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Act 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Caesar and Cleopatra, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Romanticization of History
Vengeance vs. Mercy
Pragmatism vs. Sentimentality
Empire, Civilization, and Progress
Age, Experience, and Power
Summary
Analysis
Six months later, Cleopatra rests in her chamber at the palace in Alexandria and listens to a slave girl play the harp. The girl’s instructor, an old musician, sits nearby and assesses the performance. Ftatateeta and some other female enslaved people listen to the performance from the doorway. Cleopatra asks the musician if he can teach her to play the harp, too, since Caesar loves music. The musician tells Cleopatra the task will take four years, since she must first learn the philosophy of Pythagoras. Cleopatra asks if the slave girl learned to play this way, too, and the musician explains that the girl is enslaved and “learns as a dog learns.” Cleopatra tells him that she will learn the slave girl’s way, since she plays better than the musician, anyway. Cleopatra pays the girl and dismisses them.
Pythagoras was an ancient Greek philosopher who supposedly discovered that musical pitches could be translated into mathematical equations. In other words, there’s a direct correlation between the length of string on a stringed instrument and the pitch the string produces. There’s an inherent elitism in the old musician’s claim that knowledge of Pythagoras’s theory is necessary to learn the harp, since the enslaved girl (not to mention most contemporary musicians) master their instrument without such extraneous technical knowledge. Cleopatra’s rejection of this traditional, institutionally sanctioned type of musical education shows that she has adopted Caesar’s progress-oriented personal philosophy, rejecting arbitrary reverence to the past and tradition in favor of a more practical approach to the world.
Themes
Literary Devices
Cleopatra asks her ladies and enslaved people for gossip. One girl, Iras, tells Cleopatra that Pothinus has been attempting to bribe Ftatateeta to speak with Cleopatra. Cleopatra declares that she will only see the guests that she wants to see. The girls laugh at Cleopatra. Annoyed, Cleopatra asks the girls if they know why she allows them to say whatever they want, even if it’s at her expense. One of the girls, Charmian, replies that it’s because Caesar would let them, and Cleopatra copies everything that Caesar does. The girls erupt into laughter.
This scene presents further evidence of just how hard Cleopatra has tried to emulate Caesar’s personal principles and approach to leadership. She’s trying to treat her subjects with more mercy and compassion, a far cry from her earlier embrace of violence and retribution. Yet, one gets the sense that Cleopatra’s new embrace of compassion is less evidence of her new principled demeanor than a childish effort to impress Caesar.
Themes
When Ftatateeta returns, Cleopatra asks her if the rumors about Pothinus are true. Ftatateeta sputters. Cleopatra ignores Ftatateeta’s discomfort and orders her to accept Pothinus’s bribe and bring him to her chamber. Ftatateeta leaves. Iras wishes that Caesar would return to Rome. Charmian agrees, arguing that Caesar makes Cleopatra “so terribly prosy and serious and learned and philosophical.” Their conversation ends when Ftatateeta returns with Pothinus.
As established in Act II, Pothinus has a clear incentive to want Ptolemy to have complete control of Egypt, so it’s sensible to question his reasons for wanting to speak with Cleopatra. He likely has something up his sleeve to compromise her ability to rule or, perhaps, to create conflict between Cleopatra and Caesar. Charmian’s remark about Caesar making Cleopatra “so terribly prosy and serious and learned and philosophical” condescends Cleopatra’s newly merciful, empathetic, and measured style of leadership. Charmian portrays the change in Cleopatra as insincere, superficial, and primarily driven by Cleopatra’s desire to impress and mimic Caesar.
Themes
Cleopatra asks Pothinus if he’s heard any news about future battles from his rebel friends. Pothinus reminds her that prisoners don’t receive mail, then he accuses her of being a child incapable of understanding the complex matter of war. Cleopatra assures him that she is no longer a child. Cleopatra orders everyone besides Pothinus to leave. Ftatateeta protests, but Cleopatra threatens to throw her into the Nile if she resists. Ftatateeta mutters about Cleopatra being as bad as “what these Romans call a New Woman” but obeys and exits the chamber.
