George Bernard Shaw play

Caesar and Cleopatra by G.B.Shaw (theme of the play and characters)

  About The Play
Caesar and Cleopatra,  by George Bernard Shaw, written in 1898, published in 1901 and first produced in 1906. It is considered Shaw's first great play. It was first published with captain Brassbound's Conversion and The Devil Discipline in Shaw's 1901 collection Three Play For Puritans. It was first performed in a single staged reading at Newcastle Upon Tyne in 15 march 1899, to secure the copyright. The play was produced in New York in1906 and n London at the Savoy Theatre in 1907.
           
 The play has a prologue and an "Alternative to the Prologue".  The Prologue consists of an Egyptian god Ra addressing the audience directly, as if he could see them in the theatre. He says that Pompey represent the old Rome and Caesar represents the new Rome. The gods favoured Caesar, according to Ra, because he "lived the life they have 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's has been driven into Syria by her brother Ptolemy, with whom she is vying for the Egyptian throne. The messenger warns that Caesar 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 has run away.
 
Theme of the Play
Shaw wants to prove that it was not love but politics that drew Cleopatra to Caesar . He sees the Roman occupation of ancient Egypt as similar to the British occupation that was occurring during his time. Caesar understand the importance of good government and values these things above art and love.
        Shaw's philosophy has often been compared of 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 gid 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 gods"".
Second theme apparent both from the text of the play itself and from Shaw's lengthy nots after the play is Shaw belief that people have not been morally improved by civilization and technology. A line from the prologue clearly illustrates this points. The god Ra addresses the audience and says ""ye shall marvel, after your ignorant manner, that man twenty centuries ago were already just such as you, spoke and lived as ye speak and live, no worse and no better, no wiser and no siller"".
Another theme is the value of clemency. Caesar remarks that he will not to stoop 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 let's his enemies go instead of killing them. The wisdom of this approach is revealed when Cleopatra orders her nurse to kill Pothinus because o his treachery and disloyalty. This probably contrasts with historical facts. The murder enrages the Egyptian crowd and but for Mithridates reinforcement would have meant the death of all the protagonists. Caesar only endorses the retaliatory murder of Cleopatra's nurse because it was necessary and human.

Characters
1. Julius Caesar-- The dictator of Rome and conqueror of the world.
2. Cleopatra -- The 16 yrs.old queen of Egypt.
3. Ptolemy Dionysus -- Cleopatra's brother husband and rival for her crown.
4. Ftatateeta -- Cleopatra's bullying and savage nurse.
5. Britannus -- Caesar's secretary.
6. Rufio -- A Roman officer.
7. Pothinus -- Ptolemy Dionsus guardian.
8. Apollodorus -- A Sicilian.