This book details the consistent anti-Jewish and anti-Israel efforts of a series of American and British notables using information from the archives of all the intelligence communities. Some of the names that come up for serious indictment are: Allan Dulles, Nelson Rockefeller, W.A.Harriman, Henry Kissinger, Jack Philby (father of the British mole Kim Philby)and a host of other well knowns. It documents the blackmailing of FDR by King Ibn Saud for continued oil supplies at the outset of WWII in exchange for FDR's 'neutrality' on immigration of Jews into the Mandated Territories in Palestine. It also describes the key efforts by Allan Dulles and Rockefeller to maintain material supplies to Nazi Germany via their American clients. Dulles' role in securing many German war criminals save haven in the US and South America is also documented. It is important to note that there are 115 pages of references and notes to support the accusations enumerated. Though this book is in print for seven years there has never been a libel or defamation suit brought against the authors. They quote such statements as that of Justice Goldberg: "The Dulles brothers were traitors". The authors clearly show how the public image that many of these covert anti-Israel celebrities polished was at total variance with their behind the scenes actions. Kissinger for one deliberately withheld vital information and supplies from the Israelis at the start of the 1973 war because he thought it would be good for them to "get their nose bloodied". And it was Gen.Alexander Haig, not Nixon and Kissinger, that saved the Israelis with timely armaments to turn back the massive tank attack the Egyptians had mounted in the Sinai. Anyone who wants to see how individuals with power can subvert the principles of our democratic nation must read this book again and again.

John Loftus and Mark Aarons don't just open a can-of-worms in this disturbing book but rather a Pandora's Box of accusations that if only partly true begs a massive reversion of our current understanding of the major political players of this century. "The Secret War Against The Jews" is divided up into three historical periods: The Age of Bigotry, 1920-1947, The Age of Greed, 1948-1973, and The Age of Stupidity, 1974- 1992. "Bigotry" examines the dawn of middle east oil development and key players Jack Philby, Ibn Saud, an the Dulles brothers. The second section, "Greed," expands the activities of these individuals in and out of the WWII. The third and last section, "Stupidity," deals with the Iran-Contra players namely V.P Bush, Bill Casey, and a host of evil characters. Perhaps a better title for this book should have been "The Secret War Against the Public," for as the authors point out we all are the Jews.

The Secret War is one of the best books I have read, John Loftus and Mark Aarons did an outstanding job putting the treachery of our government in perspective. I bought several copies of this book to pass on to others wanting to know truth.

The resouce and notes sections are absolutely the best. Half the book is notes, and they are as important as the story.

This is another book that should be in every American home-AND READ!

I would say this is "David Copperfield"'s B-side. It is a typical Dickensian book: the life of the Nickleby family from the death of the father until they are rich and happy. One of the most important parts of the book is the study of the horrible boarding schools of Yorkshire, where Nicholas is sent. We can read the dirty intrigues of Uncle Ralph, the adventures of Nicholas and Smikes as travelling actors (a world Dickens came to know very well), the kindness of the brethren Cheeryble.

Definitely, this is not one of Dickens's best novels, but nevertheless it is fun to read. The characters are good to sanctity or bad to abjection. The managing of the plot is masterful and the dramatic effects wonderful. It includes, as usual with Dickens, an acute criticism of social vices of his time (and ours): greed, corruption, the bad state of education. In spite of everything, this is a novel very much worth reading, since it leaves the reader a good aftertaste: to humanism, to goodness.

I read criticisms of this book that it is not one of Dickens' best. For me, it is up there with Great Expectations and David Copperfield as one of his most enjoyable novels (A Christmas Carol is a short story).

The social axe that Dickens had to grind in this story is man's injustice to children. Modern readers my feel that his depiction of Dotheboys Academy is too melodramatic. Alas, unfortunately, it was all too real. Charles Dickens helped create a world where we can't believe that such things happen. Dickens even tell us in an introduction that several Yorkshire schoolmasters were sure that Wackford Squeers was based on them and threatened legal action.

