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Britannus
Apollodorus is a handsome Sicilian patrician (aristocrat) and amateur artist. He’s so invested in art that he gets into a heated argument with a Roman sentinel who misidentifies him as a common carpet merchant. In Act III, Apollodorus helps smuggle Cleopatra, who’s rolled up inside a Persian carpet, to the lighthouse on the island of Pharos to see Caesar. He later swims across the harbor to get a boat to rescue Caesar, Rufio, Britannus, and Cleopatra from the approaching Egyptian army. While Caesar and the other Roman officials value Apollodorus’s loyalty, they don’t take him particularly seriously. In Act IV, for instance, Caesar agrees with Rufio’s observation that Apollodorus is a “popinjay,” or a vain, flamboyant dresser, though he also maintains that Apollodorus makes good, entertaining company.
Apollodorus Quotes in Caesar and Cleopatra
The Caesar and Cleopatra quotes below are all either spoken by Apollodorus or refer to Apollodorus . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 3
Quotes
APOLLODORUS. I do not keep a shop. Mine is a temple of the arts. I am a worshipper of beauty. My calling is to choose beautiful things for beautiful Queens. My motto is Art for Art's sake.
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Act 4
Quotes
CAESAR. If one man in all the world can be found, now or forever, to know that you did wrong, that man will have either to conquer the world as I have, or be crucified by it. […] These knockers at your gate are also believers in vengeance and in stabbing. You have slain their leader: it is right that they shall slay you. […] then in the name of that right (He emphasizes the word with great scorn.) shall I not slay them for murdering their Queen, and be slain in my turn by their countrymen as the invader of their fatherland? Can Rome do less than slay these slayers too, to show the world how Rome avenges her sons and her honor? And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honor and peace, until the gods are tired of blood and create a race that can understand. […]
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Act 5
Quotes
APOLLODORUS. I understand, Caesar. Rome will produce no art itself; but it will buy up and take away whatever the other nations produce.
CAESAR. What! Rome produces no art! Is peace not an art? Is war not an art? Is government not an art? Is civilization not an art? All these we give you in exchange for a few ornaments. You will have the best of the bargain. […]
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Apollodorus Quotes in Caesar and Cleopatra
The Caesar and Cleopatra quotes below are all either spoken by Apollodorus or refer to Apollodorus . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 3
Quotes
APOLLODORUS. I do not keep a shop. Mine is a temple of the arts. I am a worshipper of beauty. My calling is to choose beautiful things for beautiful Queens. My motto is Art for Art's sake.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4
Quotes
CAESAR. If one man in all the world can be found, now or forever, to know that you did wrong, that man will have either to conquer the world as I have, or be crucified by it. […] These knockers at your gate are also believers in vengeance and in stabbing. You have slain their leader: it is right that they shall slay you. […] then in the name of that right (He emphasizes the word with great scorn.) shall I not slay them for murdering their Queen, and be slain in my turn by their countrymen as the invader of their fatherland? Can Rome do less than slay these slayers too, to show the world how Rome avenges her sons and her honor? And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honor and peace, until the gods are tired of blood and create a race that can understand. […]
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5
Quotes
APOLLODORUS. I understand, Caesar. Rome will produce no art itself; but it will buy up and take away whatever the other nations produce.
CAESAR. What! Rome produces no art! Is peace not an art? Is war not an art? Is government not an art? Is civilization not an art? All these we give you in exchange for a few ornaments. You will have the best of the bargain. […]
