ABSTRACT
Shakespeare's Cleopatra offers much material for feminist analysis; however, her circumscription by the male gaze is disabling both for herself and for women caught in the trap of believing ‘infinite variety’ to be a desideratum in a woman. Consequently Cleopatra's success in playing to the gaze needs to be deconstructed. Cross reference to the example of Madonna suggests that even an intensely self-conscious and analytical performer is likely, finally, to collude with the oppression of the male gaze.
