in Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding — Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Metadata
Play
Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding
Author
Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Year (catalogued)
1620
First performance
1609
Decade
1620s
Genre
Tragicomedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
King's Men
Theater
Globe;Outdoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
GAL. | GA.
Words
515
Characters
2573
Typicality
0.38 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06343
BritDrama no.
1597
Cluster
Cluster 1 — Wives, widows & intimate counsel
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
A dog it is. Your grace. Not to me sir. You'll be forsworn sir, 'tis and old glove, if you will talk at distance I am for you, but good Prince be not baudy, nor do not brag, those two I only bar, and then I think I shall have sense e nough to answer all the weighty Apothegms your royal blood shall manage. Dear Prince, how deer? I never cost you a Couch yet, nor put you to the deer repentance of a play and a banquet, here's no Scarlet sir, to make you blush, this is my own hair, and this face has been so far from being deer to any, that it never cost a penny painting, and for the rest ofmy poor wardrobe such as you see, it leaves no hand behind it, to make the jealous silke-mans wife curse our doing. Lord I do so, would you or I could help it. No sir, I do not mean to purge you, though I mean to purge a little time on you. Full being, I understand you not, unless your grace Means growing to fatness: and then your only remedy Upon my knowledge Prince, is in a morning, A cup of neat white wine, brewed with Cardus, Then fast till supper, about five you may eat, use exercise, And keep a sparrow hawk, you can shoot in a Tiller, But of all, your grace must fly Flebotamie, Fresh pork and Conger, and clarified whay: They are dullers of the vital anymales. 'Tis very true sir, I talk ofyou. Shes coming sir behind, Will you take white money yet for all this. O thou pernicious petticoat Prince, are these your virtues, well, if I do not jay a train to blow your sport up, I am no woman, and Lady Dowsabell, i'll fit you for it. As good as any one can tell your grace, that says, she has done that you would have wished. I have strained a point of modesty for you. In listening after bawdry: I see, let a Lady live never so more destly, they shall be sure to find a lawful time, to harken after baw dry, your Prince brave Pharamont was so hight ont. Why with the Lady I suspected, I can tell the time and place. To night, his lodging. Tislate. I fear their so heavy yowl scarce find the way to your own lodging with um to night. I shall chosen my Lord a pleasing wake before it. Yes madame. Yes, all good night. She did command me. 'Twould ill become my Fortune's, and my birth, To disobey the daughter ofmy king. I had rather be the search my self. Nor shall not, Madame. Our hearts were knit before. What would you there my Lord, gold? now as I live 'tis fair gold, you'd have silver fort, to play with the Pages, you could not have ta ken me in a worse time sir, but ifyou have present use my Lord, I'll send my man with silver, and keep your gold safe for you.
Plot summary
Plot — Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding
The King. of Sicily invites the Spanish prince Pharamiond to marry his daughter Airethiisa and become his heir. This is challenged by the rightful King, PHilastér, who was deposed in his minority by the present King’s predecessor, but is too popular to imprison or kill. Arethusa secretly woos Philaster, and he gives her the page Bellarig to be their go-between. She refuses Pharamond’s request for pre-marital sex, so, looking for satisfaction elsewhere, he tries the ladies-in-waiting: (Galatéd refuses him, but his seduction of M@gra is more successful. Galatea overhears their plans for an assignation and reports it to Arethusa, who reports it in turn to the King. Pharamond is disgraced, but Megra gets her revenge by alleging an improper relationship between Alrethtisa and Béllario. The scandalous rumours come to Philaster’s ears, and he becomes mentally distracted through jealousy. Arethuisa dismisses Bellario on her father’s orders. She then disappears in the woods during a royal hunt, and meets the boy by chance. PhilaStér finds them together and thinks his fears confirmed. He confronts and wounds her, but is driven off by a country fellow; he then finds Béllarid asleep and wounds him. Philaster is taken prisoner and committed to Alrethusa’s custody. Facing execution, he is reconciled to her, and they are married. When the King learns of this, he has them both imprisoned. Pharamond pays a sightseeing visit to the city. There he is captured by the Sicilian citizens, who have risen in rebellion, fearful for Philaster’s safety. THe—King promises to restore Philaster’s rights if he can quell the mutiny. He does, and the King keeps his. word; Pharamondiis to return to Spain, and Philaster suggests that he take Mégra with him. Megra renews the slander about Arethusa’s illicit relationship with Bellario, and the King orders BéllaniG tortured to reveal the truth (and hopefully clear Arethusa). Bellario reveals that the story cannot be true, for ‘he’ is really a girl in disguise: she fell hopelessly in love with PHilaster and, recognizing the match to be impossible, posed as a page to be with him. Megra is forgiven, but banished from the court. 1609 B-Text In this version, the present King, not his father, was responsible for Philaster’s deposition. There is no threat to torture Bellario. Megra is not forgiven but imprisoned pending the King’s pleasure. The King effects a more explicit transfer of power to Philaster. Philaster arranges husbands for Bellario and…