Cleopatra’s threat to throw Ftatateeta into the Nile—a remark that recalls the power-hungry embrace of violence she exhibited prior to Caesar’s mentorship—undercuts her claim to Pothinus that she is no longer a child. While Cleopatra might have internalized Caesar’s teachings about mercy and pragmatism on a superficial level, she’s still an immature teenager prone to lapses in judgment and impulsivity.
Themes
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Once Cleopatra and Pothinus are alone, Cleopatra asks Pothinus why he wanted to speak to her. He’s visibly flustered and claims that he wanted to ask her for his freedom. Cleopatra doesn’t believe him, arguing that he would have gone to Caesar for this request, not her. She correctly guesses that Pothinus had planned to approach Cleopatra about something assuming that she was still a naïve child. Now that he sees that she’s grown up, he can no longer ask her. Pothinus realizes that Cleopatra really has changed. He wonders aloud whether Cleopatra is really queen or if she, like the rest of them, is enslaved by Caesar. While Cleopatra might be enslaved now, she promises Pothinus that Caesar will make her queen when he departs Egypt for Rome.
Pothinus is visibly uncomfortable because, despite Cleopatra’s occasional lapses in judgement, it’s clear to him that she really has matured under Caesar’s guidance and will be less susceptible to manipulation than Pothinus had hoped she might be. Pothinus’s question about whether Cleopatra is acting of her own volition or on Caesar’s orders seems to be an attempt to rile Cleopatra, and it works: Pothinus gets Cleopatra to admit to her quest for power and desire for Caesar to leave Egypt. Since Pothinus has incentive to have Cleopatra, once more, deposed, it’s reasonable to predict that Pothinus will use Cleopatra’s admission against her, perhaps alerting Caesar to Cleopatra’s supposed attempt to remove him from Egypt to fulfill her personal political agenda.
Themes
Pothinus mentions the rumors floating around that Cleopatra is in love with Caesar. Cleopatra insists that she only admires Caesar for teaching her how to be wise. Moreover, Cleopatra is in love with a different Roman, a man named Mark Antony, whom Caesar has promised to bring to Egypt. After a moment, Pothinus asks Cleopatra why she sent for him today. Cleopatra tells Pothinus that he is wrong to assume that he will rule Egypt through Ptolemy, should Ptolemy gain control of the throne. Caesar will eat him, Ptolemy, and Achillas “as a cat eats mice.” Pothinus argues that the Egyptians outnumber Caesar’s ranks, but Cleopatra ignores him and leaves.
For all of Cleopatra’s efforts to appear wizened and experienced, she hasn’t handled this encounter with Pothinus all that well. In rejecting Pothinus and expressing her desire to rule Egypt in Caesar’s absence, she’s upset Pothinus and given him information that he could potentially use against her. She hasn’t approached this interaction with political strategy in mind and acted, instead, on her passionate hatred of Pothinus. As the play has repeatedly demonstrated through Caesar’s expertly orchestrated military and political maneuvers, it is always advisable to keep one’s subjective feelings separate from politics and leadership.
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Literary Devices
Pothinus tries to follow Cleopatra, but Ftatateeta, who has been eavesdropping on their conversation, stops him. She tells Pothinus that he should arrange for Lucius Septimius to speak with Cleopatra, since she refuses to listen to her own people. Pothinus tells Ftatateeta that he’s going to go to a Roman even more powerful than Lucius, since literally any ruler is better “than a woman with a Roman heart.” He tells Ftatateeta that her scheme to rule Egypt through Cleopatra will never work, since Cleopatra will never claim the throne while Pothinus is alive.
When Pothinus accuses Cleopatra of being “a woman with a Roman heart,” he’s criticizing what he sees as Cleopatra’s betrayal of her Egyptian people to advance the pursuits of Caesar’s Roman agenda. He’s effectively claiming that nationalist loyalty is a more admirable trait in a leader than effective leadership. He’s letting his impassioned nationalism get in the way of rationally assessing the future of Ptolemaic Egypt.
