Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

WILLIAM

in All for Money — Lupton, Thomas

Metadata

PlayAll for Money
AuthorLupton, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1578
First performance1577
Decade1570s
GenreMoral
Play typeInterlude
Speech prefix(es)VVillia ̄ ▪ &c. | VVillia ̄ , &c. | VVilliam vvith the li. vviues.
Words223
Characters1030
Typicality0.42 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA06480
BritDrama no.621
ClusterCluster 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

¶ I have two wives I must needs confess, I have to many by one I had rather have less: To say truth to my first wife I have most right, But I can not love her I swear by this light: I married her only for her goods and riches. She is and old croust none would marry her for love, Her mouth would slaver ever when I did her kiss, Therefore to take and other my mind did me move Who is both young and honest as her deeds do well prove: But the Bishop doth trouble me whereby I know well, He will have me again with that old jade to dwell. ¶ I had three hundredth pounds by her beside her other goods. ¶ The devil shall ride her if I set her out to hire, I would she were with him in the midst of hell fire. ¶ So I were rid on her I cared not where she were. ¶ I thank you Sir heartily for the pains you have taken, I will remember you every year with a christmas capon. ¶ I am William with the two wives, I have brought my lord gold. ¶ Let him in, let him in, I will his matter hear, I will dispatch him quickly he need not to fear.

Plot summary

Plot — All for Money
The play satirizes the domination of money in a sequence of discrete episodes. Theology, Science, and Art lament that they are now primarily studied out ofa desire for money. Money becomes ill and vomits up Pleasure, who in turn gives birth to Sin in the same manner, whose progeny in turn is Damnation. Satan is pleased that Money’s wide popularity will consign so many souls to hell, and asks Sin to assist in the process. The relative values of money and learning are assessed in an encounter between four characters who have or lack them in various permutations: learning is shown to be superior to money, and poverty in this world carries the promise of a heavenly reward in the next; the clinching point is that Learning with Money gives alms to the poor where Money without Learning refuses. Money feels overworked and Sin gives him an associate, All for Money, who presides over a corrupt court: he pardons theft and assault, infanticide, and bigamy, but hangs a poor thief who is unable to bribe him. He also advises two suitors to procure false witnesses to support their causes, and protects a corrupt and incompetent cleric. Judas and Dives, two souls damned for monetary sins, lament their situation; Damnation drives them off to hell. Godly Admonition warns the audience not to repent too late, and to give up cupidity.