This document provides a summary of the plot of George Bernard Shaw's 1898 play "Caesar and Cleopatra". It describes how Caesar arrives in Egypt and encounters the young Cleopatra hiding in a sphinx. They develop a fondness for each other. Caesar asserts control over Egypt but faces opposition. Cleopatra smuggles herself to Caesar's location by hiding in a rolled carpet. Caesar and his forces face a looming battle against the Egyptian army.
Supernatural Element in Shakesperian TragedySneha Agravat
The document summarizes Shakespeare's use of supernatural elements in his famous tragedies like Macbeth and Hamlet. It discusses how the Elizabethan era was highly superstitious and believed in supernatural creatures. It provides examples of the supernatural elements in Macbeth like the witches, Banquo's ghost, and prophetic apparitions that advanced the plot. For Hamlet, it discusses how the ghost of Hamlet's father created suspense and motivated the story's events. In conclusion, the supernatural elements increased the plot development and influenced characters' behaviors in the plays.
This document provides a detailed summary of the play The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill. It describes the plot, characters, themes, and context of the play. Specifically, it discusses that the play tells the story of Brutus Jones, a former train porter who becomes the emperor of a Caribbean island but must escape into the jungle during a revolution. As he navigates the forest, he experiences haunting hallucinations from his traumatic past. The themes explored include the impact of past trauma, the legacy of slavery, racism, the fall of a corrupt ruler, and Jones as a tragic hero.
The document provides background information on Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, including the historical contexts of Puritanism, the Salem witch trials of 1692, and McCarthyism in the 1950s. Miller used The Crucible to draw parallels between the hysteria of the Salem witch trials and the anti-communist witch hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare. The document also summarizes some of the main characters in The Crucible like Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Elizabeth Proctor.
The presentation of "Mourning becomes Electra" presented at MKBU Department of English for M.A external guidance lectures. The presentation contains every aspects which play explores. It will be fruitful to grasp the concepts of the play by this presentation.
Tennessee Williams was an American playwright born in 1911 in Mississippi. His play The Glass Menagerie (1945) was his first big success and established his career. The play tells the story of the Wingfield family - overbearing mother Amanda and her shy daughter Laura who lives in a fantasy world, escaping her insecurities through her collection of glass animals. Their son and brother Tom works to support the family but finds no fulfillment, instead taking refuge in alcohol, movies, and literature. The play explores the family members' difficulties relating to reality and their retreat into private illusion-filled worlds. It brought Williams fame and Pulitzer Prize recognition, cementing his status as a major American playwright.
The Scarlet Letter is set in 17th century Puritan Boston. Hester Prynne commits adultery and gives birth to Pearl. She is forced to wear a scarlet "A" and is shunned by her community. Her missing husband Roger Chillingworth takes the name and seeks revenge on Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester's secret lover. Over seven years, Dimmesdale's guilt over the sin eats away at him until he makes a public confession and dies in Hester's arms. The novel examines themes of sin, identity, and the conflict between public conformity and private passion through its symbolic characters and motifs.
The document provides background information on E.M. Forster's novel A Passage to India. It discusses the colonial occupation of India by the British, the rise of Indian nationalism in response, and key events and attitudes during the time period when Forster wrote the novel in the 1920s. It also summarizes some of the main plot points and characters in A Passage to India, including Dr. Aziz, Mrs. Moore, Adela Quested, and their interactions in British-controlled India.
- The document discusses John Keats and his concept of beauty and negative capability. It analyzes several of Keats' odes, including "Ode on a Grecian Urn", "Ode to a Nightingale", and "Ode to Psyche".
- Keats believed that beauty was truth and sought beauty in nature, mythology, and every art form. He found that change and the interplay between different worlds brought beauty.
- The document examines themes of conflict in Keats' odes between transient passion and enduring art, dream and reality, joy and melancholy, and other dualities. It explores Keats' theory of negative capability and how it influenced his poetic style and philosophy.
The full name of James Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) is James Augustine Aloysius Joyce.
He is an early 20th century Irish novelist and poet.
Joyce is one of the pioneers of ‘stream of consciousness’ technique in novel and a new type of poetry called ‘Prose Poem’.
He is one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century also.
He used the style of ‘the examination of big events through small happenings in everyday lives’.
