The scene prior to this has Caesar being carried to the Senate leaving Cleopatra fearing for his life. Set in the High Priestess alter room, the scene has a ominous dark feel. The only light in the room is fire -- which casts a grim shadow to the various golden statues in the room-- and the outer rim of view is dark and indistinguishable. This scene is shot at high angle that strips Cleopatra of her title and rank. Anxiously awaits to hear the fate of her husband, she kneels before the High Priestess. She is a worried wife and mother here, not a queen. Cleopatra's face is always brightly lit so we can easily discern her reactions of the vision she is shown. The High Priestess is placed in the top right side of the screen to display her power and influence in this scene. The priestess throws many powders into the main fire that create various types of smokes and add to the mood. Covered in a black and silver robe it is clear that the High Priestess is meant to signify mystery, death, and power. Through this foreboding mood the viewer is revealed Caesar's fate.
You get the mood exactly right: "Cleopatra is a worried wife and mother here, not a queen." It fits that this is also one of the few scenes in which she wears a scarf over her head and relatively simple, unadorned clothes. One feature you could have said a bit more about are the golden statues. I think it matters that they all represent Egyptian gods, and that Cleo herself is kneeling in front of the goddess whose incarnation she claims to be, Isis, goddess of love and motherhood and unhappy wife of the murdered Osiris.
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