Caesar and Cleopatra

Julius Caesar was the dictator of the Roman Republic and led the Roman army in campaigns of conquest that expanded Roman territory. Shaw once referred to Caesar as the “greatest of all protagonists.” At the beginning of the play, Caesar has chased Pompey, his son-in-law and former ally who he is now at war with, into Egypt. Then he meets the child queen Cleopatra and decides to resolve the dispute for the throne between Cleopatra and her younger brother.

Shaw’s Caesar approaches conflict, violence, and life-or-death decisions with unsentimental logic. He frustrates his lieutenants by offering clemency to those who have betrayed him and destroying evidence of betrayal rather than pursuing it. He is disturbed by what he views as unnecessary killing. In contrast to the ambitious, power-hungry reputation that precedes him in Egypt, Caesar is both disciplined and vulnerable, as he is self-conscious about his age and wears laurel wreaths on his head to hide his receding hairline.

Caesar takes a fatherly role with Cleopatra, although he seems to avoid making his own emotional investment in their relationship. Instead, he mentors her as a leader, teaching her his ideals and killing her brother and rival, securing her place on the throne.