Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

ELEANOR

in Look About You — Anonymous

Metadata

PlayLook About You
AuthorAnonymous
Year (catalogued)1600
First performance1599
Decade1600s
GenreComedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyAdmiral's (Nottingham's) Men
Speech prefix(es)Quee. | Quce. | Que. | Quee | Qu. | Q • .
Words330
Characters1794
Typicality0.29 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA06333
BritDrama no.1184
ClusterCluster 18 — Chronicle statesmen & prelates

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

If Gloucester live thy mother die in moan, If Gloucester live thy kingdom's but a dream, Nay of Henries faction. Of thy false father's faction, speak the truth, He is the head of factions; were he down: Peace, plenty, glory will impale thy crown. Emperially resoul'd. Trumpets far off, Then comes Luxurious lust, The King of Concubines, the King that scorns The undefiled, chased and numptiall bed, The King that hath his Queen Imprisoned. For my sake scorn him, son call him not father, Give him the style of a competitor, This is your father's plot, revenge it son. Its well you term him not a murderer. I that had you Henry. He did a piece of Justice at my Bidding. Hear me Son Henry, while thou art a King, Give, take, prison, thy subjects are thy slaves, Life, needs, thrones proud hearts in dungions fling. Grace men to day, to morrow give them graves. A King must be Like Fortune; ever turning, The world his football, all her glory spurning. Harry off with his hand, then with his head. I as gold does Oaker. Hark how his sister joys in his abuse? Wilt thou endure it Hall? What means thou Henry? Oh what means my Son? He is a recreant, I am mad with rage. Son? Oh but my son thy father favours him. Richard that vile abortive changeling brat, And Faukenbridge, are fallen at Henries feet. They woo for him, but entreat my son Gloucester may die for this that he hath done, Well said stubborn Dick, Jack would not serve me so, Were the boy here: Where is Gloucester son? Great heart wee'll make you lesser by the head. When comes this lingering executioner? I'll curse thee Henry. Yet begin with Gloucester. I kiss thee, and I bless thee, for this thought. He loves you as his father loved his mother. My deer son Jack? Do not I prithee keep thy proud heart still. Gloucester shall die.

Plot summary

Plot — Look About You
Before the start of the action, Queen Eleanor had her rival, Rosamund, poisoned by Skink, and was imprisoned for it; Skink escaped and has taken the identity of a fortune-telling hermit. Her son Henry and his brothers attempted a coup, and there are now two kings in England, father and son. At a parliament, the younger King Henry offers to split the kingdom with the elder, but alienates his supporters by his readiness to seize their lands. Skink, summoned to the parliament by Prince Richard, is rewarded with Gloucester’s lands, and Gloucester imprisoned when he protests and strikes Skink. Richard, who has an interest in Gloucester’s sister, Lady Falconbridge, promises to free him. Eavesdropping on a meeting between them, Sir Richard Falconbridge sees his wife reject the Prince’s advances. Pursued by the watch, Skink evades arrest by swapping clothes with Redcap, but is taken to the Fleet prison for identification by Redcap’s father, the porter. Gloucester swaps clothes with him in turn and escapes, and finally Skink too gets away by purloining Prince John’s clothes. Lady Falconbridge disguises Gloucester as her husband, fooling the watch sent to search for him. The substitutions cause misunderstandings when Skink (as John) is given a chain by Falconbridge and Gloucester (as Falconbridge) is given John’s sword; in each case the real man denies what his doppelganger has done. The porter of the Fleet is to be hanged for Gloucester’s escape, but the old King is persuaded to reprieve him. Gloucester intercepts the pursuivant, gets him drunk, steals the pardon, and ensures that it reaches its destination. Skink evades capture at the tavern by swapping clothes with the drawer and pretending to have been assaulted by the escaped Skink. John and Falconbridge consult the hermit: John wants to locate Gloucester, and Falconbridge to know for sure whether his wife is committing adultery. Lady Falconbridge also goes there in disguise, leaving Robin Hood standing in for her at home, cross-dressed. She too wants to locate Gloucester, to save him from the malice of John and his mother; John and Falconbridge both arrange assignations with her. Skink resumes the hermit’s identity, tells them how Gloucester escaped, and predicts that they will be able to catch Skink committing a robbery nearby; he then changes his disguise, induces them to fall in a hole, and steals their purses. While he is away, Gloucester finds his hermit costume and puts it on, convincing the robbed…