Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

BOY

in The Knight of the Burning Pestle — Beaumont, Francis

Metadata

PlayThe Knight of the Burning Pestle
AuthorBeaumont, Francis
Year (catalogued)1613
First performance1607
Decade1610s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional; Adult Professional
CompanyChildren of the Queen's Revels
Speech prefix(es)Boy. | 2. Boy.
Words525
Characters2607
Typicality0.32 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA06252
BritDrama no.1562
ClusterCluster 17 — Intriguers & schemers

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

He will be presently. Sir you must pardon us, the plot of our Play lies contrary, and it'll hazard the spoiling of our Play. Why sir he shall, but if any thing fallen out of order, the Gentlemen must pardon us. In good faith sir we cannot, you'll utterly spoil our Play, and make it to be hist, and it cost money, you will not suffer us to go on with our plot, I pray Gentlemen rule him. Will you give me your hand of that? I'll send him to you presently. No indeed forsooth: Neither. Sir, you needs not fear, I have my lesson here, and cannot miss it: The men are ready for you, and what else Pertains to this employment. Faith sir 'twere rare To see so young a purchaser: I fly, And on my wings carry your destiny. You shall have what you will sir. Believe me sir, that will not do so well, it's stale, it has been had before at the read Bull. Sir, if you will imagine all this to be done already, you shall hear them talk together: but we cannot pre sent a house covered with black velvet, and a Lady in bea ten gold. Beside it will show ill-favoredly to haue'a Gro cers prentice to court a kings daughter. It shall be done, it is not our fault gentlemen. Sir, I take it you are the Master of this house. Then to your self sir comes this letter. From him that was your servant, but no more Shall that name ever be, for he is dead, Grief of your purchased anger broke his heart, I saw him die, and from his hand received This paper, with a charge to bring it hither, Read it, and satisfy your self in all. It's here without sir. Fair Mistress let me not add greater grief To that great store you have already; Jasper That while he lived was yours, now dead, And here enclosed, commanded me to bring His body hither, and to crave a tear From those fair eyes, though he deserved not pity, To deck his funeral, for so he bid me Tell her for whom he died. At hand sir. It's done already. Your servant sir. I will sir. God bless your Worships health sir. Sir, they say they know all your money is gone, and they will trust you for no more drink. Sir, your pleasure. Why sir you do not think of our plot, what will be come of that then? Well sir he shall come out, but if our play miscar ry, sir you are Like to pay for't. God save you sir. Yes sir, I can sing, but it's not so necessary at this time. Sir, sir, if you knew what I have brought you, you would have little list to sing. A Coffin sir, and your dead son Jasper in it. It's long of your self sir, we have nothing to do with his partly. It'll be very unfit he should die sir, upon no occa sion, and in a Comedy too. Sir, I can get no bred for supper.

Plot summary

Plot — The Knight of the Burning Pestle
At the theatre, a citizen and his wife object to the satirical subject matter of the play, The London Merchant: they insist on a more romantic offering starring their apprentice, Rafe, as a heroic grocer. The boy actors do their best to provide this within the play they have rehearsed. In the play, Luce prefers her father Venturewell’s apprentice Jasper to his chosen son-in-law, Humphrey; so Venturewell discharges Jasper, and he goes home to a family impoverished by the irresponsible merriment of his father, Old Merrythought. His mother, who 1607 favours his younger brother Michael, insists that he be paid his inheritance and sent out into the world. Several of the characters go to Waltham Forest. Luce elopes with Humphrey, intending to meet Jasper there. Rafe the grocer, a voluminous reader of chivalric romance, becomes the Knight of the Burning Pestle and leaves in search of heroic deeds. He scares Mistress Merrythought, who leaves behind her jewels. These are found and taken away by Jasper, who then meets the eloping couple, beats Humphrey, and takes Luce. In the audience, the citizen and his wife take Jasper to be the villain and Humphrey the hero; they demand that Rafe return to fight Jasper, but Jasper beats him. Notified by Humphrey, Venturewell confronts Jasper’s father, but is offended by his refusal to take the matter seriously. Jasper tests Luce’s love by threatening her with violence. She accepts her fate, but Humphrey and her father seize her before he can admit he was only pretending. Rafe stays at the Bell inn, but cannot understand that he must pay for its hospitality. (The citizen settles the bill for him.) The host sends him to fight the giant Barbaroso, better known as Nick the barber, who has imprisoned many knights and ladies — actually clients and venereal disease patients. Rafe defeats the ‘giant’ and releases the ‘knights’. The citizens then have a scene inserted in which he meets a foreign king’s daughter, but refuses her offer oflove. Later interpolated scenes show Rafe as the city’s May Lord, and mustering troops at Mile End. Venturewell incarcerates Luce in her room, but Jasper gains access by pretending to be dead: Venturewell accedes to a request that his body should be brought to Luce, and then has the coffin sent on to Old Merrythought, unaware that Luce has taken Jasper’s place inside. Left behind in Luce’s room, Jasper appears to Venturewell in ghostly guise and instructs him to repent, compensate Old Merrythought for his…