Caesar and Cleopatra

Since Caesar and Cleopatra are such familiar historical figures, Shaw’s depiction of their ages may come as a surprise to the audience. When Caesar first appears onstage, he makes a speech to the Sphinx in which he elevates himself to the level of the mythical lion hybrid, stating, “My way hither was the way of destiny; for I am he of whose genius you are the symbol: part brute, part woman, and part God—nothing of man in me at all” (17). He sees himself as godlike. But then Cleopatra unintentionally dents his pride by calling out, “Old gentleman: don’t run away” (17). Caesar is immediately self-conscious about his age. He views himself as a man who is attractive to women, but Cleopatra, in her guileless youth, repeatedly hurts his feelings by emphasizing his senior status. Caesar is in his fifties, only four years away from assassination, and has accomplished the expansion and dictatorship of Rome. For Caesar, youth equates to stamina and strength, which he feels the need to prove when Apollodorus jumps into the sea, and Rufio mentions that Caesar is twice his age.