Portrayal of The Protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's 'Caesar and Cleopatra'.
ABSTRACT
Julius Caesar adalah seorang jenderal Romawi yang terkenal dengan
kemampuannya menyatukan Gaul dibawah kekuasaan Romawi, dan ambisinya untuk
menjadi diktator atas Roma. Banyak pengarang yang mengangkat karakter Julius Caesar
dalam karya mereka, salah satunya adalah George Bernard Shaw yang menggambarkan
karakter Caesar berbeda dari pengarang-pengarang lainnya.
Dalam tugas akhir ini penulis menganalisis karya G. B. Shaw, Caesar and
Cleopatra, dimana dalam karya tersebut Caesar digambarkan melalui sudut pandang
yang berbeda dari apa yang tertulis dalam buku-buku sejarah. Dalam drama tersebut,
pengarang mencoba membuat pembaca melihat Julius Caesar bukan sebagai Julius
Caesar yang haus kekuasaan dan gemar berperang tetapi Julius Caesar yang bermoral,
penuh perhatian, dan memiliki selera humor dalam kesehariannya , sifat-sifat yang tidak
pembaca dapati dalam buku-buku maupun artikel mengenai Julius Caesar. Pengarang
mempertahankan kesamaan yang ada pada tokoh sejarah maupun pada tokoh rekaannya
dan juga perbedaan-perbedaan di antara mereka.
Dari hasil analisis, penulis mendapati bahwa tujuan pengarang menulis karya
tersebut adalah untuk menujukkan kepada pembaca bahwa kita dapat melihat seseorang,
dalam hal ini seorang tokoh sejarah, Julius Caesar, dari perspektif yang berbeda.
Berkaitan dengan hal tersebut, penulis juga menyimpulkan bahwa pengarang telah
menghasilkan suatu karya yang mampu membuat pembaca melihat sisi lain dari seorang
tokoh yang banyak dikenal orang.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................ i
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ..................................................................................
Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................
Purpose of the Study .........................................................................................
Method of Research ..........................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................
1
3
3
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW’S CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA ................................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION .................................................................... 16
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 20
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Caesar and Cleopatra ................................................................. 22
Biography of George Bernard Shaw ............................................................... 23
i
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Caesar and Cleopatra
The play starts with a prologue by Ra, an Egyptian god, who addresses his
speech to the audience. In the prologue, Ra explains about Rome and its condition, and
he also tells about Julius Caesar and how he wants to change the old Rome. The first act
starts with Caesar’s first meeting with Cleopatra, a young queen who wants to be the
sole ruler of Egypt but who is very incompetent and full of fear of the Romans. After
that, Caesar meets other Egyptian characters including Ptolemy, the king, and Pothinus,
his guardian; he states his purpose of coming to Egypt, which is to collect taxes, and the
Egyptians get angry and suddenly Caesar is besieged and has to go to Pharos for further
strategy. In Pharos, Caesar waits for backup army while protecting the rest of the
soldiers in the island. Cleopatra visits him there, which ends with them swimming back
to Alexandria.
Caesar eventually captures Alexandria and Cleopatra invites him and several
other people to celebrate, but Pothinus warns Caesar that Cleopatra is only using him to
be the sole ruler of Egypt. Cleopatra feels threatened and has Ftatateeta kill him, which
results in Rufio kill the Ftatateeta. The play ends with the scene when Caesar is about to
leave Egypt; he appoints a governor for Egypt, bids his goodbye to Cleopatra, and
finally sails to Rome.
