in The Scornful Lady — Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Metadata
Play
The Scornful Lady
Author
Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Year (catalogued)
1616
First performance
1613
Decade
1610s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Boys Professional; Adult Professional
Company
Children of the Queen's Revels
Theater
Blackfriars;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Po. | Poet.
Words
233
Characters
1142
Typicality
0.22 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06389
BritDrama no.
1626
Cluster
Cluster 14 — Law & judgment
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
He that will not cry Amen to this, let him live so ber, seem wise, and die ath Corum. 'Tis but a snuff, make it two gallons, and let him do it kneeling in repentance. And three quarters. Do what you will, it's the noblest course, then you may live without the charge of people, only we four will make a family, I and a age that shall beget new Annals, in wh changed I'll write thy life my son of pleasure, equal with Nor or Cali ulam. Captain I say so too, or stir her to it. So says the Critics. I et him be civil, do: undo him: I, thats the next way. I will not take (if he be civil once) two hundred pounds a year to live with him: be civil? theres a trim pe suasion. A serious look shall be a Jury to excommunicate any man from our company. This do I hold to be the interpretation of it; In this word Necessary, is concluded all that be helps to man: woman was made the first, and therefore here the chiefest. The man is much is much moved. Be not angry Sir, but as the Poet sings; Let your displeasure be a short fury, and go out. You have spoke home, and bitterly, to me Sir? Captain take truce the Miser is a tart and a witty whoreson.
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.