in The Valiant Welshman (Caradoc the Great) — A., R.
Metadata
Play
The Valiant Welshman (Caradoc the Great)
Author
A., R.
Year (catalogued)
1615
First performance
1612
Decade
1610s
Genre
History
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Prince Henry's Men
Speech prefix(es)
Gui. | Guin. | Guiniuer.
Words
298
Characters
1722
Typicality
0.44 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A05801
BritDrama no.
1630
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
O my good Lord, to put your Highness out of your suspect, Which your weak argument draws from ̄ my looks: 'Tis true, that heathen Sages have affirmed, That Nature's Tablet fixed within our look, Gives scope to read our hearts, as in a book. Yet this affirmative not always holds; For sometime as the urine, that foretells The constitution of each temperature, It falsely wrongs the judgement, makes our wit Turn Mountybanke in falsely judging it: And Like the outward parts of some fair whore, Deceives, even in the object we adore: My Lord, my soul's so rapt In contemplation of my happy choice, That inward silence makes it more complete, By how much more it is remote From custom of a superficial joy, Thats merely incorporeal, a mere dream, To that essential joy my thoughts conceive. Sweet Lord, each hour while you return, I'll pray, Honour may crown you with a glorious day. Thanks, Royal Lord. O, may these smiling stars, That kindly have conjoined each others love, And of two bodies lovingly made one, Crown all thy actions with a gracious look, And make thee fortunate in peace and war. Not all the treacherous complots of that Fiend, Restraint of free air, close imprisonment, Could with their strange appearances imprint Such feeling Characters of sudden woe. As your great conquest does create new joy, And exultation of your dangers passed. Even where you will, if Caradoc survive, My dying soul and joys are yet alive. Exeunt. Good Angels guide thy dangerous enterprise, And bring thee back, with conquest to thy friends. Some powerful Spirit hover over the head Of my deer Lord, and guard him from the rage Of that fell Monster. Come, Princes, let's away. A woman's fears can hardly stint or stay. Exeunt.
Plot summary
Plot — The Valiant Welshman (Caradoc the Great)
The Earl of. Monmouth seeks to usurp old King Octavian’s throne, and has won two significant victories over him. Cadallan and his sons come to support Octavian. Cadallan is killed in the ensuing battle, but his son Caradoc avenges him by killing Monmouth. Re-established on the throne, Octavian rewards Caradoc with marriage to his daughter and heir, Guinevere. This displeases his bastard son, Codigune, who had regarded Guinevere as his only obstacle to the succession. King Guiderius has failed to pay tribute to the Romans, so the Emperor Claudius invades Britain. Guiderius appeals to Octavian, and Caradoc is sent, fresh from his wedding, to offer military aid. In his absence, Codigune conspires with Gloucester and Cornwall: they poison Octavian and imprison Guinevere, and Codigune seizes power. Gloucester writes warning Guiderius not to trust Caradoc, so Guiderius, about to go into battle, orders the Welsh troops to observe from a hilltop and intervene only ifa British defeat seems likely. Caradoc disregards this, joins the battle in disguise, and bests Claudius in hand- to-hand combat; he refuses Claudius’ offer to buy his freedom, but accepts a token of the Emperor’s friendship, a golden lion. Prince Gald is impressed by Caradoc’s single-handed contribution to the British victory, accompanies him back to Wales, and marries his sister Voada. Finding Codigune installed as King of Wales, Caradoc offers to settle matters in single combat. Codigune is beaten, refuses an offer to make him Viceroy of North Wales, and flees to the Romans. Cornwall submits to Caradoc, who is crowned King. Gloucester flees to make more mischief: he persuades a witch to create a ravaging monster which Caradoc will be expected to fight, and which will kill him. The Romans send Caradoc an ultimatum, requiring him to resign the throne to Codigune; at the same time, he is summoned to deal with the monster, a giant serpent. He gives priority to the serpent, and defeats it with the help of a magic herb, then disposes of the witch and forces her son Bluso to swear that in future he will use his magic powers only for good. Gloucester hangs himself. While Caradoc is away, Cornwall hands over the town of Gloucester to the Romans. Gallicus, the Roman legate who brought the ultimatum, falls in love with Voada and abducts her. Bluso enables Gald to visit her bedchamber, magically unseen. A more visible visitor, Gallicus, attempts to rape her, so Gald intervenes in her defence and takes her…