Stream of Conscious in James Joyce novel: PORTRAIT OF ARTIST AS YOUNG MAN S...Fatima Gul
The document discusses stream of consciousness as a literary technique where the character's thoughts and emotions are portrayed as they experience them. It provides 5 excerpts from James Joyce's novel "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" as examples of stream of consciousness. The excerpts depict the thoughts and feelings of the young protagonist as he experiences different moments like being sick in the infirmary, playing football, and walking through the city recalling different authors and poems. Stream of consciousness allows the reader to get inside the character's mind and experience events as the character perceives them in the moment.
D. H. Lawrence has displayed a bold originality of his genius and his consummate artistic finesse in Sons and Lovers. With his pioneering artistry, he deviated from the traditional patter of fiction and tried to break fresh grounds.
A sudden feeling of knowledge that brings to light what was so far hidden and changes one’s life is called epiphany. It is a term used by James Joyce in his works : Portrait of the artist as a youngman, Dubliners.
This document summarizes key themes and symbols in Harold Pinter's play The Birthday Party. It discusses how the play explores themes of absurdity and the meaningless of human existence. Violence and cruelty are prevalent throughout the play, often directed at women. Blindness is a symbol of man's inability to see his true self. Death is portrayed through Stanley's gradual loss of sight, speech and existence. Symbols like the mirror, newspaper, window and toy drum are analyzed for their representations.
The document provides biographical information about T.S. Eliot and contextualizes his modernist poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock". It notes that Eliot was an American-English poet born in Missouri who lived much of his life in London. The poem is considered one of the most influential works of the 20th century. Modernism emerged in response to World War I and Victorian ideals, featuring experimental styles and questioning social norms. "The Love Song" examines the emptiness of the social world through Prufrock's self-analysis and is a prime example of modernist poetry through its fragmented form and themes.
This document provides an overview and introduction to the characters in Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles. It describes Tess as the central character, an intelligent and attractive young woman living in a late 19th century English village. It introduces the main male characters she interacts with - Alec d'Urbervilles, a wealthy man who takes advantage of her; Angel Clare, a farmer with whom she falls in love; and her father, John Durbeyfield. The document gives brief descriptions of each character and their roles in the plot of the novel.
The document provides analysis of the short story "The Man of the Crowd" by Edgar Allan Poe. It discusses the symbolism of the old man who is followed by the narrator, representing a secret side of the narrator. It also examines the characterization of the crowd, narrator, and old man. Finally, it analyzes the changing settings of the story and identifies two themes - mystery surrounding the old man, and the loneliness of the old man as he clings to different groups.
Tom Jones is presented as a rebellious young man by society. He leads his life according to his own perspective of goodness rather than societal conventions. Some key points about Tom's rebellious nature include that he constantly stole apples and ducks as a child, got in fights with his rival Blifil and Mr. Fitzpatrick, lived wildly without manners, and had numerous love affairs. However, Tom was truly loving and kind, and his rebelliousness may have stemmed more from being a motherless foundling and seeking maternal love than actual defiance against society.
Antony and cleopatra (Critical Study & Analysis)Muhammad Qasim
This is a brief & precise study-guide of One of the top plays of the father of English William Shakespeare.
(Equally important for examination point of view and for study in general.)
This poem parodies Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" by having the mistress respond to the speaker's advances. She questions his logic and wordplay, finding flaws in his arguments for intimacy. While he continues with metaphorical seduction techniques, she asserts her independence and skepticism towards his desires, ultimately rejecting his proposal in favor of calling a taxi.
The Importance of Being Earnest is a comic play by Oscar Wilde set in late Victorian England that satirizes the hypocrisy of society. It follows Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff who both pretend to have wicked brothers named Ernest to escape social obligations. Their deceptions are exposed when the women they are engaged to, Gwendolen and Cecily, meet and each insists she is engaged to "Ernest." It is revealed that Jack is actually Lady Bracknell's long lost nephew, and his real name was Ernest all along, allowing the engagements to proceed.
Cleopatra was an ambitious and intelligent queen of Egypt who used her charm and beauty to secure political alliances. She had romantic relationships with both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, helping them politically but ultimately bringing about her downfall. As a female ruler, she challenged norms of her time by taking on a public leadership role traditionally held by men. She was seen as both highly sexualized yet threatening to patriarchal societies due to her power and status as a non-white woman leader.
