Caesar and Cleopatra is a play written in 1898 by George Bernard Shaw that depicts a fictionalized
account of the relationship between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. It was first published with Captain
Brassbound's Conversion and The Devil's Disciple in Shaw's 1901 collection Three Plays for Puritans. It
was first performed in a single staged reading at Newcastle upon Tyne on 15 March 1899, to secure the
copyright. The play was produced in New York in 1906 and in London at the Savoy Theatre in 1907
Plot
The play has a prologue and an "Alternative to the Prologue". The prologue consists of the
Egyptian god Ra addressing the audience directly, as if he could see them in the theater (i.e.,
breaking the fourth wall). He says that Pompey represents the old Rome and Caesar represents
the new Rome. The gods favored Caesar, according to Ra, because he "lived the life they had
given him boldly". Ra recounts the conflict between Caesar and Pompey, their battle at Pharsalia,
and Pompey's eventual assassination in Egypt at the hands of Lucius Septimius.
In "An Alternative to the Prologue", the captain of Cleopatra's guard is warned that Caesar has
landed and is invading Egypt. Cleopatra has been driven into Syria by her brother, Ptolemy, with
whom she is vying for the Egyptian throne. The messenger warns that Caesar's conquest is
inevitable and irresistible. A Nubian watchman flees to Cleopatra's palace and warns those inside
that Caesar and his armies are less than an hour away. The guards, knowing of Caesar's
weakness for women, plan to persuade him to proclaim Cleopatra—who may be controllable—
Egypt's ruler instead of Ptolemy. They try to locate her, but are told by Cleopatra's nurse,
Ftatateeta, that she has run away.
(The film version of the play, made in 1945, used the Alternative Prologue rather than the
original one.)
Act I opens with Cleopatra sleeping between the paws of a Sphinx. Caesar, wandering lonely in
the desert night, comes upon the sphinx and speaks to it profoundly. Cleopatra wakes and, still
unseen, replies. At first Caesar imagines the sphinx is speaking in a girlish voice, then, when
Cleopatra appears, that he is experiencing a dream or, if he is awake, a touch of madness. She,
not recognizing Caesar, thinks him a nice old man and tells him of her childish fear of Caesar
and the Romans. Caesar urges bravery when she must face the conquerors, then escorts her to her
palace. Cleopatra reluctantly agrees to maintain a queenly presence, but greatly fears that Caesar
will eat her anyway. When the Roman guards arrive and hail Caesar, Cleopatra suddenly realizes
he has been with her all along. She sobs in relief, and falls into his arms.
Act II. In a hall on the first floor of the royal palace in Alexandria, Caesar meets King Ptolemy
(aged ten), his tutor Theodotus (very aged), Achillas (general of Ptolemy's troops), and Pothinus
(his guardian). Caesar greets all with courtesy and kindness, but inflexibly demands a tribute
whose amount disconcerts the Egyptians. As an inducement, Caesar says he will settle the
dispute between the claimants for the Egyptian throne by letting Cleopatra and Ptolemy reign
jointly. However, the rivalry exists because, even though the two are siblings and already
married in accordance with the royal law, they detest each other with a mutual antipathy no less
murderous for being childish. Each claims sole rulership. Caesar's solution is acceptable to none
and his concern for Ptolemy makes Cleopatra fiercely jealous.
The conference deteriorates into a dispute, with the Egyptians threatening military action.
Caesar, with two legions (three thousand soldiers and a thousand horsemen), has no fear of the
Egyptian army but learns Achillas also commands a Roman army of occupation, left after a
previous Roman incursion, which could overwhelm his relatively small contingent.
As a defensive measure, Caesar orders Rufio, his military aide, to take over the palace, a theatre
adjacent to it, and Pharos, an island in the harbour accessible from the palace via a causeway that
divides the harbour into eastern and western sections. From Pharos, which has a defensible
lighthouse at its eastmost tip, those of Caesar's ships anchored on the east side of the harbour can
return to Rome. His ships on the west side are to be burnt at once. Britannus, Caesar's secretary,
proclaims the king and courtiers prisoners of war, but Caesar, to the dismay of Rufio, allows the
captives to depart. Only Cleopatra (with her retinue), fearing Ptolemy's associates, and Pothinus
(for reasons of his own), choose to remain with Caesar. The others all depart.
