Previous
Characters
– The antagonist of the story, Mr. Poldero is a greedy showman who owns “Poldero’s Wizard Wonderworld.” A cruel, arrogant, and foolhardy man, he buys the phoenix at an auction, thinking that its exoticism will draw crowds. But when the bird isn’t bringing in enough ticket sales, Mr. Poldero decides to torture the phoenix in order to prematurely age it, since its death—in which it will burst into flames—is likely to be a popular spectacle. When he finally succeeds at getting the phoenix to age, Poldero sells many tickets (plus the film rights) to the bird’s fiery death. However, he gets his comeuppance when the flames of the phoenix kill him. His greed and arrogance result in his own death, serving as a warning to readers to not follow this path.
Mr. Tancred Poldero Quotes in The Phoenix
The The Phoenix quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Tancred Poldero or refer to Mr. Tancred Poldero. 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:
).
The Phoenix
Quotes
“PANSY. Phoenix phoenixissima formossisima arabiana. This rare and fabulous bird is UNIQUE. The World’s Old Bachelor. Has no mate and doesn’t want one. When old, sets fire to itself and emerges miraculously reborn. Specially imported from the East.”
0011
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Suppose,” continued Mr. Poldero, “we could somehow get him alight? We’d advertise it beforehand, of course, work up interest. Then we’d have a new bird, and a bird with some romance about it, a bird with a life story. We could sell a bird like that.”
1001
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
It was not easy to age the phoenix. Its allowance of food was halved, and halved again, but though it grew thinner its eyes were undimmed and its plumage glossy as ever.
0101
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“The phoenix,” the loud-speaker continued, “is as capricious as Cleopatra, as luxurious as la du Barry, as heady as a strain of wild gypsy music. All the fantastic pomp and passion of the ancient East, its languorous magic, its subtle cruelties...”
0011
The cameras clicked, the lights blazed full on the cage. Rushing to the loud-speaker Mr. Poldero exclaimed:
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the thrilling moment the world has breathlessly awaited. The legend of centuries is materializing before our modern eyes. The phoenix...”
0001
“Well, if it doesn’t evaluate more than this, mark instructional.”
1000
The flames streamed upwards, leaped out on every side. In a minute or two everything was burned to ashes, and some thousand people, including Mr. Poldero, perished in the blaze.
1111
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Phoenix LitChart as a printable PDF.
Mr. Tancred Poldero Quotes in The Phoenix
The The Phoenix quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Tancred Poldero or refer to Mr. Tancred Poldero. 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:
).
The Phoenix
Quotes
“PANSY. Phoenix phoenixissima formossisima arabiana. This rare and fabulous bird is UNIQUE. The World’s Old Bachelor. Has no mate and doesn’t want one. When old, sets fire to itself and emerges miraculously reborn. Specially imported from the East.”
0011
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Suppose,” continued Mr. Poldero, “we could somehow get him alight? We’d advertise it beforehand, of course, work up interest. Then we’d have a new bird, and a bird with some romance about it, a bird with a life story. We could sell a bird like that.”
1001
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
It was not easy to age the phoenix. Its allowance of food was halved, and halved again, but though it grew thinner its eyes were undimmed and its plumage glossy as ever.
0101
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“The phoenix,” the loud-speaker continued, “is as capricious as Cleopatra, as luxurious as la du Barry, as heady as a strain of wild gypsy music. All the fantastic pomp and passion of the ancient East, its languorous magic, its subtle cruelties...”
0011
The cameras clicked, the lights blazed full on the cage. Rushing to the loud-speaker Mr. Poldero exclaimed:
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the thrilling moment the world has breathlessly awaited. The legend of centuries is materializing before our modern eyes. The phoenix...”
0001
“Well, if it doesn’t evaluate more than this, mark instructional.”
1000
The flames streamed upwards, leaped out on every side. In a minute or two everything was burned to ashes, and some thousand people, including Mr. Poldero, perished in the blaze.
1111
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