The document summarizes the rivalry between Mark Antony and Octavian which led to civil war in Rome and the Battle of Actium. After divorcing Octavia and formalizing his relationship with Cleopatra, Antony was seen as abandoning Rome. Octavian used propaganda to turn the Senate against Antony and Cleopatra. This culminated in the naval Battle of Actium in 31 BC, where Antony and Cleopatra fled after their forces were defeated by Octavian. Antony and Cleopatra then committed suicide in Egypt, allowing Octavian to take control of the Roman Empire and end the Roman Republic.
The document provides background information on William Shakespeare and his play Julius Caesar. It summarizes the plot of the play, which is set in 44 BC Rome and depicts the assassination of Julius Caesar by a group of conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius, who feared Caesar becoming king. The document also discusses Shakespeare's source material and the political context of Elizabethan England that may have influenced his writing of the play.
1) Cleopatra VII was born in 69 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. She came from the Ptolemaic dynasty and spoke multiple languages.
2) Cleopatra met and became the lover of Julius Caesar after being exiled from Egypt by her brother. She bore Caesar a son named Caesarion.
3) After Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra met Mark Antony and became his lover. They married and ruled Egypt and Rome jointly, angering Octavian.
Cleopatra VII was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. She ruled jointly with her brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV at different times. Cleopatra aligned herself with Julius Caesar to secure her rule in Egypt and became his lover. She bore him a son, Caesarion. After Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra allied with Mark Antony and had three children with him. Their alliance threatened Octavian, and Antony and Cleopatra's forces were defeated by Octavian at Actium in 31 BC. Octavian pursued them to Egypt, where both Cleopatra and Antony committed suicide rather than be captured by Octavian's forces.
1. The document provides a plot summary of William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. It describes Caesar's return to Rome after victory in battle and the growing conspiracy against him led by Cassius and Brutus, who are worried about Caesar's increasing power. On the Ides of March, the conspirators stab and kill Caesar in the Senate.
2. After Caesar's death, Mark Antony pledges allegiance to the conspirators but later turns the crowd against them with an inciting speech. Brutus and Cassius face off against Antony and Octavian at Philippi, where Cassius commits suicide after being misinformed that their troops are losing.
3. At Philippi, Brutus
Caesar's assassination in 44 BC by a group of senators led by Brutus and Cassius had major political consequences for the late Roman Republic. Initially Antony gained control in Rome and a compromise was reached to pardon the assassins. However, Antony's actions to consolidate power alarmed his opponents, while the reading of Caesar's will and Antony's funeral speech turned public opinion against the assassins. Meanwhile, Caesar's adopted heir Octavian emerged to claim his inheritance, gaining support from Caesar's veterans, which allowed him to challenge Antony's dominance.
William Shakespeare is considered the greatest dramatist in the world. His play Julius Caesar tells the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar by his friend Brutus and other conspirators who feared Caesar wanted to become king. The play shows Brutus' personal dilemma over killing his friend for what he sees as the good of Rome. After Caesar's death, his friend Mark Antony is able to turn the crowd against the conspirators with a clever speech at Caesar's funeral.
Cleopatra VII was the last Pharaoh of Egypt, ruling from 51-30 BC. She was of Macedonian Greek descent but presented herself as Egyptian in order to gain popularity. She learned politics from her father and spoke nine languages. Cleopatra allied with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony in an attempt to maintain Egyptian independence from Rome. However, she ultimately lost the Battle of Actium against Octavian in 31 BC and committed suicide shortly after Marc Antony's death, likely using a poisonous snake.
The play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare depicts the conspiracy to assassinate the Roman dictator Julius Caesar. Some Roman senators, including Brutus and Cassius, fear that Caesar desires to be king and undermine the Roman republic. They conspire to kill Caesar on the Ides of March. However, Mark Antony later turns the public against the conspirators with a stirring funeral speech praising Caesar. This leads Brutus and Cassius to raise an army to fight Antony and Octavian, culminating in their suicide after defeat at the Battle of Philippi. The play focuses on the moral dilemma of whether to kill a power-hungry leader to preserve a republic.
The document provides background information on William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, including its plot structure, characters, themes, mood, setting, and antagonists. It also discusses the original Globe Theater in London where many of Shakespeare's plays were first performed in the late 16th/early 17th century, and provides details on the modern reconstruction of the Globe Theater where productions continue to be staged today.
