A Literary Analysis of Cleopatra's Moon, a Book by Vicky A. Schecter

Summary: Cleopatra Selene was the daughter of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt and Mark Antony the Roman General. Cleopatra Selene was declared the soon to be queen of Cyrenaica and Crete on the day her father returned from battle, until war is proclaimed on her mother queen of Egypt. Her mother the queen and her father the Roman general go off to war only to return defeated. Octavianus the Roman Emperor has come to take all of Egypt’s wealth, its queen and her children. Before the departure the queen of Egypt kills herself knowing that her children will be protected while in Rome. Cleopatra Selene has declared war on the Roman Emperor and proclaims that she will take back Egypt using the powers and gifts that the gods have given her. Along her journey she loses her brother, Ptolemy. She is soon sent off to marry the new king of Mauretania but her twin brother, Alexander, died before they made it due to being poisoned by Octavianus’s sister Octavia.

Personal Response: I personally liked the book, I at first thought it would be really boring and that I wouldn’t read it but it was very interesting. I learned a lot from this book about Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome thanks to the book and research I did on characters in the book and I also learned some new vocabulary such as Cleopatra Selene was not only named after her mother but also the Greek goddess Selene goddess of the moon. It was exciting to see how Cleopatra Selene was able to keep going even through all the hardships she had been through with only the thought of reclaiming Egypt. As you read you see how much she has grown since the first day she arrived in Rome. She became this very intelligent, wise and cunning woman.

Setting Analysis: The setting had a lot to do with how Cleopatra Selene was treated and how she felt. In the beginning she was happy as can be and for her there wasn’t care in the world. “As the priests and priestess chanted the final prayers, I wanted to jump and cheer and laugh. It was my family’s proudest moment!” (10) The mood is very exciting and happy and because of that she’s just as happy. “I shivered now, despite the heat. Sweat already plastered my white pleated linen dress to my back, even though the sun had only just peaked over the hills. High summer in Rome was miserable enough” (160) Here in this scene Selene felt miserable and the heat in Rome doesn’t help and the fact that she is chained to a chariot. So this very bold spirit she has is kind of weakened because of the things around her. “I cradled the back of Alexandro’s head with one hand and wound the linen strips around it with the other. When I reached his eyes, I began to cry again.” Death is a touchy subject no matter who you are. In this scene she’s on a boat with her enemies, her servant and her dead brother. The setting just kind of breaks her spirit. In this book the setting has contributed a lot to how Cleopatra Selene has felt. It can make her feel happy or devastated or pathetic. It all depends on where she is.