22
Maranatha Christian University
Biography of George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 26 July 1856 to George
Carr Shaw and Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw. He was known as a playwright, a critic, and a
political activist. He was also an amateur photographer. He was awarded Nobel Prize of
Literature in 1925, an Oscar in 1938, and Academy Award for Writing Adapted
Screenplay for his Pygmalion. He was best known for his plays, which concerned about
education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege. He felt angry
with the exploitation of working class and wrote much about that. Shaw married
Charlotte Payne-Townshend and they lived in Ayot St. Lawrence, a place which was
later called “Shaw’s Corner”. His education was irregular, due to his dislike of
organized learning. He quit school and began to work as a clerk in a public office (1876),
and then he went to London and continued his study by reading and exploring in British
Museum and public libraries. He started to write since then. He produced 63 plays,
some of which are Mrs. Warren’s Profession (1898), Pygmalion (1914), Man and
Superman (1903), and Caesar and Cleopatra (1901). His plays were first performed in
1890s. His novels, Cashel Byron's Profession (1886), An Unsocial Socialist (1887),
Love among the Artists (1900), The Irrational Knot (1905), and Immaturity (1931) were
not as successful as his plays. His later plays would never be as good as his earlier ones,
but some of them are also noticeable, like St. Joan (1924). He sometimes wrote a very
long preface for his plays, which contained his own thoughts about the issue appeared in
the play. He died on 2 November 1950.
Source: “George Bernard Shaw-Biography”
23
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Julius Caesar (100BC – 44BC) was a Roman military leader and a great politician at his
time, and was well known for his slogan “Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)”
(McManus). He really was successful in his political career, partly for his being ambitious and
the rest because of the fact that “throughout his life he has known as an eloquent speaker”
(McManus); he was able to captivate people with his words and he made a good use of it to put
himself on the top position. Born “into the prestigious Julian clan” (“Julius Caesar (100BC44BC)”), he set his ambition to reach the top of Roman political system, and progressed himself
through it (“Julius Caesar (100BC-44BC)”). He was a victorious general and had conquered a lot
of countries to be put into Roman Empire “...conquer[ed] most of what is now central
Europe, . . . .However, much of the conquest was an act of aggression prompted by personal
ambition (McManus).”
1
Maranatha Christian University
Throughout his campaign, Caesar practiced—and widely publicized—his policy of
clemency (he would put no one to death and confiscate no property)” (McManus) although some
critics said that Caesar practiced his clemency only to win people’s heart, as said in the
introduction of the play: “the real Caesar could be savage, for all his vaunted ‘clemency’ (Shaw
xxxii).” His great power and ambition made some traitors decided to kill him before he became
more powerful. His death had led Roman Empire into civil war and ended up in the traitors’ loss.
Being a military leader, he was said to have no humour. According to Mommsen, a 19th-century
German historian, “Caesar had a normal Roman’s unpoetic temperament”, and “Mommsen’s
description of him mentions no trace of humour,” said Shaw (xxxii).
Since Julius Caesar was a very great figure in history, many authors wrote about him.
Some tried to capture the Julius Caesar known by most people, some tried to picture the different
sides of him; G. B. Shaw was one of the authors who tried to portray the different sides of Julius
Caesar. George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) dedicated himself to art, including literature, and
wrote 63 plays in total. “He would not write a line purely for idle entertainment,…” (Rockman 8).
He used his literary works to express his own thoughts, and he used them smartly. He had
received critiques but he stuck to the style and continued making more great plays against the era
of melodrama. In the late 19th century, people were used to plays staged merely for
entertainment; Shaw, who was a drama critic at that time, felt quite disappointed with that
condition and decided to follow the path of fellow dramatists like Ibsen and Chekhov to break a
new ground, by “challenging their audiences with serious ideas bravely faced. . . .” (Shaw xxiii)
Among the plays Shaw had written throughout his life, there is one entitled Caesar and
Cleopatra. Although it is not his most famous play, it is still a very interesting play. It portrays
Julius Caesar differently from what I have read in other sources, thus I will analyse Julius
2
Maranatha Christian University
Caesar’s characteristics in this play. Although the play does not thoroughly fit the historical facts,
it still has several corresponding details in the story. In this play, I can see how Shaw creates an
interesting story by using a different style than most playwrights at his time to portray people;
giving his Julius Caesar in this play some poetic and humorous traits which contradict the
common image of the Roman General and carrying the storyline not typically like in most toodramatic plays in the era.
In this thesis, I would like to discuss the portrayal of the protagonist, Julius Caesar.
Portrayal is “the act of showing or describing somebody/something in a picture, play, book, etc.;
a particular way in which this is done” (“Portrayal”). I am going to identify his characteristics
and figure out the purpose of the author in creating the protagonist with certain portrayal.
