Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

DOCTOR

in The Two Noble Kinsmen — Fletcher, John; Shakespeare, William

Metadata

PlayThe Two Noble Kinsmen
AuthorFletcher, John; Shakespeare, William
Year (catalogued)1634
First performance1613
Decade1630s
GenreTragicomedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Men
TheaterBlackfriars;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Do. | Doctor. | Doct. | Docter. | Doc.
Words666
Characters3491
Typicality0.38 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA00969
BritDrama no.1724
ClusterCluster 20 — Conjurers, witches & physicians

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

That intemprat surfeit of her eye, hath distempered the Other senses, they may return and settle again to Execute their preordained faculties, but they are Now in a most extravagant vagary. This you Must do, Confine her to a place, where the light May rather seem to steal in, then be permitted; take Upon you (young Sir her friend) the name of Palamon, say you come to eat with her, and to Commune of Love; this will catch her attention, for This her mind beats upon; other objects that are Inserted tween her mind and eye, become the pranks And friskins of her madness; Sing to her, such green Songs of Love, as she says Palamon hath sung in Prison; Come to her, stuck in as sweet flowers, as the Season is mistress of, and thereto make and addition of Some other compounded odours, which are grateful to the Sense: all this shall become Palamon, for Palamon can Sing, and Palamon is sweet, and every good thing, desire To eat with her, crave her, drink to her, and still Among, intermingle your petition of grace and acceptance Into her favour: Learn what Maids have been her Companions, and play-pheeres, and let them repair to Her with Palamon in their mouths, and appear with Tokens, as if they suggested for him, It is a falsehoód She is in, which is with fasehoods to be combated. This may bring her to eat, to sleep, and reduce what's Now out of square in her, into their former law, and Regiment; I have seen it approved, how many ti S I know n to, but to make the number more, I have Great hope in this. I will between the passages of This project, come in with my applyance: Let us Put it in execution; and hasten the success, which doubt not Will bring forth comfort. You did so? That's all one, if ye make a noise, If she entreat again, do any thing, Lie with her if she ask you. Yes in the way of cure. That's but a niceness, Never cast your child away for honesty; Cure her first this way, then if shoe will be honest, She has the path before her. Pray bring her in And let's see how she is. How old is she? She may be, But that's all one, 'tis nothing to our purpose, What ere her Father says, if you perceive Her mood inclining that way that I spoke of Videlicet, the way of flesh, you have me. Please her appetite And do it home, it cures her ips facto, The mellencholly humour that infects her. What stuff she utters? Why a days Journey wench. Yes sweetheart, And I am glad my Cousin Palamon Has made so fair a choice. Yes without doubt. I'll warrant you within these 3. or 4 days I'll make her right again. You must not from her But still preserve her in this way. Her distraction is more at some time of the Moon, at other some, is it not? What stuff's here? poor soul. How prettily she's amiss? note her a little further. How her brain coins? How she continues this fancy? 'Tis not and engrafted Madness, but a most thick, and profound mellencholly. I think she has a perturbed mind, which I cannot minister to. Understand you, she ever affected any man, ere She beheld Palamon? Has this advice I told you, done any good upon her? TO was well done; twenty times had been far better, For there the cure lies inely. Let her do so, And when your fit comes, fit her home, And presently. It very I l done then, You should observe her every way. oe, go: you Father's are fine Fools: her honesty? And we should give her physic till we find that: You'll find it so; she comes, pray honour her. Nay we'll go with you, I will not lose the Fight. Lets get her in. Take her offer.

Plot summary

Plot — The Two Noble Kinsmen
Theseus’ wedding to Hippolyta is interrupted by three widowed queens, whose husbands have fallen in battle against Thebes. Creon, the victor, has denied them the right to bury their dead, so they request Theseus’ help in forcing his hand. At Hippolyta’s request, Theseus postpones the wedding feast and leads an army against Thebes. It is a bad moment for the Theban princes Palamon and Arcite: they are on the point of leaving Creon’s corrupt court, but now feel a patriotic duty to defend their city. Theseus wins the war, Palamon and Arcite are taken prisoner, and the dead kings are buried. Palamon and Arcite are imprisoned in Athens. Their cell overlooks a garden where Emilia walks; they both fall in love with her and quarrel jealously. Arcite is released, on condition that he never returns to Athens, but he stays in disguise and performs with distinction at a. sporting festival for Emilia’s birthday. Meanwhile Palamon is moved to a cell without a garden view. The jailer’s daughter falls in love with him and, aware that they are of markedly different rank, seeks to win his regard by engineering his escape. Palamon meets Arcite in the woods the following morning; Arcite agrees to bring him food, clothing, and weapons so that they can fight out their quarrel. In consequence, Palamon fails to turn up at his appointment with the jailer’s daughter, and she is driven mad by a combination of disappointed love and fear that her father will be blamed for the escape. The fight between Palamon and Arcite is interrupted by Theseus. Though one has broken banishment and the other broken prison, Hippolyta and Emilia beg that their lives be spared, but the kinsmen will not consent to Emilia’s proposal that they should be banished from Athens and_.swear never again to see either her or one another. Theseus proposes to execute only one of them if Emilia will agree to marry the other, but she cannot decide between them. Theseus resolves on a trial by combat, with each kinsman supported by three knights: the winner will get Emilia, and the loser will die. Palamon exonerates the jailer concerning his escape and gives his daughter a dowry. A doctor treats her by dressing her fiancé as Palamon and encouraging him to play up to her, even if it entails pre-marital sex. It does, and she is cured. The kinsmen return to Athens with their knights to participate in the combat. Arcite prays for victory to Mars and Palamon to Venus; both receive signs of their respective deities’…