The plot of Nicholas Nickleby is a miracle of invention. It is nothing more than a series of adventures, in which Nicholas tries to make his way in the world, separate himself from his evil uncle, and try to provide for his mother and sister.

There are no unintersting characters in Dickens. Each one is almost a charicature. This book contains some of his funniest characters.

To say this is a melodrama is not an insult. This is melodrama at its best. Its a long book, but a fast read.

"Nicholas Nickleby" is one of the best works of Charles Dickens overall. This novel is about the brave adventures of Nicholas, his sister Kate and their mother. The story begins at about the time Nicholas's father dies and the family has to encounter the struggle of life with no imminent prospects of fortune. At this time they make an appeal to the brother of Nicholas's father, Mr.Ralph Nickleby. From this point on, the parallel developments of the honest Nickleby family and their villanous uncle begin to unfold. With many twists and turns the story is as captivating as any of the author's best books. The tale is characteristically filled with the Dickinsian people such as Mr.Vincent Crummles and his family, in particular the "phenomenon", Arthur Gride, Newman Noggs and others. Overall, this book is a pleasure to read and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in good story-telling.

This book does not profess to teach the C++ language in 10 minutes, as some have tried to claim. The 10 minutes comes from the size of lessons...short, concise, and accurate.

This book is perfect for those who are curious if C++ is for them before they buy a 900 page tutorial, those who (like me) need to brush up on C++, and those (also like me) who wanted a little pocket manual to refer to when that one function seems to slip from your memory.

All in all, its a good little book for the beginner, but I would recommend Liberty's "C++ in 21 days" to really learn the language. I would keep this one on hand to look up stuff on the fly.

I just turned 15 recently and I've been learning to program in C++ for only about 5 months. I bought Sam's Teach Yourself C++ in 21 days. While 21 Days was a good book for me, it didn't provide me the challenge of fast paced learning that I was looking for. I went out to the bookstore and found a book that was perfect for what I was looking for. Sam's Teach Yourself C++ in 10 minutes of course. At first I was worried that it would make up for the time with little content, but was relieved to find that it did not. In fact, when I went back in 10 minutes and reviewed what I learned in 21 days, I found several things that I missed and somethings that when put in a format I needed, were made very obvious. Thankfully for me, since I am so young, it was right in my price range. This is the only product I know of that comes for a lower price without lowering standards. The format of the book is clean and simple. Starting from "Hello World," to loops, to Polymorphism, References, Objects, and Classes. The book itself will never become unneccesary for me. Whether I become rusty or just have trouble with one aspect of programming. Without it I wouldn't be able to say I am as good as I am today. I'll be sure to make room for Jesse Liberty in the special thanks for all my programs.

Don't listen to the angry reviewers who not only were foolish enough to believe the publisher intended for you to get through a 200+ page book on programming in 10 minutes, but were also so impatient as to skip the introduction where the author explains that you will learn how to program in separate 10-minute lessons.

This is an outstanding book for those of us who approach a programming language and are falling asleep with a 1000 page book that insists you read 50 pages on every minute detail of a simple topic. I found it extremely helpful to read through such a concise explanation before referring to the larger texts for more details when I need them.

Most books have very little about using the backend with Flash, but this book brings it all home. I've read several other books on Flash, and while some have some material on using Flash with servers and server side elements, none of them go into the depth and breadth as this one. First, it gives client-side users an excellent introduction to the server side, and it does so in a clear and practical manner. Second, it provides good introductions to several different server-side languages (CGI/Perl, PHP and ASP) and how they work with Flash. It is clearly an introduction to server-side languages and does a good job doing that with lots of examples that work.

I suppose you could go buy a half dozen other books on server-side languages and a book on ActionScript, but I don't see the point. The book is not an introduction to ActionScript and Flash. It simply shows how to use Flash and ActionScript to set up and use server-side languages, and as far as I'm concerned it does a better job than those books written by committees or re-writes of the Macromedia AcitonScript manual. So, if you want to get a great introduction to and experience using Flash with backends, this book is the place to start. It also has the best explanation of how to use XML with Flash I've seen along with in-depth discussions of other little-known facets of Flash. It also comes with free hosting service for learning this stuff.