Statement of the Problem
After reading the play, there are some things I would like to discuss:
1. How is the protagonist portrayed in the play?
2. What is the purpose of the author by creating such a character?
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of writing this thesis are:
1. To see how the protagonist is portrayed in the play.
2. To understand the purpose of the author by creating such a character.
3
Maranatha Christian University
Method of Research
The method I use is library research. I start by reading the play, Caesar and Cleopatra.
Then I analyse the novel by using formalism. I take some references and resources from the
Internet and books to support the analysis and assist me to write the thesis. Finally, I draw a
conclusion from my analysis.
Organization of the Thesis
I divide the thesis into three chapters. In the first chapter, I present the Introduction,
which contains the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the
Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis. The second chapter is the
Portrayal of the Protagonist in George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra. The third chapter
is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices, which include the
Synopsis of the Play and the Biography of the Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analysed the portrayal of Julius Caesar in G. B. Shaw’s Caesar
and Cleopatra in the previous chapter, I find out that the historical figure, Julius
Caesar, and G. B. Shaw’s Julius Caesar share one similarity and some differences.
The similarity of their portrayals lies on the fact that they are both portrayed as a
brave general. The Julius Caesar in historical sources is portrayed as a war general
with his undeniable capability to capture many lands under the Roman Empire by
defeating opponents in battlefields; Shaw’s Caesar, on the other hand, is placed at
a calmer setting of place and time but still Shaw is able to pull out a courageous
characteristic through his reactions toward events happening in the story.
The differences found between Julius Caesar in history and in G. B.
Shaw’s drama, however, are not completely the opposite; they do not need to be,
but still they give different lights on the figure. Shaw so wittily puts
characteristics into his portrayal of Caesar that it portrays Julius Caesar, yet at the
same time portraying a man who is much different from Caesar. While Julius
Caesar is said to pursue only political position by winning wars and people’s
16
Maranatha Christian University
hearts with his eloquence and leadership, not only Shaw’s Caesar is
portrayed as a capable general but also as a person who cares about the Roman
soldiers he brings with him. He even cares about Cleopatra, who is practically a
stranger to him; his caring actions can be seen throughout the play.
Julius Caesar’s savageness is not the issue that Shaw highlights in
portraying his Caesar. In real life, the man seems to be heartless as he slays many
people during his attempt to acquire areas for the Roman Empire, but in Caesar
and Cleopatra, Shaw’s Caesar is a man who holds virtues in his life. His Caesar
condemns wrongdoings and later realizes that he has no rights to punish the
wrongdoers because he is just as bad as them.
Shaw’s Caesar also shows sense of humour, unlike the historical figure,
Julius Caesar, who is devoid of such emotion. Shaw’s Caesar jokes and teases,
replies to a mock wittily, and consoles a mourning heart by his playful
characteristic; the portrayal we cannot find in Julius Caesar in history.
Considering the similarity and the differences found between Julius
Caesar’s and G. B. Shaw’s Caesar’s characteristics, I conclude that Shaw’s
purpose of creating such a character is to let the readers see Julius Caesar, the
historical figure they know, in a different view.
Shaw maintains Caesar’s inevitable characteristic, which is his being
courageous, and at the same time manages to show the characteristics that are not
much exposed in history. G. B. Shaw, the playwright, cannot leave out the fact
that Julius Caesar is a brave man even in his literary works because it is who
Caesar is; nevertheless, he sets the setting to be slightly different from the real
facts. Shaw is persistent to keep his Caesar’s characteristics which are different
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from the history, although by writing the play in such a way he states his
disagreement with the current trend at that time, melodrama.
The similarity the historical figure and Shaw’s Caesar share has led to the
differences and then to the purpose of the author in creating Caesar’s character
with such portrayal. Shaw wants to show Julius Caesar from different perspective
in Caesar and Cleopatra by giving his Caesar a caring portrayal rather than
following the history books.