Themes
Literary Devices
Meanwhile, Rufio climbs onto the palace roof, where a table is set for dinner. Rufio sits down at the table. Caesar appears, freshly bathed and dressed in a purple silken tunic. He nods approvingly at Rufio’s fine clothing and suggests that Rufio must have dressed up to celebrate Caesar’s birthday. Rufio scoffs, reminding Caesar that he always says it’s his birthday when he wants to impress a beautiful woman or ingratiate himself with some public official—in fact, Caesar has had seven birthdays over the past 10 months alone. Caesar tells Rufio that Cleopatra and Apollodorus the Sicilian will dine with them this evening. Rufio curses Apollodorus, calling him a “popinjay.” Caesar doesn’t disagree, though he adds that the man is always a good time. Furthermore, old politicians will bore Cleopatra, and he needed to invite a guest capable of entertaining her.
Caesar’s birthday party scheme comically illuminates how fully Caesar’s pragmatism influences his every action. He can’t even indulge in leisurely activities without bringing political strategy into the mix. A “popinjay” is a pejorative term for a vain person, typically one who dresses flamboyantly. Caesar and Rufio’s use of the term to describe Apollodorus shows that they don’t take him particularly seriously, specifically due to his reverence for art and beauty, which they (and particularly Caesar) believe are secondary to pragmatic concerns such as the advancement and expansion of civilization.
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Literary Devices
Rufio implies that he has something important to tell Caesar, and Caesar motions for his enslaved people to draw the curtains. Once certain that they are alone, Rufio tells Caesar that Pothinus wants to speak with him about a supposed scheme the women are developing. Caesar is irritated when he learns that Pothinus hasn’t escaped, which Caesar usually expects and allows prisoners to do. Rufio tells Caesar that Pothinus willfully sacrifices his freedom to spy on Caesar. He also admits that he has brought Pothinus with to speak with Caesar. Caesar reluctantly agrees to see him. Pothinus enters, stalls for a bit, and then informs Caesar that Cleopatra is plotting to betray him.
Caesar’s pattern of expecting and allowing prisoners to escape is an extreme example of his commitment of clemency and pragmatism. Caesar’s policy derives from the pointlessness of expending additional Roman soldiers to monitor prisoners whom he has already defeated. Pothinus’s claim about Cleopatra is evidence that she was foolish not to be more careful about what she disclosed to him in their meeting together. While Cleopatra claims to be more mature and fit to lead Egypt, the lack of caution she exercised around Pothinus—and the potentially negative ramifications of that carelessness—shows that she still lacks the foresight to consider the long-term consequences of her behavior.
Themes
Before Caesar can respond to Pothinus’s scandalous claim, Cleopatra appears, dressed glamorously. Caesar tells her that Pothinus was just about to say something about her that she ought to hear, too. At first, Pothinus refuses to speak. Cleopatra warns him that she has ways of making him talk, but Pothinus insists that Caesar would never approve such methods. Sure enough, Caesar grants Pothinus his freedom and orders him to never appear again. Cleopatra is furious that Caesar won’t punish Pothinus. Pothinus refuses to leave, however. He demands that Caesar speak with him in private, suggesting Caesar’s life is in danger. Finally, Pothinus breaks the news in front of Cleopatra: Cleopatra wants Cesar to leave Egypt—either voluntarily or by death—because she believes that he will crown her the ruler of Egypt upon his departure.
Cleopatra’s implicit threat to torture Pothinus if he doesn’t speak is further evidence of the superficiality of her supposed maturation. It shows that she’s just as impulsive, impassioned, and drawn to violence as she was at the start of the play. Pothinus’s claim isn’t entirely true—Cleopatra never mentioned a plan to force Caesar to leave Egypt. Nonetheless, Pothinus’s accusation has the potential to turn Caesar against Cleopatra despite their somewhat affectionate relationship, since Caesar will always act practically rather than emotionally to preserve or maximize his power.