I don't think there's anyone out there who will read this book and not come away having learned SOMETHING they didn't know about integrating Flash with the server scripting languages, and doing all the things you hear that you can do with Flash but no one ever tells you specifically how. There's plenty of reusable code for setting cookies and sending emails and storing Flash data in a database for creating dynamic Flash movies. This book definitely isn't meant to teach Actionscript or Flash basics, which is good since it seems there's about 1,000 of those books that came out this year. At least here there's an opportunity here to learn something NEW and unique about pushing the limits of what is possible with Flash, with serious working examples.

Since the book does a good job of replacing about 5 other books you might need to buy, it's not a 'page-turner' where you can jump right in at any point. The information is dense but clearly presented so I had to make an effort to read and try all the examples and not just skim pages like in other books where there's way too many pictures and not enough solid information. Definitely not the case here. I found a lot of tips and tricks throughout as well about Flash and troubleshooting issues that are clearly the product of real world experience on the part of the authors.

I'd rate it a "must-have" for any serious Flash developer's library, especially if you do work for a variety of clients that seem to all be running different hosting setups or have a preference for different languages ala PHP/ASP/Perl, and need to use Flash for more than just animation.

A massive treasure trove of information that has just saved me countless hours of messing around with Flash. I've read through the first 5 chapters and went through the included examples and that alone has been enough to make me feel comfortable selling backend integration to my clients now, and being able to deliver a Flash site that does more than just look and sound good. There's no ColdFusion here but at five grand for Cold Fusion Sevrver, I'll take the PHP/SQL,ASP,and Perl solutions detailed in this book any day of the week over a book trying to sell me on CF.

I've got Flash MX too and the data transfer and handling model is still the same - you've got to know how Flash, the server, and the browser all integrate in the process, and this book puts all that knowledge well in hand. Thank you Sanders and Winstaley.

This book is about making an impact in the lives of the spiritually lost for ALL eternity. It's about being compassionate to them and sharing with them the good news of Jesus Christ. To share our faith with others, we should have an authentic genuine faith ourselves first. Then we must get out of our comfort zones, have compassion for the lost, rub shoulders with "irreligious" people, build opportunities for relationships, making sacrifices, and communicating our Message (the gospel) to them. This book gives us some practical advices just how to do these. It offers us some tips on how to start spiritual conversations and how to make our Message clear.

There's a chapter devoted to the different approaches of evangelism: Confrontational, apologetics (answering questions that're barriers to faith), testimonial (sharing how God works in our life), interpersonal (friendship), invitational (to church), and service. A style may suit you better than another. Each individual is different. We have different personalities, different temperaments, and different traits. God made each of us unique for a purpose and He can use each of us to reach a particular person out there.

We are one the instruments that God uses to point others to Christ. People are saved because of the grace of God. What an awesome privilege to be used by God in changing others' life for ALL eternity!

On a suggestion from one of my Pastor's, I read this wonderful book! Within a short period of time I was teaching the course as an elective at my church. We just had a "Matthew Party" on June 19, 1999, and it was amazing to see God's hand at work! There were between 65-75 people that attended, and about 20% of them were unchurched or lost people that we had been building relationships with. The end result? The seed has been planted, confidence has been built, and the Lord is being glorified! Highly suggested reading for anyone who doubts that they are qualified to witness for the Lord Jesus!

As president of my congregation, I have secured a copy of Bill Hybel's book for each of my board members. A spine-tingling book that is Biblically based, it makes our mission clear as a bell. And, it gives us great strategies on how to witness and be excited about it. This is the book I've been looking for for years. It's not just for your evangelism committee, it's for your whole church.