Shaw also gives his Caesar virtuous characteristic, providing the readers a
figure that is straight, not judgemental, and holds to life virtues rather than a man
with camouflaged ambition under his practice of clemency. The next difference is
about Shaw’s Caesar’s humorous side which Shaw thinks very important in his
character making since it makes his Caesar different from the original historical
figure or other writers’ portrayals of Julius Caesar.
After reading and analyse the play, I learn that there is not only one way to
see someone; we might want to put that someone under different spotlight to learn
about him / her better. I once again conclude that G. B. Shaw’s purpose in making
his own version of Julius Caesar is to show the readers there are other ways to see
Julius Caesar besides his being a military general. Being unique and complicated,
a famous figure like Julius Caesar has many traits and characteristics that intrigue
people to discuss them. Many writers try to portray him in their literary works; G.
B. Shaw, however, tries to bring out the traits yet to be explored by other writers
ahead of him. Shaw balances the characteristics of Julius Caesar in his play with
the ones in history and manages to put his Caesar under the light he wants; he
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wants the readers to see Julius Caesar not only as a brave soldier or an ambitious
politician but also as an ordinary man who has virtues and sense of humour.
19
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Shaw, George Bernard. Caesar and Cleopatra. 1989. Caesar and Cleopatra. Ed.
Frances Frazer. Hong Kong: Wing King Tong Co. Ltd., 1985. Print. 11 – 121.
References
“Caring.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
“Courage.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
“Courageous.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
“George Bernard Shaw.” McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. United
States of America: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1972. 142-174. Print.
“George Bernard Shaw-Biography.” Nobelprize.org. 2010. n.p. n.d. Web. 24 Mar.
2010.
“Humorous.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
“Julius Caesar (100 BC – 44 BC).” BBC. 2010. n.p. n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
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Mc Manus, Barbara F. “Julius Caesar: Historical Background.” Vroma. 2009.
Web. 17 May 2010.
“Portrayal.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
Rockman, Robert. The Plays of G. B. Shaw. New York: Monarch Press, 1964.
Print. 6 – 13, 22 – 32.
Toynbee,
Arnold
Joseph.
“Julius
Caesar.”
Encyclopædia
Britannica.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web.
20 Oct. 2012
“Virtuous.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
21
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Julius Caesar adalah seorang jenderal Romawi yang terkenal dengan
kemampuannya menyatukan Gaul dibawah kekuasaan Romawi, dan ambisinya untuk
menjadi diktator atas Roma. Banyak pengarang yang mengangkat karakter Julius Caesar
dalam karya mereka, salah satunya adalah George Bernard Shaw yang menggambarkan
karakter Caesar berbeda dari pengarang-pengarang lainnya.
Dalam tugas akhir ini penulis menganalisis karya G. B. Shaw, Caesar and
Cleopatra, dimana dalam karya tersebut Caesar digambarkan melalui sudut pandang
yang berbeda dari apa yang tertulis dalam buku-buku sejarah. Dalam drama tersebut,
pengarang mencoba membuat pembaca melihat Julius Caesar bukan sebagai Julius
Caesar yang haus kekuasaan dan gemar berperang tetapi Julius Caesar yang bermoral,
penuh perhatian, dan memiliki selera humor dalam kesehariannya , sifat-sifat yang tidak
pembaca dapati dalam buku-buku maupun artikel mengenai Julius Caesar. Pengarang
mempertahankan kesamaan yang ada pada tokoh sejarah maupun pada tokoh rekaannya
dan juga perbedaan-perbedaan di antara mereka.
Dari hasil analisis, penulis mendapati bahwa tujuan pengarang menulis karya
tersebut adalah untuk menujukkan kepada pembaca bahwa kita dapat melihat seseorang,
dalam hal ini seorang tokoh sejarah, Julius Caesar, dari perspektif yang berbeda.
Berkaitan dengan hal tersebut, penulis juga menyimpulkan bahwa pengarang telah
menghasilkan suatu karya yang mampu membuat pembaca melihat sisi lain dari seorang
tokoh yang banyak dikenal orang.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................ i
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ..................................................................................
Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................
Purpose of the Study .........................................................................................
Method of Research ..........................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................