Themes
Literary Devices
Cleopatra furiously denies Pothinus’s accusation, but Caesar is entirely unmoved. He tells Cleopatra that even if she doesn’t realize it, she likely wants him to leave Egypt—and she should. Caesar can’t justify being angry at Cleopatra, since it’s only natural that she would want to rule Egypt. Cleopatra is overcome with emotion, so Caesar, Rufio, and Pothinus exit to give her some time to collect herself.
Caesar’s pragmatism and rationality ends up working in Cleopatra’s favor, since he understands that it’s logical for Cleopatra to want to regain her control of Egypt. She’s been upfront about this desire all along, and it’s only natural that she would want to leverage her relationship with Caesar to accomplish her goal of reclaiming the royal throne.
Themes
Only Ftatateeta and Cleopatra remain on the roof. Once Cleopatra is satisfied that nobody can hear her, she orders Ftatateeta to kill Pothinus. Ftatateeta smiles a toothy grin and promises to follow through with the request. Caesar returns, followed by Apollodorus and Rufio. Cleopatra runs to Caesar and wraps her arms around him. Ftatateeta exits, exchanging a meaningful glance with Cleopatra on her way out. Apollodorus compliments Cleopatra’s beauty. The Major-Domo enters to take the guests’ dinner orders. He offers Caesar delicacies like sea hedgehogs, sea acorns, and beccaficos, but Caesar opts for a simple meal of British oysters instead. He and Rufio both turn down the Greek wines the Major-Domo offers, opting for barley water and Falerian, respectively, instead.
Cleopatra’s motivation for ordering Ftatateeta to kill Pothinus is an act of vengeance against him for embarrassing her in front of Caesar, not a calculated political strategy. Cleopatra’s failure to consider the long-term consequences of her actions and tendency to act on impulse have elicited negative results in the past, so it seems likely that nothing good will come of the assassination, if Ftatateeta succeeds in the first place. Caesar’s austere palate reflects his pragmatic attitude toward life. He doesn’t see the point in eating the delicacies Cleopatra has provided when a no-frills meal of British oysters and barley water will nourish him sufficiently.
Themes
Cleopatra teases Caesar about his common tastes. He reluctantly tries one of the wines and jokes that he will pass a law against such luxuries when he returns to Rome. Cleopatra tells him that it’s okay to indulge and be idle from time to time. She offers her hand to him, and he kisses it. Cleopatra pauses a moment before asking Caesar when he intends to leave for Rome. Caesar suggests that he might never return. Rufio is shocked. Caesar explains that he’s had enough of Rome and thinks it would be nice to discover the origin of the Nile with Cleopatra and establish a new kingdom there.
It's more likely that Caesar is testing the waters with the suggestion that he and Cleopatra abandon Alexandria and politics to discover the origin of the Nile and establish a new kingdom there. Caesar clearly has a parental sort of affection for Cleopatra, but, thus far, he’s kept a healthy distance from her and refused to humor her childish need for his attention over attending to his political responsibilities. More likely, Caesar is observing Cleopatra’s response to gauge how much of Pothinus’s accusation is true and how much of a threat he must consider Cleopatra.
Themes
The prospect of forming a new kingdom excites Cleopatra. She tells Caesar that she is a descendent of the Nile and ought to name the kingdom herself. She sends for a priest. A priest enters not much later, carrying a miniature sphinx atop a small tripod that contains smoking incense. Caesar asks what all the “hocus-pocus” is all about. Apollodorus suggests that they ask Cleopatra’s “hawkheaded friend” to name the new kingdom. Cleopatra silences them, not wanting their jokes to offend the god Ra. She tells the men that only her sphinx can name the kingdom and calls on the spirit of the Nile to name the kingdom.
