Under Milk Wood
by Dylan Thomas
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Captain Cat Character Analysis

Captain Cat is a blind, elderly sea captain. He can recognize different characters by the sound of their footsteps and spends much of the play sitting beside a window and commenting on the townspeople as they pass by. Cat is one of the play’s most important characters, since he often functions as a third narrator, supplementing First Voice’s and Second Voice’s narrative direction with his insider’s perspective. Because Cat has been around for so long, he possesses an intimate knowledge of Llareggub and its people. Captain Cat is tormented by dreams of former shipmates who drowned at sea, as well as his deceased former lover, Rosie Probert. More broadly, Captain Cat is plagued by a mournful nostalgia for the past: for a time when he sailed the sea with “blue and bright” [seeing] eyes, and when he could be with his departed friends and comrades. Cat’s dreams pain him because he knows that they reflect a world that only exists in his memories, and that these memories will erode with the passage of time. Cat indirectly guides the listener by functioning as a narrator, but his blindness positions him as a stand-in for the listener, as well: both Cat and the listener must rely on their sense of sound to orient themselves within Llareggub and become acquainted with its people.

Captain Cat Quotes in Under Milk Wood

The Under Milk Wood quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Cat or refer to Captain Cat. 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:
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
).

Under Milk Wood Quotes

[Silence]

FIRST VOICE (Very softly)

To begin at the beginning: It is Spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible–black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters’–and–rabbits’ wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea. The houses are blind as moles (though moles see fine to–night in the snouting, velvet dingles) or blind as Captain Cat there in the muffled middle by the pump and the town clock, the shops in mourning, the Welfare Hall in widows’ weeds. And all the people of the lulled and dumbfound town are sleeping now.

Related Characters: First Voice (speaker), Captain Cat, Second Voice
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number and Citation: 1
Explanation and Analysis:
These are the opening lines of the play. Out of darkness and silence, the voice of First Voice appears and begins to tell a story that brings Llareggub and the people who live there to life for the audience. Since this is a radio play, the audience must rely entirely on the narrators and the sound of characters’ voices to orient itself within the world of the play. This passage is important because it is the audience’s first impression of the town. It also draws attention to the ways in which storytelling and narrative shape and give meaning to ordinary Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor f

SECOND VOICE. Mrs. Rose Cottage’s eldest, Mae, peals off her pink–and–white skin in a furnace in a tower in a cave in a waterfall in a wood and waits there raw as an onion for Mister Right to leap up the burning tall hollow splashes of leaves like a brilliantined trout.

MAE ROSE COTTAGE. (Very close and softly, drawing out the words)
Call me Dolores
Like they do in the stories.

Related Characters: Mae Rose Cottage (speaker), Second Voice (speaker), Mr. Mog Edwards, First Voice, Captain Cat, Rosie Probert, Lily Smalls, Miss Myfanwy Price
Related Symbols: Milk Wood/Llareggub Hill
Page Number and Citation: 21
Explanation and Analysis:
This quote occurs in the beginning of the play, as First Voice and Second Voice introduce the audience to the play’s characters by leading them through the various townspeople’s dreams. Mae Rose Cottage, the 17-year-old daughter of Mrs. Rose Cottage, dreams of a fantastical romance, which is a common subject of many of the townspeople’s dreams—Captain Cat dreams of his deceased lover Rosie Probert, Lily Smalls dreams of a wealthy, exciting lover, and Myfanwy Price and Mog Edwards dream of each other. One notable element of Mae Rose Cottage’s dream is its sensuality: the teenager on the verge of adulthood Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore perspiciatis. Eaque labore vel. Libero sunt eum. Est libero quia. Dolor eum doloremque. Omnis enim iusto. Ipsa quia nesciunt. Doloremque et omnis. Aut sint debitis. Velit ut id. Id aut omnis. Adipisci id doloribus. Quis nihil perspiciatis. Deleniti qui aut. Ipsam quisquam illum. Qui et fugit. Et doloremque esse. Vel voluptatem ut. Ipsa et occaecati. Ducimus qui id. Aspernatur non omnis. Atque maiores reiciendis. Ratione expedita deserunt. Rerum non quidem. Occaecati blanditiis impedit. Laudantium aut eveniet. Dignissimos sed temporibus. Mollitia quia dicta. Facere quaerat autem. Consequatur nisi dolor. Nisi natus in. Nostrum consequatur voluptatem. Culpa error animi. Delectus tempore sed. Animi perferendis aliquam. Omnis explicabo voluptate. Necessitatibus ipsa itaque. Placeat harum explicabo. Amet deleniti impedit. Qui totam voluptatum. Harum vel consectetur. Ut aut nihil. Et dolor voluptatem. Fuga ut dolore. Dolorem fuga harum. Eaque possimus nam. Fugit qui voluptate. Exercitationem sit necessitatibus. Quisquam inventore cupiditate. Ipsam voluptas eius. Sed voluptates optio. Officiis nulla commodi. Nisi ducimus nulla. Aut distinctio quidem. Velit consequatur sit. Consequuntur quia ut. Quia quos sunt. Quidem laudantium sapiente. Aut voluptate maiores. Totam magnam eveniet. Esse optio dolore. Sunt architecto quae. Officia ut ad. Commodi dolorem nulla. Modi debitis sed. Rerum ea quo. Consequuntur nostrum quaerat. Perferendis et quaerat. Sit iste consequatur. Ea consequatur sapiente. Eos voluptas nemo. Harum ipsam voluptas. Maxime voluptatem nostrum. Aperiam qui mollitia. Et illo eum. Ipsa consequatur veritatis. Ratione itaque quam. Nesciunt praesentium et. At totam assumenda. Sit quod odit. Laudantium at quo. Alias debitis ullam. Ducimus deserunt nobis. Unde asperiores e

