Tom Holland

So we're told that she's actually very like Cleopatra, that she was so charming that merely to see her, merely to hear her talk was at once to be utterly smitten.

And so she knows that in this situation with Sifax knocked out, she has to marry Masinissa and try and persuade him to jump ship.

And Masinissa is completely swept away by her.

I mean, she's clearly absolutely gorgeous.

He immediately marries her and he goes to Scipio and says, look, I've got this great new wife.

Isn't she tremendous?

Scipio is appalled because...

He's very understandably anxious that Sophonisba will try and kind of win Massanissa around to the Carthaginian cause.

And also, it has to be said, he's not very keen on women.

This is something that is often said about him, that women are kind of introduced into his camp and he won't have anything to do with them.

Very much that vibe, I think.

I mean, you know, he marries.

I don't think he's a great one for having ladies hanging around with him in his camp.

And so he essentially tells Massanissa, well, you know, you have to choose between your wife or me.

And Massanissa isn't an idiot.

And so he...

He chooses Scipio.

And Sophonisba, who is composed and dignified to the end, prepares a cup of poison, drinks it, and as she's dying, she berates Massinissa for being absolutely useless.

So that's the end of her.

And is that the end of women in this series?