Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-11-20
Il Theatre. IL;
"CAEsAR AND CLEOPATRA,

bernard O1dW s caesar ana Cleo
patra," in which Forbes Robertson
and Gertrude Elliott have made a
great success at the New Amsterdam
theatre in New York, seems to have
puzzled the reviewers. Some writers
designate it as "a delicious historical
SATIRE" and others as "a burlesque.'
AS a matter of fact, it is neither a
satire nor a burlesque, but a comedy
drama. The author makes all his
characters human beings who speak
and act like human beings, impelled
by rational human motives. Stilted
blank verse has no place in the dia-
logue and Mr.. Shaw's Caesar is mot
always heroic in the general accept
ance of that term. His Caesar APP
preciates a humorous situation, gets
much humor ven out of serious ones,
and he and other characters say many
smart and witty things, some of
which may be construed to have app
piication to the present time, but
there is not in this phase of the play
a sufficient justification for terming
it distinctively either a satire or a
burlesque in an attempt to CLASSIFY
a very unique departure from tradi-
ton in the dramtic handling of an
historical theme.
Two pages of history, one from the
Roman and one from the Egyptian,
form the basis of the story so closely
that he calls his play "a history, . and
in the program recommends students
and critics not to reject any incl
dent as fictitious before consulting
Manetho and the Egyptian monu
ments, Herodotus, Diodorus, Strabo
(book .1D,g Plutarch, Pomponius
Mela, Pliny, Tacitus, Appian of Alex
andria, and perhaps, Ammianus Mar
cellinus. Or they may refer to
Memmsen, Warde-Fowler, Mr.. st.
George Stocks introduction to the
1898 Clarendon Press Edition of Gaze
sar's Gallo Wars, and Murray's
Handbook of Egypt.
No student or critic who has seen
the play has questioned it's historical
accuracy, and all have enthusiastic
ally praised the acting of Mr. Robert
, son and Miss Elliott and their com
pany and the really magnificent pro-
duction of the piece. The diversity
of opinion is in its classification, and
the only foundation for this is his
tragedies of Julius Caesar" and
Antony and Cleopatra" Mr.. Shaw's
conceptions of these characters are
simply human, not tragic.
The story treats of Julius Caesars
expedition to Egypt at the end of the
thirty-third dynasty, the winter OF
1867 in Rome, by Christian compu'
tation October As B. c., to March AZ
B. C. At this time Caesar was over
fifty and Cleopatra was sixteen years
of age. Caesar routed Pompey a.
Pharsalia. The defeated general fled
to Egypt and when he landed al
Alexandria Tvs murdered by Luclu'
Septimius and Achillas, the com
mander of the Roman army of occu'
patton which had, four year before
restored Ptolemy Athletes, theafathel
of CLEOPATRA and Ptolemy Dionisus
TO his throne, afteE he had been de-
posed by his eldest daughter, Bere'
nice, and her husband. This restor'
alton had been accomplished under
the command of Mark Antony.
Before Pompey's arrival, Ptolem1
Athletes had died and a national party
had been formed to take advantage
of the minority of his children. Ptol
envy Dionisus, aged ten, was haileo
as king. and Cleopatra had been ex'
pelGed from Alexandria and fled tt
SYRIA. The demoralized Romans, un'
der the leadership of Achllias, MAJ
been induced by Pothinus, a place
eunuch who posed as guardian to tnt
king, to support the kings Gauss
When Caesar landed in pursuit O.
Pampey. the head of his old foe ant
rival was laid at his feet as an OIL
fering of welcome. The egyptian
soon found, however, that they wer'
not TO be rewarded with independ
ence. AS the guardian of oma IN
terests, Caesar never lett ahytnin
undone, although to delay IN Esyp
then meant to give time to his oppo
nents in Italy to rally again. Caesa
orhade the setting aside of Ptolem!
Auletes' will and insisted that Cleo
natra and Ptolemy Dionisus shouit
reign. Jointly as their father had OF
dered. This was pposed by Pothinu'
and his faction. Caesar had put .,
600 men. while behind Pothinus ant
his Egyptians there stood the Roman
army of occupation under Achiiia'
and Lucius Septimus. Seeing ina
he had too great a force to conten'
with in the combination OF the no
mans and the Egyptians, Caesar sen
to Mithridates of Pergamus to brln'
reinforcements from Syria. This wa
the historical situation at the open
ing of the dramtic story.
Mr.. Shaw wrote this play for MI
Robertson in 1899 and in 1900 1T wa
printed with two other plays In a Vol
ume called Three Plays for u
tans." For the purpose of brlngin'
the piece within practical piayin.
time. the third act of the printed ca
ition. which is purely episodicai, !
= II ~ - xxArrtnn xEhiRh 4