What characters, places, events, or cultural practices did you read about in the play that you were already familiar with? Where did you learn about them? How does the depiction in the play compare to your own knowledge?

How does the play comment about empire and imperialism? Would you guess that the playwright supports it or argues against it?

Read Shakespeare’s play Antony and Cleopatra. How did Shaw deviate from this popular portrayal of Cleopatra? How did Shaw’s Cleopatra create a different effect than Shakespeare’s?