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Father Arsenios
Benito Mussolini is the Fascist dictator of Italy during World War Two. He was once a businessman and a journalist, but with war on the horizon, Mussolini seeks to distance himself from these associations--he wants to be seen instead as the embodiment of the Italian ideal and the supreme leader of the Fascist party. He's very aware of how to manipulate the press into creating the illusion that Italy is winning and doing the right thing, and he rejects critique from anyone who tries to tell him otherwise. He's somewhat exasperated with the Italian men he has in his service, as he finds them too emotional to be proper fascists. Mussolini is instrumental in arranging attacks on ships and people that make it look as though the Greeks and the British are attacking each other and attacking Italy, which allows him to justify invading Greece. Despite his alliance with Hitler, Mussolini despises him. Though Mussolini thinks highly of himself, he's one of only a few people who do: all the Italian soldiers in Cephalonia mock Mussolini incessantly, and Carlo even conspires with Kokolios to print and distribute a satirical "Italian" pamphlet making fun of Mussolini. The Fascist government finally removes Mussolini from office in the summer of 1943, after which he's not mentioned again in the novel.
Mussolini Quotes in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
The Captain Corelli’s Mandolin quotes below are all either spoken by Mussolini or refer to Mussolini . 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:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Do you think I don't understand economics? How many times do I have to explain, you dolt, that Fascist economics are immune from the cyclic disturbances of capitalism? How dare you contradict me and say it appears the opposite is true?
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Chapter 6
Quotes
We were new and beautiful, we loved each other more than brothers, that's for sure. What spoiled it always was that none of us knew why we were in Albania, none of us had an easy conscience about this rebuilding of the Roman Empire.
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I know that the Duce has made it clear that the Greek campaign was a resounding victory for Italy. But he was not there. He does not know what happened. He does not know that the ultimate truth is that history ought to consist only of the anecdotes of the little people who are caught up in it.
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Chapter 19
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(We lost the war and were saved only when the Germans invaded from Bulgaria and opened a second front that the Greeks had no resources to defend. We fought and froze and died for the sake of an empire that has no purpose...)
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Chapter 35
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We have lost one-third of our merchant marine because He forgot to order them home before declaring war, we have been persuaded that halving the size of a division means that we have double the number of divisions, we have been made to invade Greece from the north in the rainy season, without winter clothing...All of our Albanian soldiers immediately deserted, and we only know what is happening to us by listening to the BBC.
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Mussolini Quotes in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
The Captain Corelli’s Mandolin quotes below are all either spoken by Mussolini or refer to Mussolini . 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:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Do you think I don't understand economics? How many times do I have to explain, you dolt, that Fascist economics are immune from the cyclic disturbances of capitalism? How dare you contradict me and say it appears the opposite is true?
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6
Quotes
We were new and beautiful, we loved each other more than brothers, that's for sure. What spoiled it always was that none of us knew why we were in Albania, none of us had an easy conscience about this rebuilding of the Roman Empire.
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I know that the Duce has made it clear that the Greek campaign was a resounding victory for Italy. But he was not there. He does not know what happened. He does not know that the ultimate truth is that history ought to consist only of the anecdotes of the little people who are caught up in it.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19
Quotes
(We lost the war and were saved only when the Germans invaded from Bulgaria and opened a second front that the Greeks had no resources to defend. We fought and froze and died for the sake of an empire that has no purpose...)
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Chapter 35
Quotes
We have lost one-third of our merchant marine because He forgot to order them home before declaring war, we have been persuaded that halving the size of a division means that we have double the number of divisions, we have been made to invade Greece from the north in the rainy season, without winter clothing...All of our Albanian soldiers immediately deserted, and we only know what is happening to us by listening to the BBC.
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