Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

CAPTAIN

in The Scornful Lady — Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John

Metadata

PlayThe Scornful Lady
AuthorBeaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Year (catalogued)1616
First performance1613
Decade1610s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional; Adult Professional
CompanyChildren of the Queen's Revels
TheaterBlackfriars;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Cap. | Captaine.
Words908
Characters4712
Typicality0.20 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA06389
BritDrama no.1626
ClusterCluster 23 — Gulls, fops & laughing-stocks

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Sir I will take your love. And study to continue it. I am all for drink. 'Tis plain and evident that he meant wenches. Here be as found men as your self Sir. He is, he is. Oh my deer boy, thy Hercules, thy Captain Makes thee his Hilas, his delight, his solace. Love thy brave man of war, and let thy bounty Clap him in Shamois: Let there be deductedd out of our main potation Five Marks in hatchments to adorn this thigh, Cramped with this rest of peace, and I will fight Thy battles. Consider? that were a simple toy i'faith, Consider? whose morals that? The man that cries Consider, is our foe: let my steel know him. Peasant, slave, thou groom, composed of grudge ings, live and thank this Gentleman, thou hadst seen Pluto else. The next consider kill thee. He shall dance, he shall dance. Who knocks there? let him in. This is the Gentleman you mean; view him, and take his Inventory, he's a right one. And this my pennon. Sir a full rouse to you, and to my Lo. of Land here. Let's give thanks for't. Oh sweet Loveless! Steweard, you are and Ass, a measel'd mongrel, and were it not again the peace of my sovereign f iend here, I would break your forecasting coxcomb, dog I would, even with thy S affe of ffice there, thy pen and Inkhorn. No ble boy, the God of gold here has said thee well, take money for thy : & believe, thou art cold of cons cion, thy seat unhealthful, fell & be wise; we are three that will adorn thee, and live according to thine own heart child: mirth shall be only ou S, and only ours shall be the black eyed beauty's of the time. Money makes men eternal. Two roaring boys of Room that made all split. Take it, has ouerbidden by the Sun: bind him to his bargain quickly. Save thy brave shoulder, my young puissant Knight, and may thy backsword bite them to the bone, that love thee not: thou art and errant man, go on. The circumcised shall fallen by thee Let land and labour fill the man that tils, thy sword must be thy plough, and Jove it speed. Mecha shall sweat, and Mahomet shall fallen, and thy deer name fill up his monument. One worthy is too little, thou shalt be all. Thou shalt have heart and hand to noble Mooreraft, if thou wilt lend me money. I am a man of Garrison, be ruled, and open to me those infernal gates, whence none of thy evil angels pass again, and I will style thee Noble; nay Done Diego, I'll woe thy Infanta for thee, and my Knight shall feast her with high meats, and make her apt. Or provoke her. Speak my modern man, I say pro oak her. Expound her thoroughly Knight. Here God a gold, here's to thy fair possessions: Be a Barron, and a bold one: leave off your tickling of young heirs Like trouts, and, let thy chimneys smoke. Feed men of war, live and be honest, and be saved yet. Poet you feign perdy, the wit-of this man lies in his fin gers ends, he must tell all: his tongue fills but his mouth Like a nears tongne, and only serves to lick his hungry chaps after a purchase: his brains and brimstone are the Devils diet to a fat usurers head. To her Knight, to her: clap her aboard and stow her. Where the brave Steward? A way, th'art rich in ornaments of nature. First in thy face, thou hast a serious face, a betting, bargaining, and saving face, face, pawn it to the Usurer; a face to kindle the compassion of the most ignorant and frozen Justice. By blithe and bonny Steward: Master Moorecraft, Drink to this man of reckoning. It shall go round boy? Hear you, you that must be Lady, pray content your self and upon your carriage soon at night, what dress king will best take your knight, what wastcote, what cor dial will do well i'th morning for him, what tryers have you? Those that must switch him up: if he start well, fear not but cry S. George, and bear him hard: when you perceive his wind grows ho , and wanting, let him a little down, `is eet never doubt him, and stands found. He shall not needs, my most sweet Lady grocer, if he be civil, not your powdered Sugar, nor your Reasens shall persuade the Captain to live a Coxcome with him: Let him be civil and eat i'th Arches, and see what will come ont. If thou be'st civil Knight, as Jove defend it, get thee a neither nose, that will be pulled off by the angry boys, for thy con version: he Children thou shalt get on this Civilian cannot in herit by the law, th'are Ethnics, and all thy sport mere Mor rall lechery: when they are grown having but little in um, they may p ooue Haberdashers, or gross Grosers, Like their deer dam there: prethe be civil Knight, in time thou mayest read to thy household and be drunk once a year: this would show finely. We ask no more, let it be mighty, Lady: and if we perish, then our own sins on us. Merry as mirth, and wine my lovely Love less.

Plot summary

Plot — The Scornful Lady
The Loveless brothers are in trouble. The younger owes money to Morecraft and stands to lose his land, while the elder has been ordered by his lady-love to go into exile for a year as penance for his over-eagerness. He leaves his brother in charge of his house during his absence, with an allowance for his maintenance, and the steward Saville to restrain him, but the young man associates with rogues. Together they reinterpret his brother’s written instructions in order to license his prodigal behaviour. While they are drinking and wenching, the elder Loveless returns in disguise bringing news of his own death: young Loveless inherits his brother’s land, and promptly mortgages it to Morecraft. The elder Loveless also reports his death to the Lady, who consoles herself by chatting up another lover, Welford. When Loveless reveals his true identity, she retorts that she knew it was him and sends him on his way, but also disappoints Welford. Loveless returns and abuses her, pretending to be out of love. She faints and he relents: it was a trick to test her; but, she says, she knew that all along, and Loveless is sent away again. The elder Loveless dismisses Saville for negligence and reclaims his mortgaged property, but his younger brother not only keeps the money but also steals Morecraft’s intended fiancée, a rich, socially ambitious widow. She objects to his low-life friends, but he persuades her that they are cheaper than servants. The Lady’s affections begin to turn: she sends the elder Loveless a love letter. He conspires with Welford to get their own back: Welford cross-dresses as his new fiancée, and Loveless graciously gives in to the Lady’s pleas that he should jilt ‘her’. Loveless marries the Lady (who is angry when she learns how she has been tricked), and Welford sleeps with her sister. Young Loveless arrives with his new wife, and persuades his brother to reinstate Saville.