Witness the meeting of the world’s most famous general and its most famous queen—as you have never seen them before. Read George Bernard Shaw’s irreverent, witty, and profoundly human history play completely free online.
Published in 1901, Caesar and Cleopatra is George Bernard Shaw’s answer to Shakespeare. Where Shakespeare gave us a Cleopatra of infinite variety, a serpent of the Nile, a queen of passion and treachery, Shaw gives us a sixteen-year-old girl, hiding in a rug, terrified of the Romans. Where Shakespeare gave us a Caesar of monumental dignity, a colossus bestrode by Antony, Shaw gives us a middle-aged general, slightly bald, prone to lecturing, more interested in governing Egypt than in seducing its queen.
This is Shaw’s method: demystification. He strips the legendary figures of their romantic aura and presents them as human beings—flawed, funny, surprisingly modern. His Caesar is a philosopher in a helmet, a man who has seen too much to be impressed by anything, including himself. His Cleopatra is a child playing at power, learning statecraft from a master, growing into her role before our eyes. Their relationship is not a love affair but an education, a tutorial in the arts of rule conducted against the backdrop of Alexandrian politics.
On this page, you can experience Shaw’s most charming history play, the one that proves the Irish wit could match Shakespeare on his own ground and emerge laughing. We offer the complete 1901 text for online reading.
Book Info
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Caesar and Cleopatra |
| Author | George Bernard Shaw |
| Year of Publication | 1901 |
| Genre | Drama, Historical Comedy |
| Language | English |
| Legal Status | Public Domain in the U.S. |
| Format | Online Reading |
Read Caesar and Cleopatra Online
Hear the Sphinx speak and the queen emerge from a rug. Begin Shaw’s historical comedy by entering the Egyptian desert interactively below.
This preview introduces the first meeting, the famous rug, and the beginning of an education. However, the full, witty, philosophical drama—the burning of the library, the murder of Pothinus, the arrival of the Roman army, and the final, unsentimental parting—is available in the complete text for our subscribers.
A subscription unlocks this cornerstone of modern drama and the complete plays of George Bernard Shaw. Discover the Caesar who conquered not Egypt but cliché.
About the Play Caesar and Cleopatra
Shaw called his play “a history” and subtitled it “A Page of Plutarch in One Act and a Half.” He was being ironic. The play is historical only in the sense that it features historical figures; its dialogue, its politics, its psychology are thoroughly modern. Shaw uses the past as a mirror for the present, a way of examining power, leadership, and the relationship between men and women without the distractions of contemporary controversy.
The Prologue
The play opens with a prologue spoken by the god Ra, addressing the audience directly. This is Shaw at his most mischievous. Ra chides the audience for their romantic expectations, their Shakespearean fantasies, their desire for a Cleopatra who is “a strumpet” and a Caesar who is “a hero.” The real Cleopatra, Ra insists, was a child; the real Caesar was a tired old man. The prologue is a manifesto, a declaration of Shaw’s intention to tell the truth, however undramatic it might seem.
Caesar as Philosopher-King
Shaw’s Caesar is the closest thing in his drama to a genuine hero. He is wise, tolerant, amused by the follies of others. He refuses to punish his enemies, preferring to win them over by generosity. He is more interested in justice than in victory, more concerned with governing Egypt than with conquering it. He is, in short, a Platonic ideal of the ruler—and a thoroughgoing anachronism. Shaw knew that no Roman general had ever spoken or thought as his Caesar does. He did not care. He was painting a portrait of leadership as it should be, not as it was.
Cleopatra as Student
Cleopatra begins the play as a frightened child, hiding from the Romans who have invaded her country. She is ignorant, superstitious, ruled by her nurse and her terror. Caesar takes her in hand, teaches her to command, to think, to rule. He is not her lover but her tutor. By the end of the play, she has grown into a queen—capable, ruthless, ready to govern alone. The transformation is Shaw’s answer to the romantic tradition: Cleopatra’s greatness was not innate but acquired, not natural but learned.
The Burning of the Library
One of the play’s most famous scenes involves the burning of the Library of Alexandria. Caesar, besieged by the Egyptian army, orders the fleet burned; the fire spreads to the library. Cleopatra is horrified; she understands that the library contains the accumulated wisdom of the ancient world. Caesar is unmoved. “Aye,” he says, “but what is the use of books if we are not alive to read them?” The scene encapsulates Shaw’s pragmatism: knowledge is worthless without survival, culture is luxury, war is reality.
The Murder of Pothinus
The play’s darkest moment comes when Cleopatra, now confident in her power, orders the murder of Pothinus, her brother’s guardian and her enemy. Caesar is appalled—not by the murder itself but by its pointlessness. Pothinus was already defeated; killing him serves no purpose. Cleopatra learns that power can be used for cruelty as well as for justice. Caesar teaches her, too late, that the ruler must control not only others but herself.
The Departure
The play ends not with a romance but with a parting. Caesar returns to Rome; Cleopatra remains in Egypt. He gives her a final lesson: “I am leaving you to your fate. But I will leave you also the means of meeting it like a queen.” She is alone now, truly alone, for the first time. The curtain falls not on a kiss but on a woman standing in the door of her tent, watching the ships disappear over the horizon.
Shaw and Shakespeare
Shaw admired Shakespeare but refused to be intimidated by him. Caesar and Cleopatra is his counter-blast to Antony and Cleopatra, his demonstration that the story could be told differently, that the lovers could be teachers, that passion could be subordinated to politics. Shaw does not compete with Shakespeare; he complements him. Both plays are true, each in its own way.
Why Read the Play Caesar and Cleopatra Today?
Because it is witty, wise, and utterly original. Shaw’s Caesar is one of the great creations of modern drama, a man who has seen everything and been surprised by nothing. His Cleopatra is a portrait of education in action, a girl becoming a queen before our eyes. The play is also, simply, hilarious. Shaw’s dialogue crackles with intelligence, his characters sparkle with wit, his stage directions are themselves a pleasure to read.
FAQ
Is this play historically accurate?
No. Shaw freely adapted historical events to suit his dramatic purposes. His Caesar is a philosopher, not a general; his Cleopatra is a student, not a seductress. The play is not history but commentary on history.
Do I need to know Shakespeare’s play?
It helps. Shaw is writing in dialogue with Shakespeare; his play gains resonance when read alongside its predecessor. But it also stands alone, perfectly comprehensible to readers who have never heard of Antony and Cleopatra.
Is this a comedy?
It is a comedy in Shaw’s special sense: it ends well, it is full of wit, it treats its characters with affection. But it also has tragic dimensions. The burning of the library, the murder of Pothinus, the final parting—these are not comic moments.
How long is it?
Approximately 100 pages in standard editions. It is a full-length play, requiring an evening to read or perform.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. Shaw’s dialogue is brisk, his stage directions are vivid, his wit is portable. Read it anywhere, but read it aloud if you can. The words deserve to be spoken.