Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

BOY

in The Woman Hater (The Hungry Courtier) — Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John

Metadata

PlayThe Woman Hater (The Hungry Courtier)
AuthorBeaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Year (catalogued)1607
First performance1606
Decade1600s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional; Adult Professional
CompanyChildren of Paul's (second)
Speech prefix(es)Boy.
Words525
Characters2631
Typicality0.27 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA06458
BritDrama no.1522
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

I run, but not so fast, as your mouth will do up on the stroke of eleven. Here I am Master. Your Perseus is come Master, that will destroy him, The very comfort of whole presence shuts The monster hunger from your yelping guts Heres a Bill of all Sir. For the Captain of the Guards Table, three chynes of Beef, and two jolls of Sturgeon. For the Dukes own Table, the head of and Umbrana Yes, I'll assure you Sir, it's possible, Heaven is so propitious to him. It's very fresh and sweet sir, the fish was taken but this night, & the head as a rare novelty appointed by spe ciall continued ̄ mandment for the dukes own Table, this dinner. Master the time call's on, will you be walking. Sir. One of his Gentlemen is gone to inform him of your coming Sir. That will be hard Sir. Master, the Count is here. Sir if he have not, kill me, do what you will with me. My Lord; the fish head is gone again. I know whither my Lord. Sir, the fish head is gone. Why Sir, I think, I know whither it is gone. Sir by all tokens this is the house, bawdy I am sure by the broken windows, the fish head is within, if you dare venture, here you may surprise it. Sir you are yet a float and may recover, be not your own wrack, here lies the harbour, go in and ride at ease. But what Sir? And Ass to all men; Sir these are no means, to stay your appetite, you must resolve to enter. If that be all, Sir you may enter, for you can know no thing here, that the Court is ignorant of, only the more eyes shall look upon ye, for there they wink one at a nothers faults. Then you must Beatrice fairly back again, fall to your physical mess of porridge, & the twice sacked carease of a Capon, Fortune may favour you so much, to send the bred to it: but 'its a mere venture, and money may be put out upon it. Muffle your self in your cloak by any means, it's a received thing among gallants, to walk to their lea cheery, as though they had the rhume, 'twas well you brought not your horse. Faith Sir 'tis the fashion of our gentry, to have their horses wait at door Like men, while the beasts their mai sters, are within at rack & mainger, 'twould have disco uered much. Sir, you may save this long voyage, and take a shorter cut, you have forgotten your self, the fish head's here, your own imaginations have made you mad. Faith Sir term it what you will, you must use oh there terms ere you can get it. Sir, you forget your self. Good Sir remember, this is the house Sir. Pity your self sir, and leave this fury. That is to marry a whore. When that is done, you'll begin to repent, upon a full stomach; but I see, it's but a form in destiny, not to be altered.

Plot summary

Plot — The Woman Hater (The Hungry Courtier)
Oriana is on her way to visit the Duke’s court when she is caught in a hail-storm, and takes refuge in the house of Gondarino. Gondarino is a confirmed misogynist, and makes her duly unwelcome. The Duke, on his way to visit Oriana at home, is also caught in the storm and he too shelters in Gondarino’s house. Gondarino suspects that he is unwittingly being made the host of an illicit assignation (and indeed the Duke is attracted to Oriana). Oriana takes umbrage at Gondarino’s attitude to women, and pretends to pursue him amorously in an effort to torment him out of it. He sends her to stay in a bawdy-house, and tells the Duke that she is unchaste. Her brother Valore disputes this, and Gondarino is suspected of slander. To defend himself, he shows her to the Duke in her new lodgings, but his story is discredited when it emerges that he sent her there himself. The Duke sends the courtier Arrigo to kill Oriana, but he offers to spare her in return for sex. She refuses, and thereby proves her chastity: the Duke was testing her, and she now accepts his proposal