Previous
Lucius Septimius
Theodotus is Ptolemy’s tutor. He’s a wise, elderly man who reveres art, literature, history, and the humanities. Caesar’s disregard for the destruction of the Library of Alexandria in Act II appalls Theodotus, who believes that learning from the past is essential to the future of humanity. Even so, Caesar cites the’ brutal beheading of Pompey to argue that Theodotus’s precious books and history have done little to instill an appreciation for life and humanity in the Egyptian people.
Theodotus Quotes in Caesar and Cleopatra
The Caesar and Cleopatra quotes below are all either spoken by Theodotus or refer to Theodotus. 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 2
Quotes
Ptolemy: Yes—the gods would not suffer—not suffer—[He stops; then, crestfallen] I forgot what the gods would not suffer.
THEODOTUS: Let Pothinus, the King’s guardian, speak for the King.
POTHINUS [suppressing his impatience with difficulty] The King wishes to say that the gods would not suffer the impiety of his sister to go unpunished.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
CAESAR [recovering his self-possession] Pardon him, Theodotus: he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.
THEODOTUS. What is burning there is the memory of mankind.
CAESAR. A shameful memory. Let it burn.
THEODOTUS (wildly). Will you destroy the past?
CAESAR. Ay, and build the future with its ruins.
Related Characters:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Caesar and Cleopatra LitChart as a printable PDF.
Theodotus Quotes in Caesar and Cleopatra
The Caesar and Cleopatra quotes below are all either spoken by Theodotus or refer to Theodotus. 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 2
Quotes
Ptolemy: Yes—the gods would not suffer—not suffer—[He stops; then, crestfallen] I forgot what the gods would not suffer.
THEODOTUS: Let Pothinus, the King’s guardian, speak for the King.
POTHINUS [suppressing his impatience with difficulty] The King wishes to say that the gods would not suffer the impiety of his sister to go unpunished.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
CAESAR [recovering his self-possession] Pardon him, Theodotus: he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.
THEODOTUS. What is burning there is the memory of mankind.
CAESAR. A shameful memory. Let it burn.
THEODOTUS (wildly). Will you destroy the past?
CAESAR. Ay, and build the future with its ruins.
Related Characters:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
