Italy, France

• Una regina per Cesare
• Cléopâtre, une reine pour César

SHE WAS THE MOST DESIRED WOMAN IN ALL THE WORLD... CLEOPATRA
Cleopatra and Ptolemy are brother-and-sister who rule Egypt jointly; but each wants to rule alone. Cleopatra plans to marry Theodotus if he will betray Ptolemy. Instead, he frees Ptolemy imprisoned by Cleopatra. Condemned to death, she escapes with Achillas, commander of the guard, to set up court in Syria. Achillas recruits an army to overthrow Ptolemy, as Civil War flares in Rome between Caesar and Pompey. In Syria, Cleopatra persuades Pompey to side with her. She also entices General Lucius Settimus to support her cause. She and Achillas occupy Alexandria and condemn Theodotus to death. Caesar defeats Pompey in Egypt, but Cleopatra wants him to negotiate a peace treaty with Caesar. Pompey and Lucius are both killed, and Achillas orders Caesar to leave Egypt. War follows and Caesar is victorious. The wily Cleopatra saves her throne by ingratiating herself with Caesar, and abandons Achillas to his fate.