The document provides background information on William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, including its plot structure, characters, themes, mood, setting, and antagonists. It also discusses the original Globe Theater in London where many of Shakespeare's plays were first performed in the late 16th/early 17th century, and provides details on the modern reconstruction of the Globe Theater where productions continue to be staged today.
This document provides context on various characters and elements from The Hunger Games trilogy by comparing them to figures and events from Roman history and literature. It discusses how characters like Caesar Flickerman, Cinna, and Plutarch Heavensbee draw inspiration from historical Romans and how the world of Panem reflects aspects of the Roman Empire, such as its decadence and use of violence for entertainment. References are made to works like Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Plutarch's Lives to explain the symbolic significance and influences behind Collins' names and story elements.
This document discusses William Shakespeare's Roman tragedy Antony and Cleopatra and how it expresses 16th century England's cultural upheavals, including the transformation of masculinity from one defined by power to one rooted in humanism. Specifically, it analyzes how Antony's behavior and masculinity are portrayed, shifting from a powerful military leader to one who chooses sensual pleasure over war, retreating the mold of traditional Roman virtues. The document also provides an excerpt from the play describing Antony's changed behavior in Alexandria.
This document discusses William Shakespeare's Roman tragedy Antony and Cleopatra and how it expresses 16th century England's cultural upheavals, including the transformation of masculinity from one defined by power to one rooted in humanism. It analyzes passages from the play that portray Antony changing from a fearless warrior to one who indulges in revelry and sensual pleasure with Cleopatra, stripping him of his manly honor according to Roman ideals of virtus, or courage and leadership. The document examines how Shakespeare uses Roman figures and ideals to comment on changes in English culture and gender norms during the 16th century.
This PowerPoint presentation summarizes William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. It includes sections on main characters like Caesar, Brutus, and Cassius. It provides a brief plot summary, noting that Caesar is assassinated by Brutus and others on the Ides of March. It also discusses major themes like the corruption of power and includes sample questions from the text to promote discussion.
Front Desk Management in the Odoo 17 ERPCeline George
Front desk officers are responsible for taking care of guests and customers. Their work mainly involves interacting with customers and business partners, either in person or through phone calls.
How to Handle the Separate Discount Account on Invoice in Odoo 17Celine George
In Odoo, separate discount account can be set up to accurately track and manage discounts applied on various transaction and ensure precise financial reporting and analysis
The Jewish Trinity : Sabbath,Shekinah and Sanctuary 4.pdfJackieSparrow3
we may assume that God created the cosmos to be his great temple, in which he rested after his creative work. Nevertheless, his special revelatory presence did not fill the entire earth yet, since it was his intention that his human vice-regent, whom he installed in the garden sanctuary, would extend worldwide the boundaries of that sanctuary and of God’s presence. Adam, of course, disobeyed this mandate, so that humanity no longer enjoyed God’s presence in the little localized garden. Consequently, the entire earth became infected with sin and idolatry in a way it had not been previously before the fall, while yet in its still imperfect newly created state. Therefore, the various expressions about God being unable to inhabit earthly structures are best understood, at least in part, by realizing that the old order and sanctuary have been tainted with sin and must be cleansed and recreated before God’s Shekinah presence, formerly limited to heaven and the holy of holies, can dwell universally throughout creation
Lecture_Notes_Unit4_Chapter_8_9_10_RDBMS for the students affiliated by alaga...Murugan Solaiyappan
Title: Relational Database Management System Concepts(RDBMS)
Description:
Welcome to the comprehensive guide on Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) concepts, tailored for final year B.Sc. Computer Science students affiliated with Alagappa University. This document covers fundamental principles and advanced topics in RDBMS, offering a structured approach to understanding databases in the context of modern computing. PDF content is prepared from the text book Learn Oracle 8I by JOSE A RAMALHO.
Key Topics Covered:
Main Topic : DATA INTEGRITY, CREATING AND MAINTAINING A TABLE AND INDEX
Sub-Topic :
Data Integrity,Types of Integrity, Integrity Constraints, Primary Key, Foreign key, unique key, self referential integrity,
creating and maintain a table, Modifying a table, alter a table, Deleting a table
Create an Index, Alter Index, Drop Index, Function based index, obtaining information about index, Difference between ROWID and ROWNUM
Target Audience:
Final year B.Sc. Computer Science students at Alagappa University seeking a solid foundation in RDBMS principles for academic and practical applications.