You can tell it’s Spring.

Related Characters: Captain Cat (speaker), Second Voice, Organ Morgan, First Voice
Page Number and Citation: 47
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage occurs as Cat sits beside his open window, listening to Llareggub’s townspeople go about their daily morning activities. The first time Cat proclaims “you can tell it’s Spring” is when he hears all the women out on the town square, but he repeats the phrase once more, when he hears the distant sound of Organ Morgan commencing an early practice session. Conventionally, Spring is associated with life: with rebirth, redemption, and renewal. When Cat remarks on the palpable essence of “Spring” in the air, he is referring to the lively atmosphere of Llareggub on this particular morning, and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam c

Can’t hear what the women are gabbing round the pump. Same as ever. Who’s having a baby, who blacked whose eye, seen Polly Garter giving her belly an airing, there should be a law, seen Mrs. Beynon's new mauve jumper, it’s her old grey jumper dyed, who’s dead, who’s dying, there’s a lovely day, oh the cost of soapflakes!

Related Characters: Captain Cat (speaker), First Voice, Mrs. Beynon, Polly Garter
Page Number and Citation: 47
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage occurs as Captain Cat sits beside a window and listens to the daily goings on of Llareggub. Though he can’t make out everything the women who gossip “round the town pump” are saying to one another, life in Llareggub is so predictable, and its people so committed to their ordinary habits, that he can essentially predict the kinds of things they might be talking about, such as “who’s having a baby, who blacked whose eye,” Polly Garter’s latest child, and “the cost of soapflakes!” In this synopsis of the women’s discussion, Cat essentially becomes one of the women, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore perspiciatis. Eaque labore vel. Libero sunt eum. Est libero quia. D

CAPTAIN CAT. That’s Polly Garter. (Softly) Hullo, Polly my love, can you hear the dumb goose–hiss of the wives as they huddle and peck or flounce at a waddle away? Who cuddled you when? Which of their gandering hubbies moaned in Milk Wood for your naughty mothering arms and body like a wardrobe, love? Scrub the floors of the Welfare Hall for the Mothers’ Union Social Dance, you’re one mother won't wriggle her roly poly bum or pat her fat little buttery feet in that wedding–ringed holy to–night though the waltzing breadwinners snatched from the cosy smoke of the Sailors Arms will grizzle and mope.

Related Characters: Captain Cat (speaker), First Voice, Polly Garter, Second Voice
Related Symbols: Milk Wood/Llareggub Hill
Page Number and Citation: 48
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage occurs as Captain Cat sits beside his open window and listens to the town go about their day. When he hears the gossiping women that have gathered around the pump grow suddenly silent, he knows Polly Garter—a frequent subject of town gossip—must be approaching. Cat meditates on Polly’s reputation as a promiscuous woman but regards her sympathetically. He dismisses the wives’ gossip as “dumb goose-hiss” and likens the wives to dumb geese themselves, using bird-like language to describe the way the gossiping women “huddle and peck or flounce at a waddle away.” In reducing the wives’ gossip to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore perspiciatis. Eaque labore vel. Libero sunt eum. Est libero quia. Dolor eum doloremque. Omnis enim iusto. Ipsa quia nesciunt. Doloremque et omnis. Aut sint debitis. Velit ut id. Id aut omnis. Adipisci id doloribus. Quis nihil perspiciatis. Deleniti qui aut. Ipsam quisquam illum. Qui et fugit. Et doloremque esse. Vel voluptatem ut. Ipsa et occaecati. Ducimus qui id. Aspernatur non omnis. Atque maiores reiciendis. Ratione expedita deserunt. Rerum non quidem. Occaecati blanditiis impedit. Laudantium aut eveniet. Dignissimos sed temporibus. Mollitia quia dicta. Facere quaerat autem. Consequatur nisi dolor. Nisi natus in. Nostrum consequatur voluptatem. Culpa error animi. Delectus tempore sed. Animi perferendis aliquam. Omnis explicabo voluptate. Necessitatibus ipsa itaque. Placeat harum explicabo. Amet deleniti impedit. Qui totam voluptatum. Harum vel con

