in Lodovic Sforza, Duke of Milan — Gomersall, Robert
Metadata
Play
Lodovic Sforza, Duke of Milan
Author
Gomersall, Robert
Year (catalogued)
1628
First performance
1628
Decade
1620s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Closet/Unacted (?)
Speech prefix(es)
Cap. | Capt. | •• pt.
Words
201
Characters
1048
Typicality
0.29 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A01853
BritDrama no.
2236
Cluster
Cluster 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
I'll satisfy you thus, you see I doe't: Strike up a march. 'Tis vain, I'm deaf to Rh toricke: yet say th'ast met With a good perjurer, my word is passed, And to be twice a traitor, is a fault No sorrow can atone for: yet thus far I'll strain my self to please thee, 'tis well known, Unless you get unto Ascanio, Your Hope's are at the last, but between you And him, the French have interposed themselves, Nothing remains but that you trust to me, And in a Swizzers coat disguise your self, That you may pass their Army. I'm betrayed. I can dare torments for wise honesty, But when you know as much as I can tell, Should I conceale't, all policy would judge, I did deserve the worst that I endured: Who told you this was Sforza? What? to me? Letters unto his enemy? let's see: Ex. Soul. Expect and answer in my Tent.—What's here? I'll do no miracles: My voice and faith are passed. You may fail: It's better to be wise: Sforza, I'm come To take my leave of you, nor shall much breath Be spent in ceremonial compliment, I am the French Kings soldier.
Plot summary
Plot — Lodovic Sforza, Duke of Milan
Sforza is ambitious to rule Milan even though primogeniture has passed him by, leaving him as merely the Protector to his nephew, the Duke Galeazzo. He invites the King of France, who covets the throne of Naples, to invade Italy to press his claim by force, relying on French support for his own usurpation of Milan. He then poisons Galeazzo, and attempts to dispose of the two poisoners; but one of them, Vitellio, survives and plans revenge using forged documents which implicate Sforza in the crime. After the coronation, rumours of foul play begin to circulate. Vittellio is caught lurking around Sforza’s bedchamber, intending to murder him, so Sforza has him strangled. Caiazzo plans to murder Isabella, Galeazzo’s widow, as she visits his tomb, but realizes that he could do better for himself by marrying her. She refuses him, but he promises her revenge on Sforza as a mark of his good faith, When she remains resolute, he threatens to ===== PAGE 305 ===== 1628 rape her, but is prevented by Sforza’s arrival. He claims she tried to persuade him to assassinate Sforza, but the Duke takes no reprisals. Sforza is visited by Galeazzo’s ghost, who foretells that he will fall from power and die in prison, Meanwhile, the French take Naples with ease, frustrating Sforza’s exit strategy: he was expecting them to be tied down in a long war, giving him time to co-ordinate Italian forces to expel them. The French King is taken ill at a tennis match and dies. The deposed Neapolitan ruler retakes his throne, so the French invade Italy again. When they reach Milan, Caiazzo defects with his soldiers, the senators surrender the city, and Isabella hands herself over, only to have her baby son taken from her and sent to be brought up in France. Sforza strengthens his army with Swiss mercenaries, but their captain is persuaded to transfer allegiance to the French; he offers to help Sforza escape disguised as a common soldier, but they are betrayed. The French conquer Milan, and, as the ghost foretold, Sforza spends the rest of his life in captivity.