Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

BESS

in The English Traveller — Heywood, Thomas

Metadata

PlayThe English Traveller
AuthorHeywood, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1633
First performance1627
Decade1630s
GenreTragicomedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyLady Elizabeth's Men
TheaterPhoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Bess.
Words202
Characters1083
Typicality0.36 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA03195
BritDrama no.2098
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

Faith we may do how we list for you, you are grown so Great a stranger: We are more beholding To Master Dalavill, He's a constant Guest: And howsoe e to some, that shall be nameless, His presence may be graceful; Yet to others— I could say somewhat. Come come, he is, what he is; and that the end will prove. Ever your name is in my Master's mouth, and sometime too In hers, when she hath nothing else to think of: Well well, I could say somewhat. Nay, nothing Sir. Intruth I love you Sir, And ever wished you well; You are a Gentleman, Whom always I respected; Know the passages And private whisperings, of the secret love Betwixt you and my Mistress; I dare swear, On your partly well intended: But— You bear the name of Landlord, but another Enjoys the rend; You dote upon the shadow, But another he bears away the substance. You hope to enjoy a virtuous widowhood; But Dalavill, whom you esteem you friend, He keeps the wife in common. That's their cunning. I am sorry my freeness should offend you, But yet know, I am her Chambermaid. Well, I shall—that man should be so fooled.

Plot summary

Plot — The English Traveller
Geraldine has recently returned from foreign travels, to find that, during his absence, a childhood friend, whom he was expected to marry, married old Wincott instead; she did not seek the marriage, but has no complaints. Having no children of his own, Wincott treats Geraldine as a close friend, and is trusting enough to leave the young man alone with his wife. Geraldine agrees with her that, should they both survive Wincott, he will be her second husband, and he agrees to remain single until then. Dalavill spreads rumours that Geraldine and Mistress Wincott are lovers. Concerned at the possible scandal, Old Geraldine tests his son by proposing that he should marry; Geraldine’s refusal is taken as confirmation of the affair. Geraldine protests his innocence, but to prove it, and silence the gossip, his father insists that he should never again visit the Wincotts. His absence grieves Wincott, and Geraldine agrees to explain himself at a secret midnight meeting. He is pressed by Wincott to stay the night but, unable to sleep, decides to pass the time looking innocently at Mistress Wincott in her bed. Outside her room he overhears her talking to Dalavill: they are lovers. Disillusioned, Geraldine plans to leave England. Wincott lays on a feast to mark his departure, and everyone is invited. At the party, Geraldine confronts Mistress Wincott with what he knows. She is mortified, rejects Dalavill, faints, and dies, having written to her husband a confession. Dalavill flees the house. Wincott confirms Geraldine as his heir. In the other plot, Young Lionel lives with riotous prodigality while his father is away, abetted by some of the servants, and fills the house with whores and drunken gallants. When Old Lionel returns unexpectedly, intending to stay at home in future, Young Lionel and his associates panic and hide inside the house - leaving themselves with the problem of how to get out before Old Lionel finds them. The steward Reignald takes matters in hand, and tells them to make no sound, and pretend the house is deserted. Old Lionel finds his house apparently shut up, and Reignald explains that it has been abandoned: a previous owner committed a murder there, and now the house is haunted. When the former owner denies this, Old Lionel attempts to have him arrested. Meanwhile, Reignald is harried by a usurer to whom Young Lionel owes money. Old Lionel overhears this, and Reignald explains that the money was borrowed to 1624 buy alternative accommodation.…