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Marco Alisdair
Known to many of the other characters in the novel as the mysterious man in the gray suit, Mr. A.H. is a magician, as well as Hector Bowen’s greatest rival. He and Hector have been competing by proxy for decades—if not centuries—to establish which one of them can train the best magician. When Mr. A.H. meets young Celia Bowen, he agrees to a new competition and selects a young boy from an orphanage to be his apprentice. He is an excellent teacher, but he isolates his young student, only letting him out into the world to attend magic shows; when his apprentice turns 19, Mr. A.H. gives him his own apartment in London and sets him free to the world; he has never learned his apprentice’s name, so the young man calls himself Marco Alisdair. Mr. A.H. is also one of the original organizers of Le Cirque des Rêves, where the competition will take place. The other organizers do not know what to make of him, and as the circus members develop a sense of family and community, he makes no significant connections to the people around him, clearly preferring both distance and control. He appears aloof and mysterious, but really Mr. A.H. is isolated from those around him by his magic, and especially by the fact that he is not entirely mortal and has lived for centuries beyond the normal human lifespan. His rivalry with Hector Bowen and the strained relationship he had with his student Marco are the closest things Mr. A.H. has to emotional connections in his life.
Alexander / Mr. A.H. Quotes in The Night Circus
The The Night Circus quotes below are all either spoken by Alexander / Mr. A.H. or refer to Alexander / Mr. A.H.. 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:
).
Part 1: Primordium
Quotes
“You would wager your own child?”
“She won’t lose.”
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“You will be coming to study with me […].”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Do you wish to remain here?”
“No.”
“Very well.”
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“What am I bound to?”
“An obligation you already had, and a person you will not meet for some time.”
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Part 2: Illumination
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“I’m not certain I understand the rules.”
“You don’t need to understand the rules. You need to follow them. As I said, your work has been sufficient.”
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Part 3: Intersections
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“Thirteen years with barely a word and now you wish to speak with me?”
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“She will win. Do not try to avoid the fact that she is a stronger player than yours and has always been.”
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Part 4: Incendiary
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“Our instructors do not understand how it is. To be bound to someone in such a way. They are too old, too out of touch with their emotions. They no longer remember what it is to live and breathe within the world. They think it simple to pit any two people against each other. It is never simple. The other person becomes how you define your life, how you define yourself.”
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Part 5: Divination
Quotes
“You think being imprisoned marvelous?”
“It’s a matter of perspective. They have each other. They are confined within a space that is remarkable, one that can, and will, grow and change around them.”
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“You’d be better off letting the whole endeavor fade away into myth and oblivion. All empires fall eventually. It is the way of things. Perhaps it is time to let this one go.”
“I’m afraid I’m unwilling to do that.”
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Get the entire The Night Circus LitChart as a printable PDF.
Alexander / Mr. A.H. Quotes in The Night Circus
The The Night Circus quotes below are all either spoken by Alexander / Mr. A.H. or refer to Alexander / Mr. A.H.. 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:
).
Part 1: Primordium
Quotes
“You would wager your own child?”
“She won’t lose.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“You will be coming to study with me […].”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Do you wish to remain here?”
“No.”
“Very well.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“What am I bound to?”
“An obligation you already had, and a person you will not meet for some time.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2: Illumination
Quotes
“I’m not certain I understand the rules.”
“You don’t need to understand the rules. You need to follow them. As I said, your work has been sufficient.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Intersections
Quotes
“Thirteen years with barely a word and now you wish to speak with me?”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“She will win. Do not try to avoid the fact that she is a stronger player than yours and has always been.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4: Incendiary
Quotes
“Our instructors do not understand how it is. To be bound to someone in such a way. They are too old, too out of touch with their emotions. They no longer remember what it is to live and breathe within the world. They think it simple to pit any two people against each other. It is never simple. The other person becomes how you define your life, how you define yourself.”
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 5: Divination
Quotes
“You think being imprisoned marvelous?”
“It’s a matter of perspective. They have each other. They are confined within a space that is remarkable, one that can, and will, grow and change around them.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“You’d be better off letting the whole endeavor fade away into myth and oblivion. All empires fall eventually. It is the way of things. Perhaps it is time to let this one go.”
“I’m afraid I’m unwilling to do that.”
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