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Ray Gosling
An American scientist who becomes fascinated by Rosalind Franklin’s research—and, over the course of their ongoing written correspondence, besotted with Rosalind herself—then later travels to King’s College to assist and study with her. Caspar is Jewish, like Rosalind, and the two of them bond over being the only two Jewish people in the entire college. Caspar is attracted to Rosalind because of her intelligence—rather than being intimidated by her and attempting to cut her down to size, like her male colleagues at King’s and Cambridge do, Caspar attempts to let Rosalind know just how special she is and how vital not just her research but her mere presence in the scientific profession truly is. Throughout the play, Caspar is often quick to jump to Rosalind’s defense when other scientists are making fun of or speaking badly about her and is perhaps the only character whose genuine kindness promises to pull Rosalind out of her shell. Their relationship is nipped in the bud when Rosalind is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and Caspar laments that their friendship never developed into anything more. Warm, genial, and profoundly kind, Caspar seems to understand and respect Rosalind on a level none of her colleagues even attempt.
Don Caspar Quotes in Photograph 51
The Photograph 51 quotes below are all either spoken by Don Caspar or refer to Don Caspar. 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:
).
Photograph 51
Quotes
CASPAR. Watson and Crick got hold of the paper Rosalind had written. It was confidential.
CRICK. It wasn’t confidential. Another scientist at Cambridge gave it to us. […]
WILKINS. Well it wasn’t published, that’s for sure. And it included [….] information that became critical to your work.
WATSON. I’m sure we would have gotten there sooner or later, even without it.
WILKINS. So would we have done, with the benefit of your work. You had ours but we didn’t have yours!
WATSON. There was no “we” where you were concerned. […]
GOSLING. Anyway, it doesn’t matter how they got the paper, only that they got it.
CASPAR. And that Rosalind didn’t know she should be in a hurry.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
GOSLING. There’s no science that can explain it. Loneliness. […]
CASPAR. Rosalind? (She clutches her stomach.)
WATSON. It works, Francis. It works. (A very long beat.)
CRICK. It’s ...
WATSON. I can’t believe it.
CRICK. It’s life unfolding, right in front of us. (Rosalind doubles over in her chair, and gasps.)
CASPAR. Rosalind?
WILKINS. It’s the loneliest pursuit in the world. Science. Because there either are answers or there aren’t.
ROSALIND. If I’d only ...
GOSLING. Been more careful around the beam.
WATSON. Collaborated.
CRICK. Been more open, less wary. Less self-protective.
CASPAR. Or more wary, more self-protective.
WATSON. Been a better scientist.
CASPAR. Been willing to take more risks, make models, go forward without the certainty of proof.
CRICK. Been friendlier.
GOSLING. Or born at another time.
CRICK. Or born a man.
Get the entire Photograph 51 LitChart as a printable PDF.
Don Caspar Quotes in Photograph 51
The Photograph 51 quotes below are all either spoken by Don Caspar or refer to Don Caspar. 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:
).
Photograph 51
Quotes
CASPAR. Watson and Crick got hold of the paper Rosalind had written. It was confidential.
CRICK. It wasn’t confidential. Another scientist at Cambridge gave it to us. […]
WILKINS. Well it wasn’t published, that’s for sure. And it included [….] information that became critical to your work.
WATSON. I’m sure we would have gotten there sooner or later, even without it.
WILKINS. So would we have done, with the benefit of your work. You had ours but we didn’t have yours!
WATSON. There was no “we” where you were concerned. […]
GOSLING. Anyway, it doesn’t matter how they got the paper, only that they got it.
CASPAR. And that Rosalind didn’t know she should be in a hurry.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
GOSLING. There’s no science that can explain it. Loneliness. […]
CASPAR. Rosalind? (She clutches her stomach.)
WATSON. It works, Francis. It works. (A very long beat.)
CRICK. It’s ...
WATSON. I can’t believe it.
CRICK. It’s life unfolding, right in front of us. (Rosalind doubles over in her chair, and gasps.)
CASPAR. Rosalind?
WILKINS. It’s the loneliest pursuit in the world. Science. Because there either are answers or there aren’t.
ROSALIND. If I’d only ...
GOSLING. Been more careful around the beam.
WATSON. Collaborated.
CRICK. Been more open, less wary. Less self-protective.
CASPAR. Or more wary, more self-protective.
WATSON. Been a better scientist.
CASPAR. Been willing to take more risks, make models, go forward without the certainty of proof.
CRICK. Been friendlier.
GOSLING. Or born at another time.
CRICK. Or born a man.
