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Lucius Septimius
Theodotus is Ptolemy’s tutor. He’s a wise, elderly man who reveres art, literature, history, and the humanities. Caesar’s disregard for the destruction of the Library of Alexandria in Act II appalls Theodotus, who believes that learning from the past is essential to the future of humanity. Even so, Caesar cites the’ brutal beheading of Pompey to argue that Theodotus’s precious books and history have done little to instill an appreciation for life and humanity in the Egyptian people.
Theodotus Quotes in Caesar and Cleopatra
The Caesar and Cleopatra quotes below are all either spoken by Theodotus or refer to Theodotus. 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 2 Quotes
Ptolemy: Yes—the gods would not suffer—not suffer—[He stops; then, crestfallen] I forgot what the gods would not suffer.
THEODOTUS: Let Pothinus, the King’s guardian, speak for the King.
POTHINUS [suppressing his impatience with difficulty] The King wishes to say that the gods would not suffer the impiety of his sister to go unpunished.
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CAESAR [recovering his self-possession] Pardon him, Theodotus: he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.
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THEODOTUS. What is burning there is the memory of mankind.
CAESAR. A shameful memory. Let it burn.
THEODOTUS (wildly). Will you destroy the past?
CAESAR. Ay, and build the future with its ruins.
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Theodotus Character Timeline in Caesar and Cleopatra
The timeline below shows where the character Theodotus appears in Caesar and Cleopatra. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 2
...royal palace in Alexandria where his Egyptian court has assembled to greet him. Ptolemy’s tutor, Theodotus, a wise old man, and Achillas, the general of Ptolemy’s troops, are also there. Achillas...
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...the shoulder, and sympathetically remarks how boring kinghood must be for a boy Ptolemy’s age. Theodotus introduces Caesar to the other members of Ptolemy’s court. Caesar comments on the lack of...
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...instead. The Romans are shocked to learn that Cleopatra is referring to Ptolemy, her brother. Theodotus explains that Egyptian royals may only marry other royals.
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...officer’s uniform. Lucius informs Caesar that he beheaded Pompey—Caesar’s rival—upon Pompey’s arrival on Egyptian soil. Theodotus chimes in, eagerly adding that Pompey’s wife and child witnessed the beheading. Theodotus tells Caesar...
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Just then, Theodotus runs in, visibly shaken. He informs Caesar that the library of Alexandria is on fire,...
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Theodotus leaves to try to save the library of Alexandria, and Caesar orders Pothinus to tell...
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...them that they won’t be able to leave Egypt, since the Egyptian army, headed by Theodotus, is emptying the harbor with buckets to extinguish the fire at the library of Alexandria....
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