This is a book for people who know little about the Beatles. It was much praised by critics for focusing on the music, but really most of what is said is descriptive - you can find out this stuff for yourself by simply listening to the albums, which I recommend doing rather than reading about it -or perhaps with the books "A Hard Day's Write" by Steve Turner and "The Beatles Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewisohn on hand, if one really wants to shed light on the music.

The best book ever written about the fab four. No sex, no drugs (well almost),only pure rock. Mark Hertsgaard is perhaps the first writer who has done justice to the lads' remarkable talent. From the initial Hamburg days to the London days of Please Please Me to the acid trip of Pepper to the grim reality of Let It Be, Hertsgaard gives a true analysis of the most imoportant aspect of the Beatles -- the music. If you have atleast one Beatle album (otherwise you would not be listening to music anyways, would you?) this is the book you must have for a better understanding of the works of the greatest musicians on this planet. What are you waiting for?

Hertgaard's book is one of the best beatlebooks I've ever read... and I've read quite a few! (ca. 40). It's secret is in the way he handles with facts and just facts, but not forgetting to review some other musical aspects as well, what makes its reading very very easy, yet not simplistic. Very good, and together with LEWISOHN's Complte Chronicle, the best guide to the Beatles.

Boucher's "Hedge Fund Edge" is a tremendous gift for equity investor's, and is one of the absolute best stock and general financial market books I've ever read, and I've read well over 200 "investing" books in the past 8 years. Boucher, who manages the Midas Fund (Hedge Fund), rewards the reader with a tremendously hard won compendium of his knowledge and research into what drives equity prices around the globe. He begins by discussing bear market risks to your terminal wealth, and then takes the reader on a tour of Austrian economic liquidity cycle drivers. Boucher discusses the value of technical analysis in confirming the timing of fundamentally based trends, a very sound and useful approach. He promptly offers up 9 simple, yet elegant mechanical models for stock market timing, ranging from technical price and breadth based models, to those based on more indirect fundamental things like consumer sentiment gauges. He then reveals his own formula for calculating the high reward/risk times for non-United States equity investing, melding interest rate trends with stock relative strength trends... a real gift, and worth many times the book price by itself. There is a tremendous compendium of money management rules and techniques ... methods of controlling equity drawdown while allowing upside gains. Another gift. There is another tremendous section on US market individual equity investing. Boucher includes his own modified/improved version of William O'Neil's CANSLIM technique (I feel like Boucher's handling of the technical patterns for buying and selling is much superior to O'Neil's pioneering treatment... and again, worth many times the price of admission). He then covers portfolio construction, via alternative asset classes: various types of bonds and what types of market conditions favor their use, including two excellent bond market timing models; use of gold and silver with several timing models; REITS; use of arbitrage funds and global hedge funds in portfolio diversification, including specific fund recommendations for their various niche expertise! Throughout, Boucher's coverage of strict risk control is very refreshing and speaks of his real-world experience managing funds. This is the absolute BEST $50 education I've ever given myself, and I'm tremendously indebted to Mark Boucher for publishing so much of his work and experience in one book. I read it front-to-back in two days on what was supposed to be a vacation cruise... I couldn't put it down. Read it a second time on the same cruise. And a 3rd once home. Boucher graciously acknowledges his own influences (O'Neil, Zweig, Davis, Freeburg, Sullivan, Bank Credit Analyst), making for an instant listing of follow-up reads if you wish. He mentions his favorite sources of ongoing investment info as well. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Boucher 6 stars, and if he writes another book, I'd buy it sight-unseen. Bravo.

There is so much information in this book that it demands at least two readings. First, there is a wealth of material on trading. The chapter on technical analysis and reading the markets is solid and contains some good tips I've not found elsewhere. There is an entire chapter on containing risk, a large focus of which is money management--this information is worth the price of the book in itself.

Boucher also offers good material on selecting equities, evaluating other asset classes, and yes, hedge funds. However, the material on hedge funds does not take up a huge amount of space, and at first I wondered why he gave the book the title it has. I have since concluded that the title reflects his overall strategy, which is one of limiting risk by spreading ones' investments among many types of securities and asset classes, both onshore and offshore.

