Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

THOMAS

in Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks — Barry, Lording

Metadata

PlayRam Alley, or Merry Tricks
AuthorBarry, Lording
Year (catalogued)1611
First performance1608
Decade1610s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional
CompanyChildren of the King's Revels
Speech prefix(es)Th. S. | T.S. | T. S. | Tho. S. | T. Sm.
Words276
Characters1417
Typicality0.32 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA04881
BritDrama no.1572
ClusterCluster 21 — Old fathers & plain counsel

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

I hope you shall do well. Sir I am glad this match may reconcile, Your love unto my brother. 'Tis he. Good Father, let him leave this thundering, And give him grace. Instantly. I hope no less, Yo'are welcome sister into these our parts, As I may say. Have you a Licence, Look to that brother before you marry, For fear the Parson lose his benefice. Hold brother hold, Lieutenant. Put up as you are men, your wife is gone. How fools, why may not I a fool get a wise child as well as wise men get fools: all lies but in the agility of the woman: intruth I think all fools are God when there mother's a sleep; therefore I'll never lie with my wife but when she is brawd waking, stand to't honest friends, knock down the Lieutenant and then hurry the wentch to Fleet street, there my father and I will this morning be married. And he shall thank you. Where's your spirit sister? Down towards Fleet bridge. Ther's no conscience in it. Brother come, be ruled by me, Better to take a little then lose all. Oh Jove shall we lose the wench thus. Foot shall we let the wentch go thus, My Master's now show your selves Gentlemen And take a way the Lawyers wife; Foot though I have no wit, yet I can, Love a wentch and choose a wife, Faith I am a fool. Upon my life. They went in by the Greyhound, and so struck, Into Bridewell. Take water at the dock. What scurvy luck was this, So Boutcher sent me word. A before God 'tis true.

Plot summary

Plot — Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks
The rich heiress Constantia Somerfield disguises herself as a page and enters the employ of her beloved, Boucher, intending to keep an eye on his fidelity. The rich widow Taffeta drops a handkerchief to get Boucher’s attention, and invites him into her house. Despite a prophecy that a widow will endanger his life, soul, lands, and reputation, Boucher is attracted to her. He has several rivals, including the old knight Sir Oliver Smallshank and Captain Puff, who claims marital rights in Taffeta and threatens to attack anyone who shows any sexual interest in her. Sir Oliver comes to woo Taffeta, but hides under her farthingale when Puff arrives. Puff assaults her, and Sir Oliver is forced out of his hiding place. Seeing the advantages of being a courtier’s wife, Taffeta agrees to marry him. Sir Oliver’s younger son, Will, is in debt, and his lands are mortgaged to Throat the lawyer. He pretends to have eloped with Constantia, but the woman he introduces to his family is actually his whore, Frances. He leaves her with Throat while he goes to arrange the wedding, asking Throat to confirm his cover story: that he has expectations of becoming a lord. Throat tells her the truth, that Will is a penniless fortune-hunter, and woos the lady for himself. When Will takes her, ostensibly to a nocturnal marriage ceremony, Throat has them attacked in the darkened streets. They are separated from Frances, whom Throat then marries himself. Will arranges to have himself arrested for debt when he comes looking for his putative fiancée; Throat is initially unwilling to help him, but, encouraged by Frances, agrees to pay the debt and return Will’s mortgage if he will sign a legal document renouncing all prior claims to Constantia Somerfield. Will agrees, and gets his lands back and some of his debts paid. Constantia’s mother, Lady Somerfield, comes to town, and is told that Will has abducted her daughter. Throat introduces himself as her son-in-law, and is arrested. Meanwhile Frances steals away with her new husband’s jewels. She is arrested at a tavern, and thinks it a ruse to get her away from Throat’s man; when the debt turns out to be real, she tries to sweet-talk the sergeant into releasing her. She is redeemed by her accomplice, Beard, only to be ‘rescued’ from him by Will's elder brother, who still thinks her Constantia and intends to marry her himself. Will goes to see Taffeta, not realizing that Sir Oliver is hiding behind the hangings; he tries to dissuade her from…