

The play depicts Cleopatra as a stereotypical, spoiled female whose motivations lead her only to attempt to get the man whom she desires rather than power or respect. This is recognized upon Caesar's receiving the rug, because he immediately asks for Cleopatra to be taken back to Egypt. With this as her motivation, we see Cleopatra's character in the play as an overbearing young girl who does little more than get in Caesar's way. Caesar teases her, and Cleopatra is shown as a flighty, somewhat dimwitted little child over whelmed by her own fears.Ī distorted version of the true meeting of Caesar and Cleopatra is shown later in the play, however it is spoken of as an attempt by an obsessive Cleopatra to see Caesar once again.

Cleopatra, not knowing the true identity of Caesar, explains that she is very frightened by the approach of Caesar. In the play, Caesar accidently comes across Cleopatra as he is walking toward a sphinx and she is purched on one of its paws.
#Was julius caesar and cleopatra married license
In the play, Cleopatra is a young girl of sixteen however, history shows that she was older, around the age of twenty or twenty-one.Īnother example of the poetic license taken by Shaw was his account of HOW Cleopatra and Caesar met. One of the most significant changes made by Shaw was the age of Cleopatra on her initial meeting with Caesar. In decifering Shaw's historical inaccuracies, we must first examine his portrayal of Cleopatra. It is apparent, very early in the play, that Shaw's details are somewhat off the mark. In the play Caesar and Cleopatra by Bernard Shaw, we are shown a fictional tracing of the relationship shared by Caesar and Cleopatra.

Caesar and Cleopatra: Fact or Fiction Caesar and Cleopatra: Fact or Fiction A Comparison of How the Lives of Caesar and Cleopatra are Depicted in Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra and the Film Classic Cleopatra with the Actual Events that Transpired