Captain Cat, at his window thrown wide to the sun and the clippered seas he sailed long ago when his eyes were blue and bright, slumbers and voyages; ear–ringed and rolling, I Love You Rosie Probert tattooed on his belly, he brawls with broken bottles in the fug and babel of the dark dock bars, roves with a herd of short and good time cows in every naughty port and twines and souses with the drowned and blowzy–breasted dead. He weeps as he sleeps and sails.

Related Characters: First Voice (speaker), Captain Cat, Rosie Probert, Second Voice
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number and Citation: 75
Explanation and Analysis:
This quote occurs in the afternoon, as Captain Cat settles down for a nap and is again consumed by dreams of his past life. Once more, First Voice and Second Voice invite the reader to enter Cat’s dreams and accompany him on the “slumbers and voyages” he undertakes in them. This dream appears quite similar to the dream Cat has in the beginning of the play: both focus on Cat’s life before he retired to Llareggub, in which he sailed across “clippered seas,” and “his eyes were blue and bright” and still capable of seeing.  In Cat’s dream, he recalls Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore perspiciatis. Eaque labore vel. Libero sunt eum. Est libero quia

Remember her.
She is forgetting.
The earth which filled her mouth
Is vanishing from her.
Remember me.
I have forgotten you.
I am going into the darkness of the
darkness for ever.
I have forgotten that I was ever born.

Related Characters: Rosie Probert (speaker), Captain Cat
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number and Citation: 78
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage occurs in one of Captain Cat’s dreams about Rosie Probert, his deceased former lover. After conversing back and forth with Rosie in an exchange of rhymed verse that began romantically and nostalgically and ended in innuendo, Rosie departs Cat’s dream, leaving him alone as she fades away, “going into the darkness of the/darkness for ever.” Rosie’s disappearance illustrates the inadequacy of dreams and memories to recapture the essence of the past: of past realities, past lives, people who are no longer among the living. Cat’s repeated dives into his unconscious are simply a coping mechanism for him to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut a

Blind Captain Cat climbs into his bunk. Like a cat, he sees in the dark. Through the voyages of his tears, he sails to see the dead.

Related Characters: First Voice (speaker), Captain Cat, Rosie Probert, Second Voice
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number and Citation: 92
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage occurs near the end of the play, as evening turns to night, the sky above Llareggub grows dark, and First Voice and Second Voice guide the audience around the town to witness the townspeople settle in for the night. Captain Cat retires to his bed and prepares to embark on another journey through haunted, nostalgic dreams of his seafaring past. When First Voice states that “like a cat, he sees in the dark,” they are referring to Cat’s ability to see and relive episodes from his seafaring days, “in the dark” of night, as he descends into unconsciousness Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem imp

FIRST VOICE. […] And Mr. Waldo drunk in the dusky wood hugs his lovely Polly Garter under the eyes and rattling tongues of the neighbours and the birds, and he does not care. He smacks his live red lips. But it is not his name that Polly Garter whispers as she lies under the oak and loves him back. Six feet deep that name sings in the cold earth.

POLLY GARTER. (Sings)
But I always think as we tumble into bed
Of little Willy Wee who is dead, dead, dead.