Aside from the above mentioned material, however, Boucher also has a couple of chapters on basic economics which I found to be invaluable background information for traders (like me) without business or economic degrees. His description of the liquidity cycle is brilliant. He explains the economic theory of Austrian alchemy, and shows how that model makes better sense than Keynesian economics. He has also provided data to convince me (a social liberal) that corporate taxes have a negative effect on a nations' citizenry.

This book requires dedication to get through certain sections, but it is well worth it. Its strength is its clear elucidation of trading information and techniques, supported by a foundation of economic theory and historical data, which enables the reader to understand the context in which s/he trades.

This book is, at its core, a book about risk management, and is probably the best book i've seen about reducing risk. A few investing books will get into things like position risk (stops, what not), some even touch on asset allocation. I have not seen any that take as global a position as Boucher takes, though.

There is a bit on technical analysis in the book as well, but that is not the focus of the book. Some of the TA techniques were interesting, although not new (relative strength, etc).

There is a lot of work on macro economics, and how the world economic system fits together, from an investor/trader's point of view.

Unlike many other books with a macro focus, the book does not lose its readers by forgetting to deal with the nitty gritty world of trading, and has devised a consise checklist of things to look for on both the long and short side. If I could give this book 10 stars, I would.

Sunshine is a substance of transparency, yet when it touches the soft mist and shines through the concrete droplets, the arc of color manifests and dazzles the human yes. In many ways, this is the journey of man as the essence of living is filtered through the mist of love. D.H. Lawrence's controversial Rainbow makes few reference to the natural phenomenon as rainbow, yet through out the lines, readers feel the "unbearable lightness of being" sipping through to cinch the yearning hearts. Countless twenty-century writers dedicated their finest works to capture this evanescence, and surviving through scandals and suppression is this ambitious piece.

One of the unique faces of The Rainbow is its treatment of characters; instead of expanding from individuals, D.H. Lawrence reverses focus and lets the plot drift along. It's impossible to determine which character is the true protagonist because individuality is simply abashed in this banned work. In place of emphasis on characters, Lawrence traces a circuitous journey through three generations-alternating voices of three generations of Brangwen women. Despite the complexity of this novel however, each of these three women are given their space to dictate the path of their own rainbow. The word "journey" itself is repeated frequently enough, and the torch of change is constantly being passed along. The journey traces from the Polish widow to her Brangwen husband, her daughter to another Brangwen, and eventually the "heiress" of Brangwen memories-Ursula. The mother-daughter loop itself is a symbolic journey as the understanding of love is inherited.

As a novel focusing on the very nature of relationships and their connection to love, to sex, and to God, The Rainbow captures the pain and anguish of each woman as they come to possess the fruit of union with a man. And as the daughter gains voice over the ailing mother, the readers come to see how much time leads the mind towards something new. All characters seek illumination of love, and different from conventional romance novels, The Rainbow traces not the journey of one person, but the journey of an understanding. Anna Brangwen, the daughter of Lydia Lensky, finds a lover with whom she develops "a sensuality violent and extreme as death" (280), a relationship that ends in great fecundity. As her fresh and wishful perspective fades, her eldest daughter, Ursula commands the pace as she comes to possession of passion. Through her youthful flirtation with Anton Skrebensky, Ursula grows to be an emotional teacher eager to share her passion, only finding herself shut down by reality into "a hard, insentient thing" (445). Her meager knowledge of love leads her to a physical and emotional affair with Skrebensky as both grope for the truth behind relationships. But this truth is too grand for both of them as they yield to the tempting nature of passion, and let love pass by. But does the journey stop there?