Caesar, intent on developing his strategy, tries to dismiss all other matters but is interrupted by
Cleopatra's nagging for attention. He indulges her briefly while she speaks amorously of Mark
Antony, who restored her father to his throne when she was twelve years old. Her gushing about
the youth and beauty of Mark Antony are unflattering to Caesar, who is middle-aged and
balding. Caesar nevertheless, impervious to jealousy, makes Cleopatra happy by promising to
send Mark Antony back to Egypt. As she leaves, a wounded soldier comes to report that
Achillas, with his Roman army, is at hand and that the citizenry is attacking Caesar's soldiers. A
siege is imminent.
Watching from a balcony, Rufio discovers the ships he was ordered to destroy have been torched
by Achillas' forces and are already burning. Meanwhile, Theodotus, the savant, arrives
distraught, anguished because fire from the blazing ships has spread to the Alexandrian library.
Caesar does not sympathize, saying it is better that the Egyptians should live their lives than
dream them away with the help of books. As a practicality, he notes the Egyptian firefighters will
be diverted from attacking Caesar's soldiers. At scene's end, Cleopatra and Britannus help Caesar
don his armor and he goes forth to battle.
Act III. A Roman sentinel stationed on the quay in front of the palace looks intently, across the
eastern harbour, to the west, for activity at the Pharos lighthouse, now captured and occupied by
Caesar. He is watching for signs of an impending counter-attack by Egyptian forces arriving via
ship and by way of the Heptastadion (a stone causeway spanning the five miles of open water
between the mainland and Pharos Island). The sentinel's vigil is interrupted by Ftatateeta
(Cleopatra's nurse) and Apollodorus the Sicilian (a patrician amateur of the arts), accompanied
by a retinue of porters carrying a bale of carpets, from which Cleopatra is to select a gift
appropriate for Caesar.
Cleopatra emerges from the palace, shows little interest in the carpets, and expresses a desire to
visit Caesar at the lighthouse. The sentinel tells her she is a prisoner and orders her back inside
the palace. Cleopatra is enraged, and Apollodorus, as her champion, engages in swordplay with
the sentinel. A centurion intervenes and avers Cleopatra will not be allowed outside the palace
until Caesar gives the order. She is sent back to the palace, where she may select a carpet for
delivery to Caesar. Apollodorus, who is not a prisoner, will deliver it since he is free to travel in
areas behind the Roman lines. He hires a small boat, with a single boatmen, for the purpose.
The porters leave the palace bearing a rolled carpet. They complain about its weight, but only
Ftatateeta, suffering paroxysms of anxiety, knows that Cleopatra is hidden in the bundle. The
sentinel, however, alerted by Ftatateeta's distress, becomes suspicious and attempts,
unsuccessfully, to recall the boat after it departs.
Meanwhile, Rufio, eating dates and resting after the day's battle, hears Caesar speaking somberly
of his personal misgivings and predicting they will lose the battle because age has rendered him
inept. Rufio diagnoses Caesar's woes as signs of hunger and gives him dates to eat. Caesar's
outlook brightens as he eats them. He is himself again when Britannus exultantly approaches
bearing a heavy bag containing incriminating letters that have passed between Pompey's
associates and their army, now occupying Egypt. Caesar scorns to read them, deeming it better to
convert his enemies to friends than to waste his time with prosecutions; he casts the bag into the
sea.