About the Author:
Dr. S. Murugan is Associate Professor at Alagappa Government Arts College, Karaikudi. With 23 years of teaching experience in the field of Computer Science, Dr. S. Murugan has a passion for simplifying complex concepts in database management.
Disclaimer:
This document is intended for educational purposes only. The content presented here reflects the author’s understanding in the field of RDBMS as of 2024.
Feedback and Contact Information:
Your feedback is valuable! For any queries or suggestions, please contact muruganjit@agacollege.in
How to Show Sample Data in Tree and Kanban View in Odoo 17Celine George
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How to Create Sequence Numbers in Odoo 17Celine George
Sequence numbers are mainly used to identify or differentiate each record in a module. Sequences are customizable and can be configured in a specific pattern such as suffix, prefix or a particular numbering scheme. This slide will show how to create sequence numbers in odoo 17.
Delegation Inheritance in Odoo 17 and Its Use CasesCeline George
There are 3 types of inheritance in odoo Classical, Extension, and Delegation. Delegation inheritance is used to sink other models to our custom model. And there is no change in the views. This slide will discuss delegation inheritance and its use cases in odoo 17.
Understanding and Interpreting Teachers’ TPACK for Teaching Multimodalities i...Neny Isharyanti
Presented as a plenary session in iTELL 2024 in Salatiga on 4 July 2024.
The plenary focuses on understanding and intepreting relevant TPACK competence for teachers to be adept in teaching multimodality in the digital age. It juxtaposes the results of research on multimodality with its contextual implementation in the teaching of English subject in the Indonesian Emancipated Curriculum.
Join educators from the US and worldwide at this year’s conference, themed “Strategies for Proficiency & Acquisition,” to learn from top experts in world language teaching.
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)- Concept, Features, Elements, Role of advertising in IMC
Advertising: Concept, Features, Evolution of Advertising, Active Participants, Benefits of advertising to Business firms and consumers.
Classification of advertising: Geographic, Media, Target audience and Functions.
No, it's not a robot: prompt writing for investigative journalismPaul Bradshaw
How to use generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to generate story ideas for investigations, identify potential sources, and help with coding and writing.
A talk from the Centre for Investigative Journalism Summer School, July 2024
No, it's not a robot: prompt writing for investigative journalism
Caesar and-cleopatra
1. Caesar and Cleopatra (play)
Shaw is regarded as the greatest English dramatist of the modern age, and his contribution to British
theater is considered second only to that of William Shakespeare. By rejecting outmoded theatrical
conventions and championing realism and social commentary in his work, critics contend Shaw
succeeded in revolutionizing British drama. He has been credited with creating the “theater of
ideas,” in which plays explore such issues as sexism, sexual equality, socioeconomic divisions, the
effects of poverty, and philosophical and religious theories. Moreover, his innovative dramas are
thought to have paved the way for later Symbolist drama and the Theater of the Absurd.
Caesar and Cleopatra, a play written in 1898 by George Bernard Shaw, was first staged in 1901
and first published with Captain Brassbound's Conversion and The Devil's Disciple in his 1901
collection, Three Plays for Puritans. It was first performed at Newcastle-on-Tyne on March 15,
1899. The first London production was at the Savoy Theatre in 1907.
The famous scene in which Cleopatra, concealed in a rolled-up carpet, is smuggled into Caesar's
presence was credited by Otto Skorzeny as the inspiration for his doing the same to his kidnapping
victim Miklós Horthy, Jr. in 1944 during Operation Panzerfaust.
2. 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. He draws a contrast
between the old Rome, which was poor and little, and the new Rome, which is rich and huge. 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.
3. 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
Dionysus (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 to take over the palace, a theatre adjacent to it, and
Pharos, an island in the harbor accessible from the palace via a causeway that divides the harbor 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 harbor 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, his military aide, allows the captives to depart.
4. 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
Anthony back to Egypt. As she leaves, a wounded soldier comes to report Achillus, 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
Achillo's 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 harbor, 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.
5. 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 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 Appolodorus 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 the
6. enemy now controls the causeway and is also approaching rapidly across the island. Swimming to a
Roman ship in the eastern harbor 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 Ra, 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
7. 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 chronic menace, to be disposed of as mere
vermin. Caesar approves the execution because it was not influenced by emotion. 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]
8. Shaw's philosophy has often been compared to that of Nietzsche. Their shared admiration for men of
action shows itself in Shaw's description of Caesar's struggle with Pompey. 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.
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.