Caesar’s reference to Cleopatra’s ancient Egyptian religious rites—symbolized here by the miniature sphinx—as “hocus-pocus” and Apollodorus’s reference to the Egyptian deity Ra as Cleopatra’s “hawkheaded friend” reflects their ignorance and cultural insensitivity. It’s similar to the scene in Act II where Caesar carelessly sits down on the tripod that the Egyptians were using as a shrine to Ra. Caesar only seems to respect Egyptian culture when it behooves him to do so. For instance, in Act II, Caesar condemns Britannus’s visible outrage at Cleopatra and Ptolemy’s incestuous marriage, but only because Caesar is about to ask Pothinus to consider allowing Cleopatra and Ptolemy to rule Egypt together and it is in his best interest to appear respectful of the Egyptian court’s customs.
Themes
Cleopatra wonders if the Nile will make his presence known by “rap[ping] on the table.” Caesar can’t believe that people still believing in such nonsense “in this year 707 of the Republic[.]” Next, Cleopatra asks the Nile to speak in his own voice. Suddenly, they hear a man’s agonizing scream. Caesar glares at Cleopatra and demands to know the cause of the scream. Cleopatra feigns ignorance. Without warning, Caesar rises from the table. He’s convinced a murder has taken place and orders Apollodorus to go down to the courtyard to investigate. Caesar is about to follow him when Ftatateeta appears, a “murderous expression” on her face. Rufio immediately understands what has happened and quietly warns Caesar that something is going on between Ftatateeta and Cleopatra.
The reference to table-wrapping is Shaw’s cheeky dig at Spiritualism, a movement popular in the Victorian era that promoted the belief that the dead could communicate with the living. Spiritualists held seances during which people seated around a table claimed to hear tapping sounds which, according to spiritualists, were the attempts of spirits to communicate with the living from beyond the grave. It’s now commonly accepted that table-rapping and other unusual phenomena were nothing more than scams and parlor tricks. Caesar’s disbelief that people could believe in such antics “in this year 707 of the Republic” emphasizes how truly unbelievable it was that Victorian people still believed in them centuries later.
Themes
Cleopatra lunges at Ftatateeta, kissing her violently. She rips off her own jewelry and places it on Ftatateeta. Ftatateeta says nothing and only walks over to Ra’s alter to pray. Caesar demands that Cleopatra tell him what happened. She feigns ignorance again and moves closer to caress him. Caesar doesn’t respond to Cleopatra’s advances. Rufio tries to make Ftatateeta leave, but Ftatateeta remains loyally at Cleopatra’s side. Caesar tells Cleopatra to order Ftatateeta to leave. Cleopatra tells Caesar that she loves him and obliges; Ftatateeta exits. Rufio follows, cursing Caesar for his passivity.
Cleopatra and Ftatateeta’s intense affection, Ftatateeta’s refusal to leave Cleopatra’s side, and Ftatateeta’s willingness to kill Pothinus reflects the depth of Ftatateeta’s loyalty to Cleopatra. Rufio seems to recognize this intense loyalty as a threat to Caesar, which is perhaps why he tries to force Ftatateeta to leave. Given Caesar’s track record of pragmatism, it doesn’t bode well for Ftatateeta or Cleopatra if Caesar decides that one or both of them pose a threat to him. Finally, Cleopatra’s remark to Caesar seems less a sincere declaration of love than a calculated attempt to endear herself to him, for she seems to detect the unease in the room and has begun to realize that Caesar might react poorly when and if he discovers that she ordered Ftatateeta to murder Pothinus.
Themes
Once they are alone, Caesar asks Cleopatra to tell him the truth. Cleopatra says little but promises that she hasn’t betrayed him. Caesar acknowledges that this is true—but only because he never trusted her in the first place. Suddenly, a trumpet sounds below. Rufio returns, followed by Lucius Septimius. Seeing Pompey’s murderer again disgusts Caesar. Rufio tells Caesar that the townspeople have gone crazy and are tearing down the palace, while Lucius explains that someone has murdered Pothinus. The news horrifies Caesar. Rufio eyes Cleopatra and tells Caesar that whoever slayed Pothinus must be “a wise man and a friend of [Caesar’s],” prompting Cleopatra to stand and boldly declare that it was she who ordered Pothinus’s assassination. Cleopatra promises that she only did so after Pothinus tried to coerce her to conspire with him against Caesar—and after he insulted her to her face.