As Cleopatra's boat arrives, the falling bag breaks its prow and it quickly sinks, barely allowing
time for Apollodorus to drag the carpet and its queenly contents safe ashore. Caesar unrolls the
carpet and discovers Cleopatra, who is distressed because of the rigors of her journey and even
more so when she finds Caesar too preoccupied with military matters to accord her much
attention. Matters worsen when Britannus, who has been observing the movements of the
Egyptian army, reports that the enemy now controls the causeway and is also approaching
rapidly across the island. Swimming to a Roman ship in the eastern harbour becomes the sole
possibility for escape. Apollodorus dives in readily and Caesar follows, after privately instructing
Rufio and Britannus to toss Cleopatra into the water so she can hang on while he swims to
safety. They do so with great relish, she screaming mightily, then Rufio takes the plunge.
Britannus cannot swim, so he is instructed to defend himself as well as possible until a rescue
can be arranged. A friendly craft soon rescues all the swimmers.
Act IV. Six months elapse with Romans and Cleopatra besieged in the palace in Alexandria.
Cleopatra and Pothinus, who is a prisoner of war, discuss what will happen when Caesar
eventually leaves and disagree over whether Cleopatra or Ptolemy should rule. They part;
Cleopatra to be hostess at a feast prepared for Caesar and his lieutenants, and Pothinus to tell
Caesar that Cleopatra is a traitress who is only using Caesar to help her gain the Egyptian throne.
Caesar considers that a natural motive and is not offended. But Cleopatra is enraged at Pothinus'
allegation and secretly orders her nurse, Ftatateeta, to kill him.
At the feast the mood is considerably restrained by Caesar's ascetic preference for simple fare
and barley water versus exotic foods and wines. However, conversation grows lively when
world-weary Caesar suggests to Cleopatra they both leave political life, search out the Nile's
source and a city there. Cleopatra enthusiastically agrees and, to name the city, seeks help from
the God of the Nile, who is her favorite god.
The festivities are interrupted by a scream, followed by a thud: Pothinus has been murdered and
his body thrown from the roof down to the beach. The besieging Egyptians, both army and
civilian, are enraged by the killing of Pothinus, who was a popular hero, and they begin to storm
the palace. Cleopatra claims responsibility for the slaying and Caesar reproaches her for taking
shortsighted vengeance, pointing out that his clemency towards Pothinus and the other prisoners
has kept the enemy at bay. Doom seems inevitable, but then they learn that reinforcements,
commanded by Mithridates of Pergamos have engaged the Egyptian army. With the threat
diminished, Caesar draws up a battle plan and leaves to speak to the troops. Meanwhile, Rufio
realizes Ftatateeta was Pothinus' killer, so he kills her in turn. Cleopatra, left alone and utterly
forlorn discovers the bloodied body concealed behind a curtain.
Act V is an epilogue. Amidst great pomp and ceremony, Caesar prepares to leave for Rome. His
forces have swept Ptolemy's armies into the Nile, and Ptolemy himself was drowned when his
barge sank. Caesar appoints Rufio governor of the province and considers freedom for Britannus,
who declines the offer in favor of remaining Caesar's servant. A conversation ensues that
foreshadows Caesar's eventual assassination. As the gangplank is being extended from the quay
to Caesar's ship, Cleopatra, dressed in mourning for her nurse, arrives. She accuses Rufio of
murdering Ftatateeta. Rufio admits the slaying, but says it was not for the sake of punishment,
revenge or justice: he killed her without malice because she was a potential menace. Caesar
approves the execution because it was not influenced by spurious moralism. Cleopatra remains
unforgiving until Caesar renews his promise to send Mark Antony to Egypt. That renders her
ecstatic as the ship starts moving out to sea.
Themes
Shaw wants to prove that it was not love but politics that drew Cleopatra to Julius Caesar. He
sees the Roman occupation of ancient Egypt as similar to the British occupation that was
occurring during his time.[1] Caesar understands the importance of good government, and values
these things above art and love.[2]
Shaw's philosophy has often been compared to that of Nietzsche.[citation needed] Their shared
admiration for men of action shows itself in Shaw's description of Caesar's struggle with
Pompey.[citation needed] In the prologue, the god Ra says, "the blood and iron ye pin your faith on fell
before the spirit of man; for the spirit of man is the will of the gods."
