Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

DUCHESS OF YORK

in 1 Edward the Fourth — Heywood, Thomas (?)

Metadata

Play1 Edward the Fourth
AuthorHeywood, Thomas (?)
Year (catalogued)1600
First performance1599
Decade1600s
GenreHistory
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyDerby's (Strange's) Men
Speech prefix(es)Dutch. | Du •… c. | Dutchesse. | Du. | Duch.
Words427
Characters2170
Typicality0.34 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA03224.1
BritDrama no.1195
ClusterCluster 19 — Grieving nobles & tragicomic sufferers

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Married a woman? married indeed, Here is a marriage that befits a King: It is no matudile it was done in haste, Here is a B dall and with hell to boot, You have mad work? Oh God that re I de to see this day. Have you sent Warwick into France for this? But tell me son how will you answer this? Is't possible our rash unlawful act, Should not breed mortail hate betwixt the Kealme What may the French King think when he shall hear That while you send to entreat about his daughter, Basely to take a subject of your own? What may the Princess Bona think of this? Our noble Cousin Warwick that great Lord, That Center-shaking of war, That Like a Colum propped the house of York: And boar our white Rose brau lie in his top, When he shall hear his embassage abuser, In this but made and instrument by you, I know his soul will blush within his bosom, And shame will fit I Scarl to on his Brew, To have his hon r touched with this foul ble h Son, son I tell ou that is done by you, Which yet the child that is unborn shall rue. I, I, you are the spamels of the Court, And thus you sawn and sooth your want n king, But Edward hadst thou prizde thy maic j, Thou never wouldst have stained thy princely state, with the base leavings of a subjects bed: Nor born the blemish of her Bigamy. A widow, is't not a goodly thing? Grays children come ask blessing of the King. And sawest thou not the dear embossed? Come bend our bows, and bring the herd of worser re. Oh Edward, Edward, stic and leave this place, Wherein poor Gllie King thou art enchanted, This is her worser m of Bedtords work her mother, That hath be w tcht Thee Edwa worser my poor child, Worser honour not the Princes of thy land, To make the kneel with reverence at her feet, That ere thou dl st e pale with sovereignty, The would have scorned to have looked upon, TO eres no such different e betwixt the greatest Peer, And the poor sill st kitchen maid that lives, A ls bet wirt thy worthiness and hers. Son, I tell you you have done you know not what: Camest thou not down the wood? Well met good fellow, sawest thou not the heart? Thy heart? the déereman, we demand the decree. Thou art a nion and a slatterer.

Plot summary

Plot — 1 Edward the Fourth
Although he has made diplomatic arrangements to marry a French princess, King Edward impulsively takes an English bride instead, much to his mother's disapproval. The bastard Falconbridge leads a rebellion to reinstate the deposed King Henry VI. The London authorities prepare the city's defences: Falconbridge is unable to penetrate the gates, the city apprentices make a significant contribution to the battle, and the rebels are beaten back to Mile End. When they regroup, the Londoners rout them again, and Matthew Shore defeats a rearguard attempt to take the city while the militia are at Mile End. The King rewards the civic officials with knighthoods, but Shore modestly declines. Falconbridge flees with a price on his head, and he and his associate Spicing plan to betray one another and claim the reward. A miller captures Spicing, but Falconbridge escapes. Spicing is hanged by his former comrade in arms, Chub. While out hunting, members of the court encounter Hobs the tanner. King Edward, pretending to be his own butler, tries to induce Hobs to say something uncomplimentary or treasonous about him, but fails. He accepts the tanner's invitation to supper, where he takes a fancy to Hobs's daughter Nell. Meanwhile, things are going King Edward's way: his brother Gloucester sends word that King Henry VI is dead, and Falconbridge is captured and executed. Back in London, he dines with the Lord Mayor, where he meets Jane Shore. He is attracted to her and grapples with his conscience, but later visits her incognito in her husband's shop. Initially she rejects his advances, but Mistress Blague, who hopes to acquire status and influence through her, advises her to submit to adultery. While her husband confides his suspicio ns to the Lord Mayor, she absconds to court. Shore gives away all his property and goes into exile. En route he encounters Jane, now a sought-after power-broker trying to deal justly with the people who seek her influence with the King; one of them, Jockie, she entertains as a servant. On recognizing her husband she regrets her betrayal, but he refuses to take her back: she now belongs to the King. Meanwhile, Edward pursues his claim to the French throne. Planning an invasion but financially depleted after the civil war and rebellion, he seeks support from his subjects, not by taxation or forced loan but voluntary contributions. Hobs's generosity shames his fellows into giving more. He comes to London to try and procure a pardon for his son, who…