# Crassus Balbus Pliny — The Apple Cart character guide

> Crassus Balbus Pliny in The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Crassus, Balbus, Pliny, Pliny Crassus Balbus, Crassus Sits, Crassus Yes, Crassus Thoughtful, Crassus Things, Crassus Rising, Crassus Breakages, Mr. Pliny, Mike, Pliny Mike

**First appearance:** 0001-the-apple-cart

## Snapshot

A trio of classical names Shaw borrows for comic commentary, hovering over the palace like a Roman chorus that never quite leaves the page.

## Who they are

Crassus, Balbus, and Pliny surface as allegorical commentators whose Latin tags and rhetorical habits shadow the modern political squabbles of the palace office. Their function is to measure the present against the antique, exposing how little the machinery of power has changed since the Forum. They matter early because they teach the audience how to read the play: as extravaganza, as debate, as a comedy where the dead still have opinions about the living.

## Relationships

### [King Magnus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_apple_cart_se/characters/king_magnus)

_professional_

Crassus Balbus Pliny is a minister or advisor to King Magnus, engaging in political discourse.

### [Amanda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_apple_cart_se/characters/amanda)

_professional_

Amanda and Crassus Balbus Pliny have a working relationship, likely as secretary and minister.

### [Mr. Joseph Proteus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_apple_cart_se/characters/mr_joseph_proteus)

_professional_

Crassus Balbus Pliny and Joseph Proteus are fellow politicians who collaborate or clash in government.

### [Mr. Bill Boanerges](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_apple_cart_se/characters/mr_bill_boanerges)

_professional_

These two ministers share a professional relationship within the political sphere.

### [Nicobar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_apple_cart_se/characters/nicobar)

_professional_

Crassus Balbus Pliny and Nicobar have a professional connection, possibly as colleagues in government.

### [King Magnus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_apple_cart_se/characters/king_magnus)

_professional_

Crassus Balbus Pliny is a minister or advisor to King Magnus, engaging in political discourse.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_apple_cart_se/characters/crassus_balbus_pliny
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_apple_cart_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_apple_cart_se/characters