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Britannus
Apollodorus is a handsome Sicilian patrician (aristocrat) and amateur artist. He’s so invested in art that he gets into a heated argument with a Roman sentinel who misidentifies him as a common carpet merchant. In Act III, Apollodorus helps smuggle Cleopatra, who’s rolled up inside a Persian carpet, to the lighthouse on the island of Pharos to see Caesar. He later swims across the harbor to get a boat to rescue Caesar, Rufio, Britannus, and Cleopatra from the approaching Egyptian army. While Caesar and the other Roman officials value Apollodorus’s loyalty, they don’t take him particularly seriously. In Act IV, for instance, Caesar agrees with Rufio’s observation that Apollodorus is a “popinjay,” or a vain, flamboyant dresser, though he also maintains that Apollodorus makes good, entertaining company.
Apollodorus Quotes in Caesar and Cleopatra
The Caesar and Cleopatra quotes below are all either spoken by Apollodorus or refer to Apollodorus . 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:
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Act 3 Quotes
APOLLODORUS. I do not keep a shop. Mine is a temple of the arts. I am a worshipper of beauty. My calling is to choose beautiful things for beautiful Queens. My motto is Art for Art's sake.
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Act 4 Quotes
CAESAR. If one man in all the world can be found, now or forever, to know that you did wrong, that man will have either to conquer the world as I have, or be crucified by it. […] These knockers at your gate are also believers in vengeance and in stabbing. You have slain their leader: it is right that they shall slay you. […] then in the name of that right (He emphasizes the word with great scorn.) shall I not slay them for murdering their Queen, and be slain in my turn by their countrymen as the invader of their fatherland? Can Rome do less than slay these slayers too, to show the world how Rome avenges her sons and her honor? And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honor and peace, until the gods are tired of blood and create a race that can understand. […]
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Act 5 Quotes
APOLLODORUS. I understand, Caesar. Rome will produce no art itself; but it will buy up and take away whatever the other nations produce.
CAESAR. What! Rome produces no art! Is peace not an art? Is war not an art? Is government not an art? Is civilization not an art? All these we give you in exchange for a few ornaments. You will have the best of the bargain. […]
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Apollodorus Character Timeline in Caesar and Cleopatra
The timeline below shows where the character Apollodorus appears in Caesar and Cleopatra. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 3
...toward the lighthouse. He’s so absorbed in his work that he hardly notices when Ftatateeta, Apollodorus the Sicilian, and four Egyptian porters carrying rolls of carpet, approach him. Apollodorus calls out...
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Motioning to the rolled carpets, the sentinel asks if Apollodorus is a carpet merchant. The question offends Apollodorus, who is a patrician. Apollodorus explains that...
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As Apollodorus and the sentinel argue back and forth, Ftatateeta grabs the sentinel from behind. She orders...
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...insistence that it isn’t proper for her to let men to see her. Cleopatra tells Apollodorus that she doesn’t have time to choose a carpet today and orders her visitors to...
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...not to let her leave without his permission, and it’s his “duty” to obey Caesar. Apollodorus argues that “duty” is the term “a stupid man” uses when he is “doing something...
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Suddenly, Cleopatra has an idea. She asks Apollodorus if he’s willing to bring a carpet of her choosing to Caesar and take “great,...
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...centurion and his men leave, the porters and Ftatateeta reappear with a carpet. Ftatateeta tells Apollodorus that the carpet is a present from Cleopatra to Caesar. It has crystal goblets and...
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Apollodorus approaches Caesar and Britannus outside the lighthouse and explains that he has sailed from Alexandria...
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...if Caesar doesn’t lead them, but Cleopatra insists that soldiers’ lives don’t matter. Caesar orders Apollodorus to take Cleopatra back to the palace. She protests, insisting that everybody there wants to...
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...due to his miscalculations. Rufio blames Caesar for letting Cleopatra distract him from strategizing effectively. Apollodorus returns from the shore. He informs the group that he has dropped the ladder into...
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Apollodorus tells the group that he can swim to the harbor and send a ship to...
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Act 4
...had seven birthdays over the past 10 months alone. Caesar tells Rufio that Cleopatra and Apollodorus the Sicilian will dine with them this evening. Rufio curses Apollodorus, calling him a “popinjay.”...
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...a toothy grin and promises to follow through with the request. Caesar returns, followed by Apollodorus and Rufio. Cleopatra runs to Caesar and wraps her arms around him. Ftatateeta exits, exchanging...
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...small tripod that contains smoking incense. Caesar asks what all the “hocus-pocus” is all about. Apollodorus suggests that they ask Cleopatra’s “hawkheaded friend” to name the new kingdom. Cleopatra silences them,...
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...warning, Caesar rises from the table. He’s convinced a murder has taken place and orders Apollodorus to go down to the courtyard to investigate. Caesar is about to follow him when...
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...of Cleopatra’s actions but warns her that Caesar likely disagrees with him. She turns to Apollodorus next. While Apollodorus agrees that Pothinus’s death was justified, he wishes Cleopatra would have called...
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...through his leniency and merciful treatment of the Egyptians. Still, not everybody disagrees with Cleopatra. Apollodorus stands behind her and promises that she will not die alone. Rufio argues that he...
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Act 5
...soldiers mill about, chatting casually. Belzanor, the Persian, and the centurion are among their ranks. Apollodorus comes forward, and the centurion lets him pass through. The soldiers hound Apollodorus for updates...
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Next, Caesar turns to Apollodorus and informs him that he will leave Egypt’s art in his hands. Apollodorus gratefully accepts...
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