Frozen into Allegory: Cleopatra’s Cultural Survival

Abstract

This article explores the ambivalence at work in the cultural afterlife of Cleopatra on stage and on screen. Three aspects of the resuscitation of a political body frozen into a mythic signifier come into play: celebrity as a modern form of political charisma, theatrical spectacle as support of political power and imaginary projection as a tool for feminine selfperformance. Shakespeare’s late tragedy and Mankiewicz’s Hollywood epic are the main texts discussed.