"The primeval darkness falsified to a social mechanism" (499) is indeed the chimera that propels all characters towards the light of human affections. During a time of great changes, men and women cannot help but clang to one thing that seems unscathed-this primordial sense of protection in the bodies of opposite sex. But this need fades so fast as they probe deeper into the soul in search of the amorphous answer that leaves them sleepless. Just as the sun penetrates through the seductive veil of mist, the characters reach a point where physical relationships is a concrete something that does not satisfy. But while they reach in the darkness of lust for the light of emotional union, all falter just as the beautiful array of colors fade away. The sunshine never fails to reach earth, but it never fails to trick wild hearts into the trap of a surreal realm of love-the paradise beyond the rainbow.

I successively declare each Lawrence novel I encounter to be the best I've read, but in my opinion, "The Rainbow" is especially brilliant in its painstaking and accurate depiction of the universal experience of adolescence...and especially noteworthy in its spot-on description of the evolving feelings and thoughts of adolescent girls. Lawrence's feeling for and understanding of his female characters is astounding, particularly when compared with that of other writers of his time.

This work is sometimes criticized because of "repetitiveness" in the writing, but I find the repeated phrases add to, not detract from, the power of the novel. As in Lady Chatterley, he also manages to work in many brilliant and cutting observations of the price of progress in an industrial society, and document in careful, keen-eyed accuracy the varying responses of his characters--and, through them, archetypal human responses--to that society.

Lawrence's fame (or notoriety) rests on his sexual frankness, but what a lot of readers overlook is how well he wrote about parent-child relationships and family dynamics. The beginning of this novel is absolutely brilliant: Tom Brangwen and the Polish widow marry in haste, then find that they still haven't worked out their relationship. Her young daughter is an uneasy third party, and the child's sensitivity to the unease in their household is beautifully described, as well as her stepfather's gentle efforts to befriend her. As Lawrence continues the family history, his usual obsessions surface. But in general, it's a good story: sex is an organic part of his characters' lives rather than the mainspring of the whole plot (as in some of his other novels). And the characters come across as multi-dimensional human beings rather than talking heads (or other organs) for Lawrence's comments on life. A good novel for people who "don't like D.H. Lawrence."

As a avid reader of King and True crime I was quite impressed with the first time Horror writings of Mark V. The art was very original,And not all writers can be as talented to be able to write a book,and illistrate at the same time.
The story lines from the Residence were quite refreshing because it wasn't something I have read or seen a millon times before.
To those who have such a narrow point of view of this book try going out in the world and get a real life, or let's see you try to articulate something worth reading...It's alot harder than it seems.
A note for the Author keep on writing with those Crayons if the writing biz doesn't work out you should try to get an endorsment from Crayola for making your first book possible...

The delemma of new authors is that they often get buried under all the hype of the old established writers. I think this is the case here. The Residence is the finest work of horror (and a few dark fantasy tales as well) that has been published in a long time. The way the Mark unfolds a story is simply enthralling! His characters are so full of life that you are crying, laughing, and screaming right along with them the entire story. And his descriptive narrations are second to none.

The main problem I see with this work is not the author, but the publishing company. They are just a small company, on the vergy of bankruptcy I here from insider sources, and haven't the financial means to correct advertise the book. My sources tell me this book will go out of print soon, so be sure and get your copy now while they last...

One important thing to note is this: My sources tell me that Mark is NO LONGER with Whitechapel; he was signed to Kensington Publishing Corporation earlier this year! This means that he has finally been picked up by a huge, internation publisher with ample funds for proper book marketing. I am sure that this will be a boon to the fiction industry, as in my opinion, there is NOT an author writing today that can rival Mark's work and intensity. He is truly a master storyteller!

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR MARK VENTIMIGLIA AND THE RESIDENCE!

