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)
Cupid.
Words
275
Characters
1466
Typicality
0.50 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06177
BritDrama no.
1533
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
Am I then scorned? is my all-doing will And power, that knows no limit, nor admits none, Now look't into by less then gods? and weakened Am I, whose Bow struck terror through the earth, No less then Thunder, and in this, exceeding Even gods themselves; whose knees before my Altars Now shook off; and contemd by such, whose lives Are but my recreation! anger rise, My sufferance and my self are made the subject Of sins against us. Go thou out displeasure, Displeasure of a great God, flying thy self Through all this Kingdom: so we what ever evils Proud flesh is taking of, amongst these Rebels; And on the first heart that despise my Greatness, Lay a strange misery, that all may know Cupid's revenge is mighty; with his arrow, Hotter then plagues or mine own anger, will I Now Nobly right my self: nor shall the prayers Nor sweet smokes on my Altars hold my hand, Till I have left this a most wretched Land, Leucippus thou art shot through with a shaft That will not rankle long, yet sharp enough To sow a world of helpless misery In this happy Kingdom, dost thou think Because thou art a prince, to make a partly Against my power, but it is all the fault Of thy old Father, who believes his Age Is cold enough to quench my burning Darts, But he shall know ere long, that my smart lose, Can thaw Ice, and inflame the withered heart, Of Nestor, thou thy self art lightly stroke, But his mad love, shall publish that the rage Of Cupid, has the power to conquer Age.
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…