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The Old Man
A mysterious character who transports Aschenbach to his hotel but refuses any monetary payment, saying simply, “You will pay.” He is reminiscent of the Greek mythological character Charon, who ferried souls across the river Styx into the underworld. The strange gondolier heightens the sense of Venice as an otherworldly, partly dreamlike place.
The Gondolier Quotes in Death in Venice
The Death in Venice quotes below are all either spoken by The Gondolier or refer to The Gondolier. 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:
).
Chapter 3
Quotes
Who could avoid experiencing a fleeting shudder, a secret timidity and anxiety upon boarding a Venetian gondola for the first time or after a long absence? The strange conveyance, handed down without any change from ages of yore, and so peculiarly black—the only other thing that black is a coffin—recalls hushed criminal adventures in the night, accompanied only by the quiet splashing of water; even more, it recalls death itself, the bier and the dismal funeral and the final taciturn passage. And have you observed that the seat in such a boat, that armchair painted black like a coffin and upholstered in a dull black, is the softest, most luxurious and enervating seat in the world? Aschenbach noticed this when he sat down at the gondolier’s feet opposite his luggage, which was arranged neatly at the prow.
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“What do you charge for the ride?”
And, looking past him, the gondolier answered:
“You will pay.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Gondolier Quotes in Death in Venice
The Death in Venice quotes below are all either spoken by The Gondolier or refer to The Gondolier. 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:
).
Chapter 3
Quotes
Who could avoid experiencing a fleeting shudder, a secret timidity and anxiety upon boarding a Venetian gondola for the first time or after a long absence? The strange conveyance, handed down without any change from ages of yore, and so peculiarly black—the only other thing that black is a coffin—recalls hushed criminal adventures in the night, accompanied only by the quiet splashing of water; even more, it recalls death itself, the bier and the dismal funeral and the final taciturn passage. And have you observed that the seat in such a boat, that armchair painted black like a coffin and upholstered in a dull black, is the softest, most luxurious and enervating seat in the world? Aschenbach noticed this when he sat down at the gondolier’s feet opposite his luggage, which was arranged neatly at the prow.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“What do you charge for the ride?”
And, looking past him, the gondolier answered:
“You will pay.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