1
3
3
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW’S CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA ................................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION .................................................................... 16
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 20
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Caesar and Cleopatra ................................................................. 22
Biography of George Bernard Shaw ............................................................... 23
i
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Caesar and Cleopatra
The play starts with a prologue by Ra, an Egyptian god, who addresses his
speech to the audience. In the prologue, Ra explains about Rome and its condition, and
he also tells about Julius Caesar and how he wants to change the old Rome. The first act
starts with Caesar’s first meeting with Cleopatra, a young queen who wants to be the
sole ruler of Egypt but who is very incompetent and full of fear of the Romans. After
that, Caesar meets other Egyptian characters including Ptolemy, the king, and Pothinus,
his guardian; he states his purpose of coming to Egypt, which is to collect taxes, and the
Egyptians get angry and suddenly Caesar is besieged and has to go to Pharos for further
strategy. In Pharos, Caesar waits for backup army while protecting the rest of the
soldiers in the island. Cleopatra visits him there, which ends with them swimming back
to Alexandria.
Caesar eventually captures Alexandria and Cleopatra invites him and several
other people to celebrate, but Pothinus warns Caesar that Cleopatra is only using him to
be the sole ruler of Egypt. Cleopatra feels threatened and has Ftatateeta kill him, which
results in Rufio kill the Ftatateeta. The play ends with the scene when Caesar is about to
leave Egypt; he appoints a governor for Egypt, bids his goodbye to Cleopatra, and
finally sails to Rome.
22
Maranatha Christian University
Biography of George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 26 July 1856 to George
Carr Shaw and Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw. He was known as a playwright, a critic, and a
political activist. He was also an amateur photographer. He was awarded Nobel Prize of
Literature in 1925, an Oscar in 1938, and Academy Award for Writing Adapted
Screenplay for his Pygmalion. He was best known for his plays, which concerned about
education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege. He felt angry
with the exploitation of working class and wrote much about that. Shaw married
Charlotte Payne-Townshend and they lived in Ayot St. Lawrence, a place which was
later called “Shaw’s Corner”. His education was irregular, due to his dislike of
organized learning. He quit school and began to work as a clerk in a public office (1876),
and then he went to London and continued his study by reading and exploring in British
Museum and public libraries. He started to write since then. He produced 63 plays,
some of which are Mrs. Warren’s Profession (1898), Pygmalion (1914), Man and
Superman (1903), and Caesar and Cleopatra (1901). His plays were first performed in
1890s. His novels, Cashel Byron's Profession (1886), An Unsocial Socialist (1887),
Love among the Artists (1900), The Irrational Knot (1905), and Immaturity (1931) were
not as successful as his plays. His later plays would never be as good as his earlier ones,
but some of them are also noticeable, like St. Joan (1924). He sometimes wrote a very
long preface for his plays, which contained his own thoughts about the issue appeared in
the play. He died on 2 November 1950.
Source: “George Bernard Shaw-Biography”
23
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Julius Caesar (100BC – 44BC) was a Roman military leader and a great politician at his
time, and was well known for his slogan “Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)”
(McManus). He really was successful in his political career, partly for his being ambitious and
the rest because of the fact that “throughout his life he has known as an eloquent speaker”
(McManus); he was able to captivate people with his words and he made a good use of it to put
himself on the top position. Born “into the prestigious Julian clan” (“Julius Caesar (100BC44BC)”), he set his ambition to reach the top of Roman political system, and progressed himself
through it (“Julius Caesar (100BC-44BC)”). He was a victorious general and had conquered a lot
of countries to be put into Roman Empire “...conquer[ed] most of what is now central
Europe, . . . .However, much of the conquest was an act of aggression prompted by personal
ambition (McManus).”
1
Maranatha Christian University
Throughout his campaign, Caesar practiced—and widely publicized—his policy of
clemency (he would put no one to death and confiscate no property)” (McManus) although some
critics said that Caesar practiced his clemency only to win people’s heart, as said in the
introduction of the play: “the real Caesar could be savage, for all his vaunted ‘clemency’ (Shaw
xxxii).” His great power and ambition made some traitors decided to kill him before he became
more powerful. His death had led Roman Empire into civil war and ended up in the traitors’ loss.
