Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

GENTLEWOMAN

in The Play of the Weather — Heywood, John

Metadata

PlayThe Play of the Weather
AuthorHeywood, John
Year (catalogued)1544
First performance1528
Decade1540s
GenreComedy
Play typeInterlude
Speech prefix(es)¶Gentylwoman. | ❧ Gentylwoman. | ☜Gentylwoman. | ¶Gentlwoman.
Words477
Characters2254
Typicality0.57 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA03181
BritDrama no.2
ClusterCluster 12 — Wooers, gallants & courtly love-talk

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

❧ Now good God what a folly is this What should I do were so much people is I know not how to pass into the God now. ¶I pray you let me in at the back side. ❧ No, why. ¶Forfoth the cause of my coming is this I am a woman right taire as you see In no creature more beauty then in me is And sins I am fair, fair would I keep me But the son in Summer so soar does burn me In Winter the wind on every side me No part of the year wot I where to turn me But even in my house am I say to hide me And so do all other that beauty have In whose name at this time this suit I make Bescchynge Iupyter to grant that I crave Which is this that it may please him for our sake To send us weather close and temperate No son shine no frost nor wind to blow Then would we get the streets tryme as a parate You should see how we would set our self to show. ¶Who boasteth in virtue are but daws. ❀Sir this is well done I heartily thank you You have done me pleasure I make God a vow Ones in a night I long for such a fit For long time have I been brought up in it. ❧ I think it better that thou envy me Then I should stand at reward of thy pit It is the guise of such grose queynes as thou art With such as I am evermore to thwart By cause that no beauty you can obtain Therefore you have us that be fair in disdain. ❧ That is true, wherefore your grace shall truly The hearts of such as I am have surely. ¶In dancing and singing Till midnight and then fall to sleeping. ❧ Sir if you medyll remember me First ☜Blessed was the time wherein me were born First for the blysfull chance of your godly presence Next for our suit was there never man before That ever harden so excellent a sentence As your grace hath given to us all arrow Wherein your highness hath so bountyfully Distrybuted my part that your grace shall know Your self fool possessed. ¶If we had weather to walk at our pleasure Our lives would be merry out of measure One part of the day for our apparelling Another part for eating and drinking And all the teste in streets to be walking Orin the house to past time with talk ing. ☜Nay nay but I love it all thing. ❧ Marry sir I thank you even heartily. Kys me quoth a why nay sir I wys you. ☜Sir as to you I have little mater. My coming is to speak with Iupyter.

Plot summary

Plot — The Play of the Weather
Discord between the four gods responsible for snow, sun, rain, and wind is making the weather inconsistent. Jupiter calls a parliament to settle the matter and sends Merry Report to summon any suitors. Eight representatives of various professions and occupations ask for different kinds of weather to suit themselves. Jupiter declares the need for compromise: all their jobs are mutually interdependent despite their differing needs, so the weather will continue to be inconsistent. The suitors all praise the decision.