in Histriomastix, or The Player Whipped — Marston, John
Metadata
Play
Histriomastix, or The Player Whipped
Author
Marston, John
Year (catalogued)
1610
First performance
1599
Decade
1610s
Genre
Moral
Play type
Boys Professional
Company
Unknown
Speech prefix(es)
Land. | Land | Lan.
Words
215
Characters
1309
Typicality
0.37 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A03405
BritDrama no.
1314
Cluster
Cluster 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
Lady, these eyes did ever hate to scorn, This tongue's vnur'd to carp or contrary, The bosom where this heart hath residence, I wish may seem the seat of courtesy. Most ugly lines and base-browne-paper-stuffe Thus to abuse our heavenly poesy, That sacred offspring from the brain of Jove, Thus to be mangled with profane absurds, Strangled and choked with lawless bastards words Lame stuff indeed the Like was never herd. Fie what unworthy foolish foppery, Presents such buzzardly simplicity. Your Poets and your Pots, Are knit in truelove knots. Command what fashion Italy affords. Madam, your kindness hath full power to command. I pray my Lord let's would to, the Play is so good, That this must needs be excellent. I blush in your behalfs at this base trasn; In honour of our Italy we sport, As if a Synod of the holly Gods Came to triumph within our Theaters, (Always commending English courtesy.) Our Amphitheaters and Pyramids Are situate Like three-headded Dindymus, Where stand the Statues of three striving Queens, That once contended for the golden ball, (Always commending English courtesy.) Are not your curious ames of sharper spirit? I have a mistress whose ntangling wit, Will turn and wind more cunning arguments, Then could the Craetan Labyrinth ingyre. (Always commending English courtesy,)
Plot summary
Plot — Histriomastix, or The Player Whipped
Under the benevolent rule of Peace, various orders of society turn to learning in their different ways: Mavortius and his fellow noblemen and gentlemen become students of the liberal arts, professional people appoint the scholar Chrisoganus as their lecturer, and some artisans organize themselves as a company of players, Sir Oliver Owlet’s Men. However, the new reign of Plenty tempts many of them away from their studies, leaving only Chrisoganus loyal. While the lawyers and merchants take advantage of the leisure of the vacation to go hunting, Mavortius entertains his guests with a play given by Owlet’s Men. Plenty is succeeded by Pride, who encourages a dedication to fashion and a neglect of proper decorum: the lawyers and merchants enrich themselves unjustly, Mavortius dismisses many of his servants to release more money to spend on pleasure, and both Chrisoganus (who has turned playwright) and Owlet's Men price themselves out of the market. Next, Envy comes to power, causing class resentment in the realm: the citizenry’s adoption of the latest fashions causes resentment among the nobility, envious behaviour disrupts the players’ rehearsal, and Mavortius becomes belligerent. The next ruler is War, under whom the players are conscripted as soldiers, Mavortius fights with his friends, the common people rise in rebellion against their social superiors, and the Spanish invade the realm. Out of this chaos comes Poverty, leading aristocrats, merchants. and peasants alike to debt, bankruptcy, and famine. Owlet’s men, unable to pay their taxes, are banished from the realm. Finally Poverty and her associates are expelled by the return of Peace and Plenty. Queen Elizabeth also appears, in the guise of Astraea, and the play ends with the five lesser rulers resigning their sceptres to Peace.