Caesar’s cold admission that he has never trusted Cleopatra in the first place reflects his strategy of approaching the world practically and logically rather than sentimentally. He doesn’t often form intimate, emotional bonds with others because doing so makes him vulnerable to betrayal and disappointment. Maintaining a distance between himself and Cleopatra protects Caesar against the type of betrayal Cleopatra has committed by disavowing Caesar’s practice of clemency over vengeance to order Pothinus’s assassination. On the other end of the spectrum, Cleopatra’s admission that she ordered Ftatateeta to kill Pothinus after Pothinus insulted her shows that Cleopatra continues to make emotional, impulsive decisions—the very type of behavior Caesar condemns.
Themes
Cleopatra turns to Lucius and asks whether she was right to avenge herself. Lucius approves of Cleopatra’s actions but warns her that Caesar likely disagrees with him. She turns to Apollodorus next. While Apollodorus agrees that Pothinus’s death was justified, he wishes Cleopatra would have called on him to engage Pothinus in a duel so that the man could have died honorably. Next, Cleopatra consults Britannus. Britannus tells her that she was right to punish Pothinus for his misdeeds and that Caesar is too merciful.
Lucius, Apollodorus, and Rufio’s approval of Cleopatra’s decision to assassinate Pothinus lends a degree of moral ambiguity to her actions. While she clearly failed to consider the possible negative consequences of her actions, it’s also true that Pothinus’s loyalty to Ptolemy puts her power status in jeopardy, as well. One question that remains is whether Cleopatra ordered Pothinus’s assassination because she saw him as a political threat, or because she was angry that he humiliated her in front of Caesar. Either way, in her haste, she failed to realize that Pothinus’s popularity as a public figure would generate a negative reaction to his assassination.
Themes
Finally, Cleopatra turns to Caesar. Caesar furiously gestures toward the sound of the rioting villagers that have finally reached the palace. Like Cleopatra, the villagers “are believers in vengeance and in stabbing.” Because Cleopatra has killed their leader, they, too, seek vengeance. Furthermore, when the mob inevitably kills Cleopatra, it will be Caesar’s duty to avenge her. In this way, “to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honor and peace[.]” Cleopatra realizes the gravity of her error and begs Caesar not to leave her. Caesar replies that only she is to blame for destroying the peace that he created through his leniency and merciful treatment of the Egyptians. Still, not everybody disagrees with Cleopatra. Apollodorus stands behind her and promises that she will not die alone. Rufio argues that he has an instinct to kill.
Unlike the other men, Caesar wholeheartedly condemns Cleopatra’s actions. He seems to recognize that she acted on impulse because Pothinus upset her, failing to consider the dire consequences of her actions—such as the possibility that Pothinus’s rioting supporters “are believers in vengeance and in stabbing,” too. In this passage, Caesar lays out his stance against vengeance more clearly than ever before, explaining that society will always present injustices that the wronged may avenge “in the name of right and honor and peace[.]” In this way, “to the end of history, murder shall breed murder.” He makes a case against vengeance by arguing that—even if it’s justified—it’s impractical, since there is no end to the domino effect of injustice and retaliation that it begets.
Themes
Lucius offers to join Caesar in battle against the Egyptians, delivering the good news that the Roman army has arrived in Alexandria. Caesar excitedly accepts Lucius’s offer, and the men get to work strategizing battle plans. One by one, the men abandon Cleopatra to join Caesar’s ranks.
Cleopatra’s supporters abandon her the minute it becomes more practical for them to support Caesar instead. Her failure to understand that politics—not loyalty, nor emotional obligation—drives every action in her politicized world becomes her downfall.
