I came to the Shakespearean Cleopatra so late in life - it must have been one of the last plays of his I read, decades after the others - that I never think of his characterisation as influential, though of course it must have been and was. Mind you, a good case could be made that for most post 1960s people, the Elizabeth Taylor Cleopatra, who is writteen by Joseph Mankiewiczs as a smart and witty woman, is th first one to form their impressions, but then maybe Sweetman loathes Hollywood,I don't know. Anyway, as to your point, yes, Shakespeare's Cleopatra is very much about the romance and not the politics.

(In fairness to Shakespeare: when I saw that play on stage, with Harriet Walter as Cleopatra and Patrick Stewart as Mark Antony, I liked it far better than during my reading, including the characterisations of the titular characters. I'll see whether I can find the review for you. Anyway, it taught me performance can do a lot with that play.)

Clementine the ghastly mother: before the death bed rejection, she also pulled stunts like after Mary - who had worked as a nurse during WWII - had nursed her father in his dying months, saying they should have hired a more capable professional, in retrospect.