A second theme, apparent both from the text of the play itself and from Shaw's lengthy notes
after the play, is Shaw's belief that people have not been morally improved by civilization and
technology.[citation needed] A line from the prologue clearly illustrates this point. The god Ra addresses
the audience and says, "ye shall marvel, after your ignorant manner, that men twenty centuries
ago were already just such as you, and spoke and lived as ye speak and live, no worse and no
better, no wiser and no sillier."
Another theme is the value of clemency. Caesar remarks that he will not stoop to vengeance
when confronted with Septimius, the murderer of Pompey. Caesar throws away letters that
would have identified his enemies in Rome, instead choosing to try to win them to his side.
Pothinus remarks that Caesar doesn't torture his captives. At several points in the play, Caesar
lets his enemies go instead of killing them. The wisdom of this approach is revealed when
Cleopatra orders her nurse to kill Pothinus because of his "treachery and disloyalty" (but really
because of his insults to her). This probably contrasts with historical fact.[3] The murder enrages
the Egyptian crowd, and but for Mithridates' reinforcements would have meant the death of all
the protagonists. Caesar only endorses the retaliatory murder of Cleopatra's nurse because it was
necessary and humane.
CONTET ISTORIC
"Caesar and Cleopatra":
- the 20th century literature is characterized by a rebirth of dramatic interest both in Great Britain and in
the United States. In England the influence of Ibsen made itself strongly felt in the problem plays of G.B.
Shaw and in the realism of John Galsworthy and Somerset Maugham. T.S. Eliot revived and enriched the
verse drama, John Osborne expressed the rebellious attitude of the "Angry Young Men" in Look Back in
Anger. Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller gave America a serious drama, with
modern features, influenced by the European experiments.
- the modern "drama of ideas" is exemplified in the plays of Ibsen, Shaw, Galswworthy, and many
others. The problem plays represent in dramatic form a general social problem, a philosofic idea, shown
as it is confronted by or must be solved by the protagonist.
- Shaw's plays are conflicts of ideas and his characters prime reason for existence is to put forward these
ideas. His heroes were often created as mothpieces for the playwright's ideas. They tend to make a lot
of witty, intellectual speeches through which Shaw's ideas are conveyed to the audience.
- the true subject of a debate drama being an idea, the events in the plot are less important. Shaw said
about his plots: "Shavian plots are as silly as Shakespearean plots and, like Shakespeare's they are all
stolen from other writers".
the innovatory technique is based on reversal: Shaw takes a familiar theatrical type or situation and
reverses it so that his audience is forced to reassess things radically. In Caesar and Cleopatra Shaw
reverses the traditional view on the two legendary characters. His Caesar has no trace of heroism and
grandeur. He loos like an old gentleman, a well-educated member of the English middle-class, endowed
with a sense of dry humour. Cleopatra, the glamorous, ambitious and clever Queen of Egypt, appears in
Shaw's play as a rather common, timid young girl who has nothing from the majistic figure of the
legendary queen.
-in Shaw's plays paradox is the most important comical device.
Shaw's reinterpretation of history:
Shaw's historical plays deglamorize history, underlining the discrepancy between the legend
surrounding historical personalities and the reality that lies beneath the "myth". The technique of
reversal functions with great comic effect when applied to famous historical characters like Caesar and
Cleopatra. Caesar, far from being a heroic figure, is seen by Cleopatra as an elderly gentleman, who
cannot scare even a girl. What is even funnier, he is told by a girl (for that is Cleopatra's image in Shaw's
play) how to govern: "You are very sentimental, Caesar; but you are clever; and if you do as I tell you,
you will soon learn to govern".
G.B. Shaw explained in his Notes to Caesar and Cleopatra that he intended "to produce an impression of
greatness by exhibiting Caesar as a man, not mortifying his nature by doing his duty, but as simply doing
what he naturally wants to do".
