in Cupid's Revenge — Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Metadata
Play
Cupid's Revenge
Author
Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Year (catalogued)
1615
First performance
1608
Decade
1610s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Boys Professional
Company
Children of the Queen's Revels
Speech prefix(es)
Cleo. | Cleo: | Cle. | Cl.
Words
283
Characters
1475
Typicality
0.43 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06177
BritDrama no.
1533
Cluster
Cluster 22 — Ghosts, curses & horror voices
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Means your Grace now? Here was no handsome man. That went hence now? A goodly Gentleman Madame? He is the most deformed fellow i'the Land. He resembles Apollos Recorder. Zoylus is here Madame. The Princess is beside her Grace I think, To talk thus with a fellow that will hardly Serve i'th' dark when one is drunk. Madam, what means your Grace? Consider for the love of heaven to what You run madly; will you take this Viper Into your bed? Ask Cupid mercy Madame. Help! stir her: She's going, wretched women that we are: Look to her, and I'll pray the while. Given Earrings we will wear, Bracelets of our Lovers hair, Which they on our Arms shall twist, With their Names carved on wrist, All the Money that we owe, We in Tokens will bestow: And learn to write, that when 'tis sent, Only our Loves know what it meant: Oh then pardon what is passed, And forgive our sins at last. What, Minds she? Why She is dead: What shall wedoe. Cupid pardon what is passed, And forgive our sins at last, Then we will be coy no more, But thy Deity Adore, Troths at fifteen we will plighted, And will tread a Dance each night, In the Fields, or by the Fire, With the youths that have desire. How does she yet? Thou knowest none I fear, This is joust Cupid's Anger, Venus look down mildly on us: And command thy Son to spare this Lady once, and let me be in love with all: and none in love with me. Faith here was no such one as your Grace thinks, Zoylus your Brother's Dwarf went out but now.
Plot summary
Plot — Cupid's Revenge
Leontius, King of Lycia, promises his daughter Hydaspes anything she asks for on her birthday. She wants him to ban the cult of Cupid in Lycia: the god’s naked statues are to be taken down and burnt, and Cupid-worship to be made a capital offence. Leontius agrees, persuaded that the religion is the cause of national immorality. His nephew Ismenus demurs: he will promulgate the Duke’s orders, but will himself take no hand in obeying them. As his temples are dismantled, Cupid declares vengeance on the kingdom. The Lycian royal family begins to behave with inappropriate amorousness. Hydaspes fixates on Zoilus, a deformed dwarf, and asks to be allowed to marry him; her father’s response is to have him beheaded, and she pines to death. Prince Leucippus falls for Bacha, a strumpet only interested in his wealth and power, but, questioned by his father, denies sexual misbehaviour and praises her virtue and chastity. Leontius is so impressed that he sends Leucippus away ===== PAGE 378 ===== and woos Bacha for himself, affecting youthful clothing and behaviour. Bacha becomes Queen of Lycia. When Leucippus returns to court, Bacha tries to seduce him again. He refuses to cuckold his father, and, annoyed at his refusal, she plots his death; this will leave her daughter Urania as the only heir to the throne. She makes Leontius jealous of his son’s popularity with the people and courtiers, and persuades him that Leucippus is plotting his assassination. The court parasite Timantus tells Leucippus that the King is to discuss his arrest at a council, and arranges to place him where he can eavesdrop and be forewarned of the charges. It is a ruse: Leucippus is arrested and sentenced to death, and Urania is proclaimed heir to the throne. At the execution, the citizens rise in rebellion and rescue the Prince from the scaffold. As Leontius sickens, Bacha schemes to marry Urania to a foreign prince; but she is in love with Leucippus, locates him through the good offices of Ismenus, and follows him posing as a page. Bacha engages Timantus to murder Leucippus. He finds the Prince by intercepting a letter from Ismenus; but his attack fails when Urania interposes her own body and is mortally wounded. Timantus is killed, but reveals her true identity before he dies. Ismenus brings Leucippus news that Leontius is dead. He declares that he will leave Bacha to heaven’s justice, but she stabs him. He dies, bequeathing the throne to Ismenus and enjoining him to reinstate the cult and…