Being a military leader, he was said to have no humour. According to Mommsen, a 19th-century
German historian, “Caesar had a normal Roman’s unpoetic temperament”, and “Mommsen’s
description of him mentions no trace of humour,” said Shaw (xxxii).
Since Julius Caesar was a very great figure in history, many authors wrote about him.
Some tried to capture the Julius Caesar known by most people, some tried to picture the different
sides of him; G. B. Shaw was one of the authors who tried to portray the different sides of Julius
Caesar. George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) dedicated himself to art, including literature, and
wrote 63 plays in total. “He would not write a line purely for idle entertainment,…” (Rockman 8).
He used his literary works to express his own thoughts, and he used them smartly. He had
received critiques but he stuck to the style and continued making more great plays against the era
of melodrama. In the late 19th century, people were used to plays staged merely for
entertainment; Shaw, who was a drama critic at that time, felt quite disappointed with that
condition and decided to follow the path of fellow dramatists like Ibsen and Chekhov to break a
new ground, by “challenging their audiences with serious ideas bravely faced. . . .” (Shaw xxiii)
Among the plays Shaw had written throughout his life, there is one entitled Caesar and
Cleopatra. Although it is not his most famous play, it is still a very interesting play. It portrays
Julius Caesar differently from what I have read in other sources, thus I will analyse Julius
2
Maranatha Christian University
Caesar’s characteristics in this play. Although the play does not thoroughly fit the historical facts,
it still has several corresponding details in the story. In this play, I can see how Shaw creates an
interesting story by using a different style than most playwrights at his time to portray people;
giving his Julius Caesar in this play some poetic and humorous traits which contradict the
common image of the Roman General and carrying the storyline not typically like in most toodramatic plays in the era.
In this thesis, I would like to discuss the portrayal of the protagonist, Julius Caesar.
Portrayal is “the act of showing or describing somebody/something in a picture, play, book, etc.;
a particular way in which this is done” (“Portrayal”). I am going to identify his characteristics
and figure out the purpose of the author in creating the protagonist with certain portrayal.
Statement of the Problem
After reading the play, there are some things I would like to discuss:
1. How is the protagonist portrayed in the play?
2. What is the purpose of the author by creating such a character?
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of writing this thesis are:
1. To see how the protagonist is portrayed in the play.
2. To understand the purpose of the author by creating such a character.
3
Maranatha Christian University
Method of Research
The method I use is library research. I start by reading the play, Caesar and Cleopatra.
Then I analyse the novel by using formalism. I take some references and resources from the
Internet and books to support the analysis and assist me to write the thesis. Finally, I draw a
conclusion from my analysis.
Organization of the Thesis
I divide the thesis into three chapters. In the first chapter, I present the Introduction,
which contains the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the
Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis. The second chapter is the
Portrayal of the Protagonist in George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra. The third chapter
is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices, which include the
Synopsis of the Play and the Biography of the Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analysed the portrayal of Julius Caesar in G. B. Shaw’s Caesar
and Cleopatra in the previous chapter, I find out that the historical figure, Julius
Caesar, and G. B. Shaw’s Julius Caesar share one similarity and some differences.
The similarity of their portrayals lies on the fact that they are both portrayed as a
brave general. The Julius Caesar in historical sources is portrayed as a war general
with his undeniable capability to capture many lands under the Roman Empire by
defeating opponents in battlefields; Shaw’s Caesar, on the other hand, is placed at
a calmer setting of place and time but still Shaw is able to pull out a courageous
characteristic through his reactions toward events happening in the story.
The differences found between Julius Caesar in history and in G. B.
Shaw’s drama, however, are not completely the opposite; they do not need to be,
but still they give different lights on the figure. Shaw so wittily puts
characteristics into his portrayal of Caesar that it portrays Julius Caesar, yet at the
same time portraying a man who is much different from Caesar. While Julius
Caesar is said to pursue only political position by winning wars and people’s
16
Maranatha Christian University
hearts with his eloquence and leadership, not only Shaw’s Caesar is
portrayed as a capable general but also as a person who cares about the Roman
soldiers he brings with him. He even cares about Cleopatra, who is practically a
stranger to him; his caring actions can be seen throughout the play.
