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)
Q. Eliza.
Words
152
Characters
954
Typicality
0.62 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A03405
BritDrama no.
1314
Cluster
Cluster 24 — Gods, cupids & celestial agents
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Astraea mounts unto the Throne. Mount Empress, whose praise for Peace shall mount, Whose glory, which thy solid virtues won, Shall honour Europe whilst there shines a Sun. Crowned with Heavens inward beauty's, world's applause, Throned and reposed within the loving fear Of thy adoring Subjects: live as long As Time hath life, and Fame a worthy tongue. Still breath our glory, the world's Empress, Religions Guardian, Peaces patroness; Now flourish Arts, the Queen of Peace does reign, Virtue triumph, now she does sway the stem, Who gives to Virtue, honours Diadem. All sing Paeans to her sacred worth, Which none but Angels tongues can warble forth: Yet sing, for though we cannot light the Sun, Yet utmost might hath kind acceptance won. Religion, Arts, and Merchandise, triumph, triumph: Astraea rules, whose gracious eyes, triumph, triumph. Over Vices conquest, whose desires, triumph, triumph: Whose all to chiefest good aspires, then all triumph.
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.