Themes
The men head downstairs to address the troops. Cleopatra approaches Caesar timidly and asks if he’s forgotten her. Caesar brushes her aside. Referring to Cleopatra as “my child,” Caesar tells her that he’s too busy at the moment but promises that “[her] affairs shall be settled” when he returns. He exits, leaving Cleopatra to wallow in her humiliation and self-pity. Rufio tells Cleopatra that she has “played [the game] and lost,” and that “the woman always gets the worst of it.” As he is about to leave, he whispers to her knowingly, suggesting that her assassin botched his job, since Pothinus wouldn’t have screamed if her man had stabbed the right way, in the throat. Cleopatra coyly insinuates that her assassin wasn’t a man.
When Caesar calls Cleopatra “my child,” he’s putting her in her place and letting her know that her impassioned decision to retaliate against Pothinus has counteracted any respect he might have had for her. Once more, Cleopatra is a helpless child who must rely on Caesar to solve her problems for her. Rufio’s remark that Cleopatra has “played [the game] and lost” depersonalizes Cleopatra’s abandonment by Caesar and the others, employing a Caesarian logic to suggest that her abandonment is nothing personal—it’s simply that she misjudged the political situation when she ordered Pothinus’s assassination, and now the others have judged the aftermath of her miscalculation and decided that it’s in their best interest to take Caesar’s side. Rufio’s observation that “the woman always gets the worst of it” resonates with the play’s exploration of gender inequality. His meaning is rather ambiguous, but he could be suggesting that women’s perceived tendency to be emotional rather than logical (an unfounded claim) puts them at a disadvantage in the political sphere.
Themes
Rufio draws open the curtains to leave. He sees Ftatateeta, who is still praying at Ra’s pale white alter, and asks Cleopatra if Ftatateeta is responsible for the murder. Cleopatra doesn’t answer directly, but she angrily advises Rufio—and everyone else—to think twice before “ma[king] the Queen of Egypt a fool before Caesar.” Rufio stares gravely at Cleopatra before walking through the curtains, loosening his sword as he walks.
Rufio seems to have put two and two together that it was Ftatateeta who murdered Pothinus. Cleopatra intends for Rufio to interpret her comment as a threat against anyone who, like Pothinus, tries to humiliate her in front of Caesar. She wants the warning to show Rufio that she can be a ruthless player in the game of politics, but all her admission really does is confirm that she ordered Pothinus’s death for emotional rather than logical reasons (she was upset that Pothinus humiliated her). Additionally, Cleopatra’s warning shows Pothinus that Cleopatra is capable of ordering Ftatateeta to kill, and that Ftatateeta is more than willing to kill on Cleopatra’s behalf. These two facts make Cleopatra and Ftatateeta real threats to Caesar and his men. Thus, it seems likely that Rufio loosens his sword because he intends to use it. Given that he now recognizes Ftatateeta as a real threat, it’s reasonable to predict that Rufio intends to kill Ftatateeta and eliminate the threat she poses to Caesar.
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Literary Devices
Cleopatra hears Roman soldiers cry out, “Hail Caesar!” down below. Feeling suddenly scared and alone, she cries out for Ftatateeta but receives no reply. Cleopatra cries out louder and louder. Finally, she frantically draws back the curtains, revealing Ftatateeta’s dead body lying before the alter of Ra. Her throat is cut, and her dark, red blood seeps into the white stone of the alter.
The cry of “Hail Caesar” parallels the closing scene of Act I, in which the Roman soldiers greet Caesar as they encounter him seated on Cleopatra’s throne. As in the beginning, the soldiers’ cries of “Hail Caesar” signify Caesar’s return to power. Presumably, he’s now subdued Pothinus’s supporters. As well, he's exerted dominance over Cleopatra, symbolically putting her in her place by turning her supporters against her and excluding her from the resolution of the civil uprising. Finally, Rufio has killed Ftatateeta, likely to eliminate the threat her loyalty to Cleopatra poses to Caesar’s grip on power.
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