Serpent of the Nile

The film opens in 44 BC just after Julius Caesar's assassination. This moment sets Cleopatra's maneuvering to reshape power in the wake of Caesar's fall. Lucilius, who had accompanied Caesar to Egypt, notes Cleopatra's potential to bewitch powerful men to her advantage.

Lucilius reveals that he accompanied Caesar to Egypt and witnessed Caesar's romance with Cleopatra. His memories color his later distrust of Cleopatra's motives. The scene establishes Cleopatra as a skilled strategist who uses charm to advance her aims.

Cleopatra beguiles Antony with continuous feasting and luxury, creating a seductive distraction. At the same time, a vast portion of Egypt's population suffers from hunger and poverty. The contrast highlights the political cost of Cleopatra's hedonistic court.

When Lucilius voices his concerns about Cleopatra's influence, she makes an unsuccessful attempt to seduce him to sway his loyalties. The act demonstrates her willingness to use personal allure as a political instrument. Place is Cleopatra's palace, Egypt.

Cleopatra persuades Antony that the disaffection comes from her younger half-sister Arsinoe. Lucilius is dispatched on an expedition against Arsinoe, and in an unhistorical twist, Arsinoe is killed. The move strengthens Cleopatra's grip on Antony.

Lucilius comes back wounded from the expedition and is kept as an honored prisoner, while Antony's judgment remains clouded by feasting and pleasure. Cleopatra's influence over him deepens as political reality fades from view.

Antony realizes his failure to uphold Rome and recognizes Cleopatra's scheme to conquer Rome. He enables Lucilius to escape with instructions to warn Octavius of what is happening in Egypt. The escape signals a turning point toward open conflict with Rome.

Octavius brings Roman legions to Egypt to subdue the mutiny and check Cleopatra's influence over Antony. The confrontation sets the stage for a full-scale clash between Rome and Cleopatra's faction in Egypt.

With Octavius's advance looming, Antony chooses not to command Egyptian forces against Rome. He remains inside Cleopatra's palace, his conscience troubled but his loyalty entangled with Cleopatra. The decision marks a definitive break from Roman expectations.

As Octavius closes in, Antony fatally stabs himself to avoid capture and to preserve his own honor. Lucilius arrives too late to stop the tragedy, witnessing the end of an alliance and a ruler's life.

Lucilius breaches the palace gates to bring the dying Antony to Cleopatra's chamber. The moment underscores the personal tragedy at the heart of the political drama. Their final audience is a fleeting, poignant scene before the tragedy fully unfolds.

In despair at the collapse of her ambitions, Cleopatra uses a snake to kill herself. The film ends with Cleopatra's death, leaving the full fate of Rome unresolved in this telling. Antony is already dead, and the remaining power dynamics collapse into silence.