VENTIMIGLIA is the new chronicler of humanity's darkest fears, and he does so with an eloquent grace not seen since the days of Irving and Shelley. -AN GAEL QUARTERLY

THE RESIDENCE is a gut-wrenching collection of terrifying tales... I couldn't put it down. Most compelling was the continuing arc of stories that began with the title tale and continued throughout the book. The author's vision of horror projected here is not for the faint of heart! -BLACK ROSE MAGAZINE

Amazing- VENTIMIGLIA'S writing and art pushes the envelope of modern horror! -NORTH AMERICAN GHOST SOCIETY

I can't get enough of THE RESIDENCE! When the last story was finished, I wanted more! I will be watching for more books by this author and highly recommend this anthology for anyone with a taste for horror stories and the macabre... -TERROR MAGAZINE

THE RESIDENCE is the best book by a new author that I have ever seen! -BORDERS

This is one of the best review books that has crossed my desk in 1999-2000! Collections of horror tales by individual authors are rarely released anymore (as mentioned by the editor in the book's introduction) and I guarantee THE RESIDENCE will have you wondering why that is? The author's attention to gruesome detail kept me glued to my seat and I read the entire book in a single sitting... don't miss this one! -THE CUTTING EDGE

VENTIMIGLIA... The next E.A. Poe! -ALTON TELEGRAPH

Don't read this book when you are alone! It had me looking over my shoulder all night long. I couldn't get rid of the frightful images here... even when I closed my eyes! -DARK SUNSET MAGAZINE

A worthy addition to the Cthulhu Mythos from a new writer in the horror field. We are hoping for many more! -TRIBUTE TO LOVECRAFT-1999

John Brill is the marketing director of Whitechapel Productions Press

Shakespeare in this play shows how love is not human but surrealistic. Love does not answer reasonable questions. It is a fundamentally unreasonable attitude that brings the lovers to absurd behaviours negating all logical, political and historical values. Love has no limits even if history will prove stronger and the lovers will be destroyed. Shakespeare beefs up this theme with a language that is so rich that we are fascinated by the words, the symbols, the symbolic value of words and acts. He is particularly rich in his style that is entirely, words, poetry, actions, and even feelings, organized following some simple symbols, particularly numerical symbols. In this play Cleopatra appears as being the core of the symbolism and she carries with her the number eleven that comes from the old English runes with the meaning of fate, of fatal defeat, of a flaw that cannot be corrected or escaped. It is her destiny to bring Antony to his defeat and death, just as it is Antony's fate to be governed by this woman and led to his own destruction because of his love for her. It also shows how the Emperor is able to use this fatal situation in order to capture all powers and to impose his absolute will on the Roman Empire. He seems to be the one who plays not well but with all the assets of the game up his sleeves, and he takes them out one at a time when the situation is ripe for these assts to become the key to is ascension to absolute power by defeating those who may oppose him.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Cleopatra may be a somewhat ambiguous female character, but I totally loved her, and Bill's portrayal of her. I don't know if he expected the reader to judge her, but I suspect not. The harshest criticism of her comes from Octavius Caesar, who himself doesn't do a single noble thing throughout the whole play. She is fully aware of the fact that she is a sensual, passionate woman- which has no negative effect on her ability to rule Egypt. Her biggest faults are her violent temper (which I suspect is just part of her passionate nature) and her tendency to lie when it suits her (either for sport or for serious politics). Antony (I feel) is actually kind of a loser compared to her. His insincerity runs deep- he marries Caesar's sister in a political move, although he had repeatedly pledged his undying love for Cleopatra. She forgives him, because she truly loves him, even though he doesn't do anything to deserve forgiveness. Antony never fully allows himself to love Cleopatra. He constantly is overreacting to the slightest indication that she might be betraying him or whatever. It is one of these overreactions (combined with an ill-timed lie on Cleo's part) that ends up destroying them both. Even in the end, Cleopatra's death is more dignified and better conceived than Antony's messy and fumbling suicide.

Anthony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's difficult plays, and so I suspect the ratings on the play are low because it's a more mature play than Romeo and Juliet. Here we have two middle age lovers who part of the time are foolish with lust/love and the rest of the time are tough minded heads of state. The "tragedy" is that they can't be both and survive. This is not a play for the young folks, I'm afraid. But if you want some heavy drama where the characters are spared nothing and given no slack, read Anthony and Cleopatra (hint: Cleopatra's suicide is more political statement than a crazy wish to die with Antony). Better yet see it performed by some real actors some time.