Cleopatra the Queen, who deceived only herself

Cleopatra was 18 years old when she inherited the Egyptian throne 51 years before Christ. With the help of her legendary beauty, she wanted to realize her dreams and transfer the capital of Roman power to Alexandria. She first used her charm on Julius Caesar, and then on Mark Antony. Her fateful downfall came with Octavian. Spinoza skillfully composes two faces of the ruler: the public and the private. He shows us her beauty and also her blindness to ambition, which captivated and inspired many poets, artists, and painters over the course of two millennia.