Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

STROPHIUS

in Orestes — Goffe, Thomas

Metadata

PlayOrestes
AuthorGoffe, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1633
First performance1617
Decade1630s
GenreTragedy
Play typeUniversity
Theaterat University;
Speech prefix(es)Stroph. | Str. | Stro. | Stop.
Words555
Characters2913
Typicality0.41 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA01840
BritDrama no.1929
ClusterCluster 2 — Allegory, Nature & pageant voices

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Come, you have lost a father, I a brother, The Queen a Husband, all the Land a King, Yet all thi's but a man; Therefore must die: Our woes may all be in one balance poised, His book of life the Fates had overread, And turned the leaf where his last perjod stood Now and immortal wreathe circles his brow, And makes him King in heaven, who was before At most a God on earth; Hence difference springs, Kings are earth's Gods, and Gods are heavenly Kings. Oh let my latter age not live to see Aegisteus wear great Argus diadem: I thank my gracious Lord, time hath by this Almost eat out the memory of our son, And since the heavens let fallen their Due on you, And watered Argos with such springing Hope's, I will not seem a stock, uncapable Of such a general comfort, but revive My buried thoughts, and for my Souerignes sake, Old Strophius will a young men person take. Electra, you are happy in your charge. In troth, Electra, I am in despair, Almost of ever seeing them again; Sure if Orestes live, and ever hear, Unto what pass Aegystheus brings his state, Seated him in the throne of his mother's bed, And Like to leave Argos hereditary To his posterity, it cannot e'r be born, Orestes spirit will endure no scorn. My gracious sovereigns, this strange spectacle Renews the memory of my once great lose, And my deer Queen's, we once were blessed with two, Which so had linked themselves in bans of Love, As these men now do seem to me they have. One stream of love did in two hearts so glide, One with the other lived, with other died. And would my Queen be my competitor, For our sons sake my suits should join with her, Since Justice craves but one, and both will go, Even save them both, and right wrong justice so. It's they indeed, Oh how my blood revives, Let me embrace them, Oh ye'r welcome home, Now is the Autumn of our sorrow done. My Lord, I know not ought, Yet, since one foot is now in Charon's boat, If it please you, let tother too afloat. Nay Niece, me thinks I now do see the Haven. Where my ag'de soul, must leave this tossed bark, Made weak with years and woes, yet I commend Unto my Son the heart of a true friend, That's all the will I leave, and let him know Friendship should ever be, but most in woe. And so I leave thee Niece, I first must die, To haste a perjod to this Tragedy. He die. His name, Electra, yes, and's nature too, Which I do fear me he will hardly do. But if we hear not from them now ever long, I'll listen by some means about the land, To hear of them; mean time you to your charge, Officious duty must our lives enlarge. Remember Clytemnestra, he's your son. What temper's grown on the distracted Queen! Hath grief conceived for her late husbands death, Brought her so far, she hath forgotten her self? Oh, 'twas Orestes, 'twas my Pylades, Which arm in arm did follow him to death. Yes Sir, but Fates envied my happiness, And holds both Prince and Son away too long.

Plot summary

Plot — Orestes
Agamemnon returns home after ten years of war. When he takes his neglected wife Clytemnestra to bed, she and her lover Aegisthus murder him. Roused by bad dreams, his son Orestes finds the body in bed. Feigning innocence, Clytemnestra curses the murderer, while the surviving Trojan glories in the death of the enemy commander: Troy is avenged. Recognizing that he is in danger, Orestes goes into hiding with Pylades until the murderer is identified, and sends a report that, unhinged with grief, he threw himself off a cliff into the sea, and that Pylades also went over trying to stop him. Aegisthus, the next in line, ascends the throne and marries Clytemnestra. She bears him a son, establishing his dynasty, and in celebration he proclaims a general pardon for all crimes. Orestes and Pylades consult the witch Canidia, who shows them a vision of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus committing the murder. They return to court in disguise. Their plotting is overheard by Misander, and they kill him to preserve secrecy, but are immediately arrested. In judging the case, Aegisthus faces two problems: the crime is covered by the general pardon, and each defendant, seeking to save the other, claims that he alone was the murderer. Aegisthus decides not to pass a death sentence on either, and is further impressed when Pylades introduces Orestes as a doctor who has perfected the secret of rejuvenation. Aegisthus asks for a demonstration, using himself and Clytemnestra as the subjects. Agamemnon’s ghost appears to Orestes, urging him to get on with the revenge and take care not to spare his mother. Pylades obtains custody of Aegisthus’ son, who is in the care of Orestes’ sister Electra. When Orestes meets with the King and Queen for their ===== PAGE 235 ===== 1620 rejuvenation, he ties them up, kills their son in front of them, forces them to drink the blood, and finally kills them. He demands his restoration to the throne, but the lords are unwilling to crown a murderer, and instead enthrone Tyndarus, whose first act is to banish Orestes and his accomplices, further stipulating that nobody must give Orestes food. Pylades’ father Strophius dies and Electra kills herself. Orestes goes mad and thinks himself tormented by the Furies. He and Pylades kill one another in a suicide pact, and Tyndarus announces that they are to be buried together in a single tomb.