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The Logician
Berenger’s boss at the law publication office. He’s in his 40s, is well dressed, and is a very proper man. His offense when Botard insults religion as being an “opiate of the masses” suggests that he’s a religious individual, while his badge from the French Legion of Honor indicates that he served in the military. Despite his interest in arguing about the rhinoceroses with his employees, he’s far more interested in making sure that everyone gets their work done, to the point that after the rhinoceros Mr. Bœuf destroys their staircase, he focuses on figuring out how to continue working rather than how to get everyone out of the second floor office safely. Though his behavior and mannerisms otherwise suggest that he’s a levelheaded and dutiful individual, he becomes a rhinoceros a few days after the office closes. This offends Berenger in particular, as Berenger believes that as an authority figure, Mr. Papillon had a duty to resist and set a good example for others.
Mr. Papillon Quotes in Rhinoceros
The Rhinoceros quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Papillon or refer to Mr. Papillon. 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 1, Scene 2
Quotes
Botard: You call that precise? And what, pray, does it mean by “pachyderm”? What does the editor of a dead cats column understand by a pachyderm? He doesn’t say. And what does he mean by a cat?
Dudard: Everybody knows what a cat is.
Botard: Does it concern a male cat or a female? What breed is it? And what color? The color bar is something I feel strongly about. I hate it.
Papillon: What has the color bar has to do with it, Mr. Botard? It’s quite beside the point.
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Act 3
Quotes
Berenger: A rhinoceros! […] Mr. Papillon a rhinoceros! I can’t believe it. I don’t think it’s funny at all. […] Why did’t you tell me before?
Dudard: Well, you know you’ve no sense of humor. I didn’t want to tell you. […] I didn’t want to tell you because I knew very well you wouldn’t see the funny side, and it would upset you. You know how impressionable you are.
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Mr. Papillon Quotes in Rhinoceros
The Rhinoceros quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Papillon or refer to Mr. Papillon. 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 1, Scene 2
Quotes
Botard: You call that precise? And what, pray, does it mean by “pachyderm”? What does the editor of a dead cats column understand by a pachyderm? He doesn’t say. And what does he mean by a cat?
Dudard: Everybody knows what a cat is.
Botard: Does it concern a male cat or a female? What breed is it? And what color? The color bar is something I feel strongly about. I hate it.
Papillon: What has the color bar has to do with it, Mr. Botard? It’s quite beside the point.
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Act 3
Quotes
Berenger: A rhinoceros! […] Mr. Papillon a rhinoceros! I can’t believe it. I don’t think it’s funny at all. […] Why did’t you tell me before?
Dudard: Well, you know you’ve no sense of humor. I didn’t want to tell you. […] I didn’t want to tell you because I knew very well you wouldn’t see the funny side, and it would upset you. You know how impressionable you are.
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