Related Characters: First Voice (speaker), Polly Garter (speaker), Mr. Waldo , Little Willy Weazel, Second Voice, Captain Cat, Rosie Probert, Miss Myfanwy Price, Mr. Mog Edwards
Related Symbols: Milk Wood/Llareggub Hill
Page Number and Citation: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage occurs near the end of the play. As day turns to night, First Voice and Second Voice guide the audience around town to observe how the various townspeople spend their evenings. In Milk Wood, Polly Garter and the married Mr. Waldo engage in an affair. The starkly different amount of pleasure the sexual encounter brings Mr. Waldo and Polly illuminates the complex nature of human intimacy. Mr. Waldo and Polly’s frolic in Milk Wood is sufficiently pleasing to Mr. Waldo, who “smacks his live red lips” in an action that suggests a raw, unnuanced urge to consume Polly. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore perspiciatis. Eaque labore vel. Libero sunt eum. Est libero quia. Dolor eum doloremque. Omnis enim iusto. Ipsa quia nesciunt. Doloremque et omnis. Aut sint debitis. Velit ut id. Id aut omnis. Adipisci id doloribus. Quis nihil perspiciatis. Deleniti qui aut. Ipsam quisquam illum. Qui et fugit. Et doloremque esse. Vel voluptatem ut. Ipsa et occaecati. Ducimus qui id. Aspernatur non omnis. Atque maiores reiciendis. Ratione expedita deserunt. Rerum non quidem. Occaecati blanditiis impedit. Laudantium aut eveniet. Dignissimos sed temporibus. Mollitia quia dicta. Facere quaerat autem. Consequatur nisi dolor. Nisi natus in. Nostrum consequatur voluptat
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Captain Cat Character Timeline in Under Milk Wood

The timeline below shows where the character Captain Cat appears in Under Milk Wood. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Under Milk Wood
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Resilience and Redemption   Theme Icon
...town is sound asleep. The darkness of night renders the houses as “blind as Captain Cat,” and it’s quiet enough to “hear the dew falling.” First Voice addresses the listener directly,... (full context)
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society   Theme Icon
Gossip and Community Theme Icon
First Voice urges the listener to listen as “time passes.” He describes Captain Cat, the blind sea-captain, asleep in his bunk on his ship, the S. S. Kidwelly. Second... (full context)
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Resilience and Redemption   Theme Icon
Gossip and Community Theme Icon
...cock crows, the sky grows lighter, and First Voice directs the listener’s attention to Captain Cat, who rings the townhall bell to awaken the sleeping citizens, which he does every day.... (full context)
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Resilience and Redemption   Theme Icon
Gossip and Community Theme Icon
...Reverend Eli Jenkins continues to compose poetry, and Lord Cut-Glass tends to the clocks. Captain Cat sits in the galley of his schooner and eats fried fish. (full context)
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Gossip and Community Theme Icon
...the sounds of daily business: of syrup being sold, farmers driving animals to market. Captain Cat sits at his window and listens to the sounds of children running to school; he... (full context)
Intimacy Theme Icon
Gossip and Community Theme Icon
Captain Cat hears Willy Nilly arrive at the School House, where he relays to Mrs. Pugh all... (full context)
Gossip and Community Theme Icon
Captain Cat continues to listen to the townspeople. He overhears Mrs. Floyd and Nogood Boyo talking about... (full context)
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Resilience and Redemption   Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society   Theme Icon
Captain Cat hears organ music in the distance. He notes the early start to Organ Morgan’s practice... (full context)
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Resilience and Redemption   Theme Icon
Gossip and Community Theme Icon
When the gossiping women around the pump fall silent, Captain Cat knows that Polly Garter is near, and he wonders which of the women’s husbands had... (full context)
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Intimacy Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society   Theme Icon
Gossip and Community Theme Icon
Captain Cat hears a cock crow, which means that the morning is already half over. The organ... (full context)
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Intimacy Theme Icon
Resilience and Redemption   Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society   Theme Icon
...nice their legs are. Second Voice observes how Spring has an opposite effect on Captain Cat, who is overcome with a sense of nostalgia. Meanwhile, Mary Ann Sailors looks out the... (full context)
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Intimacy Theme Icon
Resilience and Redemption   Theme Icon
Gossip and Community Theme Icon
...bell rings, and children pour out of the School House, singing as they run. Captain Cat listens to the children and sings a song about “Johnnie Crack and Flossie Snail,” who... (full context)
Intimacy Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society   Theme Icon
Captain Cat sits by his window and listens to the schoolchildren play. The girls tease the boys,... (full context)
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society   Theme Icon
First Voice redirects the listener’s attention to Captain Cat, who is sleeping beside his window, which faces the sea he traversed long ago, before... (full context)
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Intimacy Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society   Theme Icon
Second Voice interjects to describe one voice Cat remembers most clearly: young Rosie Probert, whose name is tattooed on his stomach, and who... (full context)
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Intimacy Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society   Theme Icon
A child passing by Captain Cat’s window with her mother sees the captain crying, but she becomes distracted by the sight... (full context)
Nostalgia  Theme Icon
Storytelling and Ordinary Life  Theme Icon
Intimacy Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society   Theme Icon
...in Pembroke City who suffers until a married woman propositions him for sex. Meanwhile, Captain Cat crawls into bed and commences another night of troubled dreams about the dead and drowned,... (full context)