com Vicky Alvear Shecter

    Hi Michelle, thanks for your question. You have definitely hit on one of my pet peeves–Hollywood’s insistence of making Cleo gorgeous when all evidence (busts carved and coins minted during her lifetime, as well as Plutarch’s description), points to her being “moderately” attractive. Plutarch even says her beauty was not “incomparable” but that the force of her personality–her charm, wit, intelligence, etc.,–was considerable. See my post about this very issue on my blog: http://tinyurl.com/2cf82vw. In the book I show how her depiction in art has changed over the centuries, a reminder that every culture/period projects it’s own definition of beauty onto Cleo.

  • http://www.tracybarrett.com Tracy Barrett

    If a man had done everything Cleopatra had done, there’s NO WAY history would cast him in a bad light! Thanks for showing this amazing woman in a true way.

  • http://unabridged-expression.blogspot.com/ Audra

    I’m thrilled to see Cleopatra’s legacy corrected — she’s a fascinating woman! I particularly love the subtitle of this book …the Original Teen Queen. It’s a good reminder that she was not only a woman in a dangerous, precarious political situation, but a young woman at that!

  • Rachel W.

    Thank you for the giveaway!

  • Dana W.

    What an exciting book! I teach high school English, and this would be the perfect biography for my students. I think that it would be interesting to see their reactions to the concept of a teen with such power. They often forget that power comes from knowledge.

  • Toby Brine

    This sounds like a great story.

    I agree with other comments. If she had been a man all things would be right, but being a woman and accomplishing all that she did she is somehow diminished as a person.

    Sign me up for the draw!

  • http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com Tristan Robin

    Sounds like a fun book – just ordered it through Amazon. Look forward to reading more about her.

  • http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com Tristan Robin

    oh, my! I JUST read about the giveaways! Please enter my name – I’d love to win one and then I could pass my own copy on to another Cleo fan!

  • Carol Wong

    I have been fascinated by Cleopatria sent I was a child. Seen every movie about her and read anything I could find, now this, I didn”t that she knew seven language! Please enter me in this contest.

  • Pingback: History Carnival » Cleopatra was no Diva!

  • http://threepipeproblem.blogspot.com H Niyazi

    Just an addendum – for those that enjoyed this article and would like to hear more from Vicky, you will surely get a kick out this Q&A I recently did with her, discussing all things Cleo, and more!

    http://threepipeproblem.blogspot.com/2010/09/cleopatra-rules-interview-with-ya.html

    Keep up the great work W&M!
    H

  • http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com Tristan Robin

    …just received my copy. Haven’t read it yet – but it’s going to be a pleasure to read. Very poshly illustrated and has very nice paper.

  • Lavonda Robinette

    Can’t wait to get my hands on this book!

  • http://birdbrainbb.net Anastasia

    This book looks really interesting! Please enter me in the drawing.

  • reeca elliott

    I would love to read this book–I love Cleopatra!!!!
    Thanks for the opportunity!!!