Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

BUBE

in The Bloody Brother (Rollo, Duke of Normandy) — Fletcher, John; Massinger, Philip; Field, Nathan (?)

Metadata

PlayThe Bloody Brother (Rollo, Duke of Normandy)
AuthorFletcher, John; Massinger, Philip; Field, Nathan (?)
Year (catalogued)1639
First performance1617
Decade1630s
GenreTragedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Men
Speech prefix(es)Bub.
Words203
Characters1010
Typicality0.44 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA00958
BritDrama no.1841
ClusterCluster 0 — Clowns, beggars & street sellers

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

What is that? your rumpe? Friar, I fear You do not say your Office well a days. It's true, the child was wont to be industri ous, And now and then sent to a Merchant's wife Sick of the husband, or a swearing Butler That missed of his Bowls, a crying Maid Had lost a silver spoon; the Curry come Somtims was wanting; there was something got But now— So you'll keep Your own good motions, Doctor, your deer self. You'll pick a bottle open or a whimsy, As soon as the best of us. It is so. A most happy hour, when we see you, sir. And gratulate it. It is the Princes Scheame. We must entreat some time, sir, Or in some old wall. Or else I'll go and assay him. I, and Beatrice the Fryer if he go not well Furnished with holy-water. Not cross him in a word, for then he's gone. And Venus in the second Inferna Portam. Yes, for you see he hath his Termine In the degrees where she is, and enjoys By that, six dignities. We have a pretty partly of't in our pockets; Boy we will all be new, you shall along to. Exeunt.

Plot summary

Plot — The Bloody Brother (Rollo, Duke of Normandy)
The old Duke of Normandy has left his dukedom to be shared by his two sons, Rollo and Otto, but the brothers are mutually antagonistic. Civil war is averted by the intervention of their mother Sophia, and they agree to celebrate the new accord at a banquet. Latorch persuades Rollo to renege on the truce, but proposes to dispose of Otto by craft rather than by force, and suborns the kitchen staff preparing the banquet to poison Otto's food. At the feast, however, Otto is off his food and will not eat. Rollo pretends to take offence, claiming that Otto's reluctance is tantamount to accusing him of a poisoning attempt, and leaves the banquet. He later murders Otto in their mother's presence, and sends Latorcb to convince the citizens that he was acting in self-defence. Gisbert and Baldwin, two senior courtiers, are beheaded for refusing to abet his usurpation; a third, Aubrey, recognizes that, the murder notwithstanding, Rollo is the only legitimate heir left. Rollo makes it known that the poisoning plot was instigated by Otto, and has the caterers hanged. Rollo proves to be a tyrant who preys not only on his nobles but also his meaner subjects. Among the latter is Allan , Gisbert's servant, who is condemned to death for burying his executed master; his brother Hamond, the Duke 's Captain of the Guard, cannot persuade Rollo to spare him. Latorch asks permission to have Rollo's horoscope cast; his objective is to get the astrologers to foretell danger to the Duke's life from a courtier identifiable as Aubrey. Rollo does not wait for the results: Aubrey is delegated to carry out a task detailed in a letter, which turns out to be the supervision ofhis own execution; but Hamond will not co-operate. and Aubrey 's head remains on his shoulders. Meanwhile Rollo goes to dinner with Baldwin 's daughter Edith , ,,.ilom he covets, not knowing that she intends to murder him. Her plans are stymied when he seems to repent his misdeeds and promises reformation. Hamond, ordered to attend with the guard, does not share her scruples : he kills Rollo in revenge for the treatment of Allan _and Aubrey, and then himself. Aubrey succeeds to the dukedom, and has Latorch hanged. Edith is sent to a nunnery after she refuses to condemn Rollo 's murder.