Quinn
Cunningham
September 21, 2002
Character Report
Daugherty
Apollodorus of Sicily
I. Historical context of Apollodorus' life
A. Contemporary of Cleopatra
II. Brief biography
A. Little information on life
B. From Greece (Sicily)
III. Principle sources and their reliability for this person
A. Professor Daugherty
B. Plutarch. Roman Lives. Oxford University Press. Oxford, NY. 1999.
C. Grant, Michael. Cleopatra. Phoenix Press. London, England. 1972.
D. Walter Wanger (Producer). (1963). Cleopatra [Videotape]
E. A Queen For Caesar [Videotape].
IV. Ancient and/or current assessment of character
A. No real recognition from other contemporaries
V. My assessment
A. Dedicated person
B. Enjoyed friendship with Cleopatra
VI. Factual relationship to or interaction with Cleopatra
A. Helped sneak Cleopatra into Caesar's Palace
1. Two different versions of story
B. Video - "A Queen For Caesar"
1. Apollodorus a friend figure
C. Video - "Cleopatra" (with Elizabeth Taylor)
1. Apollodorus a "right-hand man"
VII. Your assessment of that relationship
A. Good friends
B. Apollodorus perhaps in love with Cleopatra (a forbidden love)
VIII. Casting
A. Freddy Prinze Jr.
Quotes about Cleopatra sneaking into Caesar's palace:
"The only friend Cleopatra took with her was Apollodorus of
Sicily. She sailed in a small dinghy to the royal palace, where
she landed at dusk, and since she was bound to be spotted otherwise,
she got inside one of those bags that are used for holding bedclothes
and stretched herself out to her full length, while Apollodorus
tied a strap around the bag and carried her inside to Caesar."
-Plutarch. Roman Lives. p. 341
"Her landing is immortalized by the story, which may well
be true, that a Sicilian merchant Apollodorus smuggled her past
the coastguards in a carpet or a roll of bedding."
- Grant, Michael. Cleopatra. p. 63
Summary:
Ashley Boozer
September 24, 2002
Apollodorus of Sicily
Though not much is known for sure about Cleopatra's servant Apollodorus,
we do know for a fact that he was from a Greek heritage and born
in Sicily. There is also some uncertainty regarding his race-whether
or not he was black or white, just like Cleopatra herself. Apollodorus
and Cleopatra shared a friendly relationship nonetheless, and some
even believe that the two were romantically involved. This romantic
relationship is brought to life by Hollywood in the movie "Cleopatra"
starring Elizabeth Taylor. Apollodorus was a very dedicated servant
to Cleopatra, and was responsible for helping to smuggle her into
Caesar's Palace in a rolled up rug. He served as her right hand
man alongside Charmion and Iras, but he received no recognition
from any of his other Egyptian contemporaries at that time. Because
not much is known about Apollodorus, the only ways we see him portrayed
today are in movies that depict him as either Cleopatra's right
hand man or one of her many romantic interests.