Apes Quote by Ambrose Bierce
“A popular character in old Italian plays, who imitated with ludicrous incompetence the "buffone", or clown, and was therefore the ape of an ape; for the clown himself imitated the serious characters of the play.”
About This Quote
Source Play: Italian Commedia dell’arte, 16th‑17th centuries
A clown imitates another clown, creating a chain of absurdity that mirrors the original’s seriousness.
In simple terms: Clowns copying clowns leads to absurdity.
Key Takeaway
Recognize when imitation loses meaning.
Themes
satire
theatre
identity
absurdity
Mood
ironic
critical
playful
Type
observational
humorous
When to use this quote
- stage performance
- comedic writing
- social critique
- character analysis
Key Concepts
imitation
self‑reference
meta‑theatre
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this say about originality?
- When does parody become emptiness?
A Different Perspective
If the original is already absurd, further imitation may become meaningless.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
