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Hello Everyone,

For the week of November 18th - November 24th, we are reading Part Four - The Queen of Beasts - 36 BC to 33 BC - Sections 21 - 22 of the book Antony and Cleopatra.

The ninth week's reading assignment is:

Week 9 � November 18th - November 24th
Part Four - The Queen of Beasts - 36 BC to 33 BC - Sections 21 - 22 - (370-416)

We will open up a thread for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers. We will also open up supplemental threads as we did for other spotlighted books.

This book was kicked off on September 23rd.

We look forward to your participation. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders and other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, or on your Kindle. This weekly thread will be opened up on November 18th.

There is no rush and we are thrilled to have you join us. It is never too late to get started and/or to post.

Vicki Cline will be moderating this discussion and the back-up will be Jill.

Welcome,

Bentley

TO ALWAYS SEE ALL WEEKS' THREADS, SELECT VIEW ALL

by Colleen McCullough

REMEMBER NO SPOILERS ON THE WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREADS - ON EACH WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREAD - WE ONLY DISCUSS THE PAGES ASSIGNED OR THE PAGES WHICH WERE COVERED IN PREVIOUS WEEKS. IF YOU GO AHEAD OR WANT TO ENGAGE IN MORE EXPANSIVE DISCUSSION - POST THOSE COMMENTS IN ONE OF THE SPOILER THREADS. THESE CHAPTERS HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION SO WHEN IN DOUBT CHECK WITH THE CHAPTER OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY TO RECALL WHETHER YOUR COMMENTS ARE ASSIGNMENT SPECIFIC. EXAMPLES OF SPOILER THREADS ARE THE GLOSSARY, THE BIBLIOGRAPHY, THE INTRODUCTION AND THE BOOK AS A WHOLE THREADS.

Notes:

It is always a tremendous help when you quote specifically from the book itself and reference the chapter and page numbers when responding. The text itself helps folks know what you are referencing and makes things clear.

Citations:

If an author or book is mentioned other than the book and author being discussed, citations must be included according to our guidelines. Also, when citing other sources, please provide credit where credit is due and/or the link. There is no need to re-cite the author and the book we are discussing however.

Here is the link to the thread titled Mechanics of the Board which will help you with the citations and how to do them.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Introduction Thread:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Table of Contents and Syllabus

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Glossary

Remember there is a glossary thread where ancillary information is placed by the moderator. This is also a thread where additional information can be placed by the group members regarding the subject matter being discussed.

Here is the link:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8...

Bibliography

There is a Bibliography where books cited in the text are posted with proper citations and reviews. We also post the books that the author may have used in his research or in her notes. Please also feel free to add to the Bibliography thread any related books, etc. with proper citations or other books either nonfiction or historical fiction that relate to the subject matter of the book itself. No self-promotion, please.

Here is the link:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8...

Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts - SPOILER THREAD

by Colleen McCullough

Chapter Overview and Summaries

Part IV

The Queen of Beasts - 36 BC to 33 BC

Section � 21

Antony easily defeats King Artavasdes of Armenia, his abilities as a general reasserting themselves now that he has stopped drinking wine. He’s about to go on to Media Atropatene when Quintus Dellius arrives at camp announcing that he’s negotiated a treaty with the king of Media. Antony is angry, demanding to know who gave him the authority to do such a thing; Dellius says Antony did himself. He doesn’t actually remember doing such a thing, but it’s possible � he was pretty drunk back then. He is pleased with all the loot Dellius has brought along, and writes to Cleopatra that he’ll be going to Rome to celebrate a triumph and deposit a good bit of the treasure with Rome. She writes back angrily that he swore to bring the treasure to Egypt and have his celebration in Alexandria. Again, he doesn’t remember and again, Dellius confirms Cleopatra’s fiction. She is doing everything she can to wean Antony away from Rome.

The parade in Alexandria doesn’t really resemble a Roman triumph, but it is splendid. Cleopatra has Dellius write about it to his friends in Rome, hoping to stir up trouble for Antony there, so he won’t have any reason to return. Dellius also writes about the “donations� of kingdoms to Cleopatra’s four children, Caesarion and the three she has with Antony.

Section � 22

Octavian and Agrippa have been busy in the West, conquering Illyricum. Octavian actually did some fighting and generalling himself, wiping out his bad reputation from Philippi. He is wounded rather badly, and returns to Rome.

Livia’s first husband, Tiberius Nero, dies suddenly at 50 years old, leaving the boys, Tiberius, 8 years old, and Drusus, 5, to be raised by Octavian and Livia. Initially she’s not happy, although Octavian is, having wanted boys. They were worried that Nero had turned the boys against their mother and her new husband, but he was so cruel to them that it’s a relief for them to be with someone else. They meet the children that Octavia is raising; some are mean to them and some are nice.

Octavian hears the tale of Antony’s giving all the spoils of Armenia to Cleopatra from Gaius Cornelius Gallus, previously having served with Antony. And he hears for the first time about the “donations�; he’s genuinely shocked. Gallus makes sure the story is spread far and wide, reinforcing the same news from Dellius.

Octavian's reaction to the children is interesting. He hasn't really shown a soft side up to now. McCullough certainly has been hard on Tiberius Claudius Nero, all the way back to the fifth book in the series, Caesar, making him out to be incompetent in war, and now she has him being an abusive parent.

by Colleen McCullough

I really hated to see how manipulative Cleopatra was by this point. It would have been interesting to see how far she would have gotten if she tried that stuff with Caesar. Although if you believe his detractors, he was already deep gone planning to be king. McCullough's interpretation certainly doesn't seem to indicate that he would do anything he didn't want to do.

I sort of like that Cleopatra isn't besotted with Antony, she's more interesting as a calculating monarch bent on having her son rule the world.