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Francine Prose, Cleopatra: Her History, Her Myth (2022)
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Francine Prose, Cleopatra: Her History, Her Myth (2022)

Prose describes Ptolemy XIII’s murder of Pompey after he fled to Egypt following his loss at the Battle of Pharsalus. This act “not only cost him [Ptolemy] Caesar’s goodwill but would later earn him a special place in Dante’s hell…in the company of Judas Iscariot and Cain.”    —Cleopatra, pg. 47 (2022)

Get a copy of Cleopatra here.

Sighting Citation:

“Francine Prose, Cleopatra: Her History, Her Myth (2022).” Dante Today: Citings and Sightings of Dante’s Works in Contemporary Culture. Elizabeth Coggeshall and Arielle Saiber, eds. July 5, 2025. https://www.dantetoday.org/sightings/francine-prose-cleopatra-her-history-her-myth-2022/.

Creator: Francine Prose

Year Created: 2022

Location: New York City, New York, United States, Egypt

Gender & Sexuality Feminism History Antiquity Sins Treachery Dante's Name 2022 Egypt United States New York New York City Written Word Literary Criticism Inferno Inferno 33 Characters Cain Judas Ptolemy XIII Topography Inferno/Hell Ninth Circle Ptolomea
Posted July 5, 2025
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Francine Prose, “If Dante had filmed the Inferno on his iPhone, it would look like this” (2021)