Cleopatra

Welcome to Alexandria, Caesar

King Ptolemy awaits you

How old are you?

How old are you?

Old enough to rule, Caesar

Twelve

Twelve

I am old enough to rule

And you are?

I am Arsinoe, Queen of Egypt

Not according to your father

My father's dead

But he paid his debts to Rome, Arsinoe

Caesar, if I may explain

Who is this man?

Pothinus

The king's prime minister

Later

Where is your eldest sister?

Cleopatra has left the country

Yes

Do you have our money?

Cleopatra's scheming has brought our country to its knees

Under the present circumstances unfortunately,

we are unable to pay our debt to Rome

That is no problem, I'll simply take it

Great Caesar

Go on

If you were to support Arsinoe as Queen...

I will ensure the peace and prosperity of this nation

Caesar

Where is your army?

Pelusium

Oh... defending Egypt from Cleopatra?

She must be very dangerous to you

I'd like to meet this girl who calls herself a goddess

Come with me

Who are you?

I'm Olympos, the Queen's physician Quickly!

Olympos, this woman, she's a whore!

So I'm told, Mardian

Come

What is your name?

Jehosheba, Your Majesty

I'm told you're the most accomplished courtesan of Ashkelon

I want a man to fall in love with me

I see...

but there is so much to tell...

Is there an art to it?

To making love?

Oh yes

Men like to be touched

But every man is different

This man is a conqueror

Such a man is easy to take to bed

but it is harder to hold his interest

You must always make him believe no matter how much you've given him

there is still more to conquer

Remarkable, isn't it?

It is, indeed

They say you can see the beam thirty miles out to see

What news on Ptolemy's army?

They haven't moved, still at the border, guarding against Cleopatra

How many men?

Twenty thousand

If they turn on us, we'll be outnumbered five to one

Hail Caesar

Ahenobarbus

We've loaded six ships with grain

Good, that'll be enough to cover Ptolemy's debt to us for the moment

We don't want the people to starve

Most of the grain has been taken by the Royal Army...

for its war against Cleopatra

What's left is being plundered

Bring me the Royal Storemaster

Mighty Caesar, you must believe me!

I had no part in stealing that grain!

Execute him

No, no please! I can return it!

It was Pothinus! It was Pothinus!

Pothinus! He's probably selling it to our enemies in the East

Pity one cannot castrate a eunuch

What is going on out there?

I'm sorry, Imperator,

but this man says he has a gift for you

A beautiful rug, Sire!

From Queen Cleopatra

From Cleopatra?

Leave it there

But you haven't examined it yet!

Tomorrow

But your Majesty... I mean, Sire!

Queen Cleopatra insisted I unroll it in your presence! At once!

Then do so

How many men do we have guarding the harbor?

Two centuries

Triple them

We musn't lose control of the port

Position them,

here, and here

If they attack, the harbor is the only way out

You're very young to be a goddess

I am the daughter of Isis

Cleopatra

Caesar

And what brings you to Caesar?

My father was a loyal ally to Rome,

and it was me he crowned before he died

I am the true ruler of Egypt

Your sister thinks differently

Arsinoe is a liar

And young Ptolemy?

A witless boy who's being manipulated by a deceitful regent

It's in your interest to set things right

And why should I choose you over them?

I am my father's successor

The people know this, they will support me

The people! The people would be quite happy to see you...

and every last member of this dynasty fed to the crocodiles of the Nile

I'm tired, I'm sure you must be too

You should go to bed now

Where?

Once it's known I'm in the palace, my family will have me killed

There is only one bed that's safe for me yours

I don't think that would be prudent

Caesar is not known for his prudence,

but for his boldness

This is not necessary

It will not affect my power of decision

I never touch a woman who doesn't wish me to

Nor will you tonight

You're trembling

Are you afraid of me?

No, I fear no one

You've never done this before, have you?

Who are you, Cleopatra?

Are you someone I can trust?

I am Egypt

And Egypt is yours,

for one night only

We must take immediate steps...

to restore the peoples' confidence in their leaders

Or Egypt will plunge into anarchy

Agreed?

Certainly

And what better way to achieve this stability

than for Caesar to proclaim Arsinoe and Ptolemy...

What is she doing here?

She came in to see me last night

We had an interesting... conversation

I'm surprised that Great Caesar would discuss anything with Egypt's enemy!

He was eager to learn the truth

how you and Pothinus conspired to get rid of me,

how you poisoned our brother's thoughts against me!

Poisoned his thoughts?

There was no need for that

Even a mere boy can see what a treacherous, scheming...

You were the one that had betrayed...

Silence!

Both of you!

You have two very high spirited sisters

Caesar, if you will allow me...

Young Ptolemy,

so long as your late father continued to pay his debts to Rome

Rome always respected Egypt's sovereignty

You will continue to rule as king, with your sister...

...Cleopatra as queen

This is outrageous!

Furthermore, I have decided that you and Cleopatra will marry

Never!

I will not marry a child!

You're an Egyptian princess

According to ancient Egyptian tradition,

royal incest between brother and sister is quite acceptable

however distasteful inbreeding may seem to others

In this case it will serve its purpose and preserve the unity of Egypt

Don't pretend you care about Egypt

I care very much about Egypt, Egypt is a source of great wealth

I will not have you to bankrupt the country in a civil war

What about me?

You can have Cyprus

I'll restore it to the House of Ptolemy

Cyprus? It's not enough!

Caesar, may I ask if...

Pothinus... your services to the king will be rewarded, that will be all

Queen Cleopatra, you may stay

How could you do that?

I just made you the Queen of Egypt

Am I supposed to thank you?

Understand

I didn't do this out of courtesy, and certainly not out of infatuation

I expect you to bring order to this country, and pay your debts to Rome

I am simply ensuring the future of my investment

The sooner I am out of this viper's nest, the better

Viper's nest?

You made it so!

I made it so?

Yes, you with your Roman greed and arrogance!

Blackmailing my father year after year, forcing him to buy peace with Rome!

If I would have been ruler, you would have had war instead!