Cleopatra — Volume 02 — Story, Setting & Ideas

Barine's Household as a Microcosm

The opening pages of Volume 02 introduce Barine's family with unusual specificity for a novel about Cleopatra. Her mother Berenike is described as a quiet, modest woman who managed household affairs after Barine's unhappy marriage to Philostratus was dissolved. The text notes that Barine's brother Hippias studied oratory in Alexandria, Athens, and Rhodes, and that her uncle Arius sent him to Rome with letters of introduction. This detailed genealogy—including the grandfather Didymus and the philosopher uncle—suggests that Ebers uses Barine's circle to represent the intellectual and social milieu of Alexandria. The catalog subject "German fiction" and "Queens -- Egypt" might lead readers to expect the queen as the central figure, but the excerpts show the narrative spending considerable time on secondary characters.

Archibius's Recollections of Cleopatra's Childhood

Archibius, a character who appears to have grown up with the princesses, delivers a long speech to Barine describing Cleopatra and Arsinoe as children. He contrasts the two sisters: Arsinoe "wept, screamed, and raged like a lunatic" when crossed, while Cleopatra obtained what she wanted through "the melody of her voice, the spell of her eyes, and in extreme cases by a silent tear." Archibius claims that Cleopatra's two driving principles are "to surpass every one" and "to love and to be loved in return." He explicitly denies that Cleopatra was a goddess, stating she was "free from the faults and weaknesses of humanity" only in the sense that she lacked hypocrisy. This passage offers a psychological portrait grounded in childhood observation, not in the political machinations one might expect from a novel about Cleopatra.

The Role of Antony and Octavianus in the Background

Although the excerpts do not depict Mark Antony or Octavianus directly, their presence is felt through oblique references. The text mentions that Antony had been friendly to Arius, Barine's uncle, even after Antony deserted Octavia for Cleopatra. It also notes that Arius had tutored the young Octavianus "long before the commencement of the hostility" between the two rivals. This detail situates the characters within the broader conflict between Antony and Octavianus, but the narrative does not advance that conflict in this volume. Instead, the political tensions remain a distant backdrop to the domestic and personal recollections. The catalog subject "Egypt -- History -- 332-30 B.C." suggests a historical scope, but the excerpts focus on interpersonal dynamics rather than events.

Readers approaching this volume as a straightforward historical novel about Cleopatra may find its emphasis on Barine's household and Archibius's memories unexpected. The excerpts offer a character study filtered through secondary perspectives, with the queen herself appearing only in recollection. Pay attention to how Ebers uses family networks and childhood anecdotes to build a portrait of Cleopatra's personality, rather than relying on dramatic political scenes.

Archibius’s gentle study of Cleopatra’s girlhood felt less like history and more like turning over old letters. The way ambition quietly braided with affection in that household reminded me of another set of notes I once lingered over, where a life’s shadow is cast by feeling rather than fact. The Dead Alive — Reading Notes holds that same hushed intimacy, a memory of character rather than event.