in The Woman Hater (The Hungry Courtier) — Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Metadata
Play
The Woman Hater (The Hungry Courtier)
Author
Beaumont, Francis; Fletcher, John
Year (catalogued)
1607
First performance
1606
Decade
1600s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Boys Professional; Adult Professional
Company
Children of Paul's (second)
Speech prefix(es)
Gent. | Gant.
Words
248
Characters
1292
Typicality
0.31 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06458
BritDrama no.
1522
Cluster
Cluster 3 — Citizens, tradesfolk & neighbors
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Why then I thank your Lordship, I'll gather the ̄ up again, and I'll be sworn, it is the first money, that was refused, since I came to the court. God bless your Lordship, & all that favour poor distressed country gentlewoman. Your Lordship sent for me? My Lord. What will this Lord do? How's this? Are there such men as will say nothing abroad. and play the fools in their lodgings? this Lord must be followed: and hath your Lordship some new made words to scatter in your speeches in public, to gain note, that the hearers may carry them away, and dispute of them at dinner? It's well, and you have learned to write a bade hand, that the Readers may take pains for it. Good, 'twere better though, if you had it, your Lo. hath a Secretary, that can write fair, when you purpose to be understood. If he can make a writing face, it is not amiss, so he keep his own counsel: your Lo. hath no hope of the gout? Not frequented? what course takes your Lordship? In this (give me leave) your Lordship is out of the way: make a back door to let out Intelligencers; seem to be ever busy, and put your door under keepers, and you shall have a troop of clients sweating to come at you. This will fetch am? I told you so. I will leave your Lordship now. I will be your Lordship's intelligencer for once.
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