Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

ALDANA

in A Challenge for Beauty — Heywood, Thomas

Metadata

PlayA Challenge for Beauty
AuthorHeywood, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1636
First performance1635
Decade1630s
GenreTragicomedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Men
TheaterBlackfriars;Globe;Indoor Professional;Outdoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Ald. | Alda. | Ald • . | Al. | Alda:
Words677
Characters3543
Typicality0.22 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA03190
BritDrama no.2434
ClusterCluster 1 — Wives, widows & intimate counsel

Important excerpts

Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 1 (nony, tailors, butler, mall, jesu, massinissa…). Matches are highlighted.

thou didst, thy further honour still. I Like that well, thy further honour still. I am proud of that, my further honour still. For giving of they? Knight there's small honour in ta king of they though in my judgement, but what was he? And never miscall me, if she be thy wife as I think she will be. Get hers, it's not a straw matter

Full speech

Why how! mistress daughter, have you conquered the West Indies, that you wear a gold Mine on your back, this wearing will make your father's revenues shrink. Y are a good Jewel the while. You will not, and to what end suits all this bravery pray? Of Valladaura's fight at Sea; is this golden bait for him? To parallel the Queen in beauty and virtue? which he can never do. Thou foolish girl: then compare a Glowworm with a Star, a Star with the Sun. Ene in the midst mean, daughter, or let me see and thou wilt be ruled by me, bear thy self—E'ne how thou wilt, provi dead it be to thine own profit, and my further honour: Noble Bonavide has Valladaur a Daughter? do you know this gallant? Marry and welcome, my further honour still. Come not you Nuntius from Bonavida Sir? I hear no hurt, my further honour still. Honour upon honour. As much as ere he will I think, Valladaura S a pretty piece of flesh cease him: play not Esops cur, loose not the substance in expectation of the shadow: it's a dog trick many Ladies have practised: bosom him, do. And he were meaner, so thou gettest profit, and thy father honour by't He begins to recoil, clap him close to thy breast, he's gone else. How, neither for thy profit, nor thy father's honour? For thy honour now; what didst at Sea? That did no more than thou didst, thy further honour still. I Like that well, thy further honour still. I am proud of that, my further honour still. For giving of they? Knight there's small honour in ta king of they though in my judgement, but what was he? And never miscall me, if she be thy wife as I think she will be. Get hers, it's not a straw matter for mine, and yet to make her no worse than she is, I must needs say she will do any thing she list her self in spite of my beard, my further Ho nou_r_ still: but take her to thee, I thought so, as soon as ever I saw thee smack, I knew 'twould prove a match and now 'tis out, my further honour still. And intends to visit thee, for having failed in all his Foreign purposes: he means, upon those thy pillars, as Hercu less did upon his, to write Nonultra, thinkest thou not so girl? my further honour still. My daughter is and apt, and witty lass: I know her apprehensive, and well-brained: My further honour still. A worthy stranger, a bold villain too, My further honour still. Honour still. What means my son? Where? What do you mean? True, to my daughter. You are too dark. Little to my honour and this be true; Doing no hurt, I hope she has more care of him then so. Wine, and a strumpet, were there no hope of generati on, but in her only, this hand should be her hangman: a whore on her wedding night, There's more modesty contemned in a Gore, strumpet, whore, I will not call her daughter, I'll lose her, Will you lead the way? Th'art a chicken, leave us, tho'a father's name, I'll bear a lyons heart, break open the doors, strumpet, why Impudence, break open the door— A strumpet, thee, a—I can't devise a name bade e nough for thee. I see none: whose? what name? Thy Husband? If he were so loving to her, and honourable to you what business had he in your Chamber? How could that be, when you were married before? My daughter chaste, my house honest, and noble Fer rers my Son-in-law; this happens to my further honour indeed. Please you take pat of a short breakfast, we will ac company you. I commend you, my daughter a whore, make my house a stews, and her father a pander; is this all the honour she does me? She has aved us a labour; what means this bloody punyard Both to their honours still.

Plot summary

Plot — A Challenge for Beauty
The marriage of Sebastian and Isabella unites the crowns of Portugal and Spain. Covetous of excessive praise, the proud Isabella solicits flattery from her courtiers. Two comply, but Bonavida criticizes her arrogant self-regard and is banished: he may return only when he can produce a woman who is Isabella’s equal in beauty, so he travels the world in search of one. Petrocella thinks she might be in with a chance, and is disappointed when her next caller is not Bonavida but her suitor Valladaura, who has returned injured from a sea-battle. She disparages his exploits and rejects him, but speaks well of the Englishman who wounded him. The soldier in question, Ferrers, has been captured by the Turks; Valladaura finds him in a slave market and buys him and his friend, Manhurst. Though Ferrers is suspicious of his motives, Valladaura frees them both: Manhurst goes back to England, and Ferrers is introduced to Petrocella, in the hope that he will testify to Valladaura’s bravery and court her on his behalf. In England, Bonavida finds the beautiful woman he is searching for: Helena. He proposes marriage, but plans to go home to have his banishment rescinded before bringing Helena there as his wife. They exchange tokens, and Bonavida takes his leave; but when he arrives in Spain, he is imprisoned for breaking his exile, having returned without the woman he was charged to find. Isabella sends her two flatterers to England to get the ring Bonavida left with Helena, and they trick her maid into stealing it. Pursued by his creditors, Manhurst enters Helena’s household in disguise, and tells her that her brother, Ferrers, is still in prison and must be ransomed; she sets off for Spain. Ferrers falls for Petrocella himself, declares his love for her, and finds that she loves him too. He tells her that he may only marry a woman who agrees unconditionally to his first request, and she swears to do so; he then asks her to love and marry Valladaura. At Valladaura’s request, he first disguises himself as a priest and performs the marriage, then substitutes himself for the bridegroom on the wedding night, observing Valladaura’s stipulation that there should be no sex. Valladaura tells his new father-in-law that Petrocella is spending the night with another man; but Petrocella has stabbed the man in bed with her, taking him for Valladaura. Or so it seems, for in fact Ferrers is not dead, and Valladaura can see his plan through: to test his friend’s fidelity and then (having…