Julius Caesar’s savageness is not the issue that Shaw highlights in
portraying his Caesar. In real life, the man seems to be heartless as he slays many
people during his attempt to acquire areas for the Roman Empire, but in Caesar
and Cleopatra, Shaw’s Caesar is a man who holds virtues in his life. His Caesar
condemns wrongdoings and later realizes that he has no rights to punish the
wrongdoers because he is just as bad as them.
Shaw’s Caesar also shows sense of humour, unlike the historical figure,
Julius Caesar, who is devoid of such emotion. Shaw’s Caesar jokes and teases,
replies to a mock wittily, and consoles a mourning heart by his playful
characteristic; the portrayal we cannot find in Julius Caesar in history.
Considering the similarity and the differences found between Julius
Caesar’s and G. B. Shaw’s Caesar’s characteristics, I conclude that Shaw’s
purpose of creating such a character is to let the readers see Julius Caesar, the
historical figure they know, in a different view.
Shaw maintains Caesar’s inevitable characteristic, which is his being
courageous, and at the same time manages to show the characteristics that are not
much exposed in history. G. B. Shaw, the playwright, cannot leave out the fact
that Julius Caesar is a brave man even in his literary works because it is who
Caesar is; nevertheless, he sets the setting to be slightly different from the real
facts. Shaw is persistent to keep his Caesar’s characteristics which are different
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from the history, although by writing the play in such a way he states his
disagreement with the current trend at that time, melodrama.
The similarity the historical figure and Shaw’s Caesar share has led to the
differences and then to the purpose of the author in creating Caesar’s character
with such portrayal. Shaw wants to show Julius Caesar from different perspective
in Caesar and Cleopatra by giving his Caesar a caring portrayal rather than
following the history books.
Shaw also gives his Caesar virtuous characteristic, providing the readers a
figure that is straight, not judgemental, and holds to life virtues rather than a man
with camouflaged ambition under his practice of clemency. The next difference is
about Shaw’s Caesar’s humorous side which Shaw thinks very important in his
character making since it makes his Caesar different from the original historical
figure or other writers’ portrayals of Julius Caesar.
After reading and analyse the play, I learn that there is not only one way to
see someone; we might want to put that someone under different spotlight to learn
about him / her better. I once again conclude that G. B. Shaw’s purpose in making
his own version of Julius Caesar is to show the readers there are other ways to see
Julius Caesar besides his being a military general. Being unique and complicated,
a famous figure like Julius Caesar has many traits and characteristics that intrigue
people to discuss them. Many writers try to portray him in their literary works; G.
B. Shaw, however, tries to bring out the traits yet to be explored by other writers
ahead of him. Shaw balances the characteristics of Julius Caesar in his play with
the ones in history and manages to put his Caesar under the light he wants; he
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wants the readers to see Julius Caesar not only as a brave soldier or an ambitious
politician but also as an ordinary man who has virtues and sense of humour.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Shaw, George Bernard. Caesar and Cleopatra. 1989. Caesar and Cleopatra. Ed.
Frances Frazer. Hong Kong: Wing King Tong Co. Ltd., 1985. Print. 11 – 121.
References
“Caring.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
“Courage.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
“Courageous.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
“George Bernard Shaw.” McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. United
States of America: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1972. 142-174. Print.
“George Bernard Shaw-Biography.” Nobelprize.org. 2010. n.p. n.d. Web. 24 Mar.
2010.
“Humorous.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
“Julius Caesar (100 BC – 44 BC).” BBC. 2010. n.p. n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
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Mc Manus, Barbara F. “Julius Caesar: Historical Background.” Vroma. 2009.
Web. 17 May 2010.
“Portrayal.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
Rockman, Robert. The Plays of G. B. Shaw. New York: Monarch Press, 1964.
Print. 6 – 13, 22 – 32.
Toynbee,
Arnold
Joseph.
“Julius
Caesar.”
Encyclopædia
Britannica.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web.
20 Oct. 2012
“Virtuous.” Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
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