Rental Costumes for Caesar and Cleopatra

Caesar and Cleopatra, four-act play byGeorge Bernard Shaw, written in 1898, published in 1901, and first produced in 1906. It is considered Shaw’s first great play. Caesar and Cleopatra opens as Caesar’s armies arrive in Egypt to conquer the ancient divided land for Rome. Caesar meets the young Cleopatra crouching at night between the paws of a sphinx, where—having been driven from Alexandria—she is hiding. He returns her to the palace, reveals his identity, and compels her to abandon her girlishness and accept her position as co-ruler of Egypt (with Ptolemy Dionysus, her brother).Caesar and Cleopatra was extraordinarily successful, largely because of Shaw’s talent for characterization.

Instead of a romantic entanglement, Caesar takes on a parental and political mentorship role. He strips Cleopatra of her childishness, teaching her how to use power, strategy, and governance to claim her throne. After overcoming military sieges and political executions—including the murder of Cleopatra's oppressive nurse, Ftatateeta—Caesar successfully secures her crown before departing for Rome, leaving her with the promise that he will eventually send Mark Antony to her.