How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue. We used Donald M. Allen's translation.
Quote #1
Old Woman: "You are very gifted, my darling. You could have been head president, head king or even head doctor, or general, if you had wanted to, if only you'd had a little ambition in life..." (16)
This quote seems to show that the Old Man's disappointing, meaningless existence results from the fact that he never had any big dreams. He's a nobody because he never really tried to accomplish anything. He never had any real dreams or plans.
Quote #2
Old Woman: "all is not lost, all is not spoiled, you'll tell them everything, you will explain, you have a message...you must live, you have to struggle for your message..." (88)
Just before the Old Woman says this to her husband, he's totally freaking out about his meaningless life. When she reminds him of his great message he seems to perk up a bit. It's unclear as to whether he's actually been working on this supposed message or not. The fact that he's been working on a great message hasn't come up before, which makes us wonder if it's true at all. It's quite possible that the old couple just decides to imagine that he's been striving for something his entire life. Perhaps they pretend he's been working on something in an attempt to create meaning where there is none.
Quote #3
Old Man: "I have a message, that's God's truth. I struggle, a mission, I have something to say, a message to communicate to humanity, to mankind..." (89)
The idea of having a great message for humanity definitely perks up the weepy Old Man. He now has a mission, a goal for the future, which has given him renewed purpose in life. If he can get his message across to the guests tonight, his life won't have been wasted. Of course, as we mention in the entry above, it's entirely possible that he has no message at all and that his dream of being somebody is really just that: a dream.
Quote #4
Old Man: "When we were young, the moon was a living star, Ah! yes, yes, if only we had dared, but we were only children." (250)
In this quote the Old Man is speaking to the invisible Belle, who seems to be a long-lost love. The moon he speaks of could represent a dream of true love that was never fulfilled. It could also represent the plans he never quite accomplished while he was still young enough to make them happen.
Quote #5
Old Woman: "Saving his [the Old Man's] own soul by saving the world!" (388)
Here the Old Woman points out that her husband's dream of helping the world will also help him. Does that make his dream inherently selfish? Would he be attempting it if it weren't going to benefit him in some way? We've already had hints earlier in the play that he's a pretty selfish dude. Let's not forget that this is the same guy who claims to have left his mother to die alone in a ditch.
Quote #6
Old Man: "I wanted to climb stairways, they rotted the steps...I fell down...I wanted to travel, they refused me a passport...I wanted to cross the river, they burnt my bridges..." (447)
In this passage, the Old Man seems to blame all his failures on others. Could it be, though, that the real reasons his dreams have never come true is because he's never taken responsibility for his own actions?
Quote #7
Old Man: "Our existence can come to an end in this apotheosis..." (523)
An apotheosis is a perfect ideal, a model of excellence. The Old Man is supremely confident that his message will save the world. So confident, in fact, that he feels his life is complete and that he die at peace with what he's accomplished.
Quote #8
Old Man: "...thanks be to heaven who has granted us such long and peaceful years...My life has been filled to overflowing. My mission is accomplished." (523)
At this point the Old Man thinks all his dreams have come true. It's interesting to hear him talk about how great his life has been when earlier he was saying just the opposite. It seems that when people think their dreams have come true, they forget all the bad stuff.
Quote #9
Stage Directions: "The Old Woman and Old Man at the same moment throw themselves out the windows, shouting 'Long Live the Emperor.'" (540)
The Old Man and Woman throw themselves into the waters below, thinking that the Orator has got the whole message thing under control. As we find out in just a moment, this trust was totally misplaced. Here's a question: why on earth would you kill yourself without making sure the thing you've worked for your entire life actually happened?
Quote #10
Orator: "He, mme, mm, mm. Ju, gou, hou, hou. Heu, heu, ju hou, gueue." (541)
Here it is: the moment when all the Old Man's dreams come to nothing. It turns out the Orator is really bad at his job. The Old Man supposedly worked his entire life to accomplish the goal of saving humanity, but now his message will never be heard. What do you think this says about personal goals? Does it mean that all of our dreams are futile and absurd? Or could the play simply be skewering the Old Man's specific dream?