Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

LEICESTER

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)Ley. | Le • . | Lei. | Leic. | Le • c. | Ley,
Words374
Characters2076
Typicality0.28 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA06333
BritDrama no.1184
ClusterCluster 19 — Grieving nobles & tragicomic sufferers

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Is it not wrong think you, when all the world Troubled with rumour of a captive Queen, Imprisoned by her husband in a Realm, Where her own son does wear a Diadem? Is Like and head of people mutinous. Still murmuring at the S e done her and us? Is't not more wrong when her mother zeal Sounded through Europe. Africa, Assia, Tells in the hollow of news thirsting ears, Queen Elinor lives in a dungeon, For pity and affection to son: But when the true cause, Clifford's daughters death Shall be exposed to stranger nations: What volumes will be writ. what labels spread? And in each line our state dishonoured. Hear me conclude, and there withal conclude, It is and heinous and unheard of sin: Queen Elinor daughter to Kingly France, King Henries wife and royal Henries mother, Is kept close prisoner for and act of Justice, Committed on and odious Concubine, The lands of Moorton does belong to John. Marry for this cause, he hath broke peace and violated laws. If Gloucester live Leister will fly the realm, I ther's the But; whose hart-white if we hit, The game is our's. Well we may rage and rove, At Gloucester, Lancaster, Chester, Faukenbridge, But he is the upshot. Let Gloucester die the death. What ails Earl John? Why hears another Hermit Lancaster: And this with me, this is the traitor Gloucester. Look to them Lancaster upon thy life. Lancaster isle help to Guard them to the Court. I'll have thy hand for this. Yes he was crowned before. And what would you two have? Put forth them fellows there. My Leidge, you needs not by particulars Examine what the world knows too plain, If you will pardon Skinke, his life is saved, If not, he is convicted by the Law. For Gloucester: as you worthily resoul'd, First take his hand, and afterwards his head. Richard you wrong Prince John. I reach it him? Leachers ever praise the cause of their confusion, she was vile You shall not stand to this. What answer for the Queen? Let him not speak, away with him to prison. If Gloucester live thou wilt be overthrown, The old King comes, Thou shalt be mine. Is that your business?

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…