The Profession of Mrs. Warren was written in 1893 and first performed in London in 1902. The play presents the life of a former prostitute who is now the owner of a brothel and how her daughter reacts when she learns how her mother makes a living. It is a social commentary by Shaw, who believed that prostitution is not due to a decline in moral principles but to economic hardship.

The play Caesar and Cleopatra was written in 1898 and is a fanciful narrative of the much-discussed relationship between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.