in Campaspe (Alexander, Campaspe, and Diogenes) — Lyly, John
Metadata
Play
Campaspe (Alexander, Campaspe, and Diogenes)
Author
Lyly, John
Year (catalogued)
1584
First performance
1583
Decade
1580s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Boys Professional
Company
Children of the Chapel (first) (Oxford's Boys)
Theater
before the Court;
Speech prefix(es)
Lays
Words
180
Characters
985
Typicality
0.46 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06583
BritDrama no.
746
Cluster
Cluster 15 — Devils, vices & grotesques
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Sweet youths, if you knew what it were to save your sweet blood, you would not so foolishly go about to spend it. What delight can there be in gashing, to make foul scars in fair faces, & crooked malmes in straight legs? as though men being born goodly by nature, would of purpose become deformed by folly, and all forsooth for a new found term, called valiant, a word which breeds more quarrels then the sense can commendation. You may talk of war, speak big, conquer world's with great words: but stay at home, where in steed of Alarms you shall have dances, for hight bat tells with fierce men, gentle skirmishes with fair Women. These pewter coats can never sit so well as satin doublets. Believe me, you cannot conceive the pleasure of peace, unless you despise the rudeness of war. Uncivil wretch, whose manners are aunswera ble to thy calling, the time was thou wouldst have had my company, had it not been, as thou saidst too deer. Down villain, or I will have thy head broken?
Plot summary
Plot — Campaspe (Alexander, Campaspe, and Diogenes)
King Alexander has conquered Thebes and brought its captives to Athens, where he means to spend a peaceful interlude with the philosophers. Mo~t 1.:on 1 e and debate for him, but Diogenes churlishly refu:;t:"s to comply. Alexander becomes enamoured of Campaspe, and has her painted by Apelles, who himself falls in love with her. Knowing he must not challenge Alexander in love, he creates an excuse to see her again by blemishing the painting so that a second sitting is needed. Diogenes sends his servant to draw a crowd with a report that he will fly, but it is only a pretext to rail at them. Using a false report of a fire in Apelles' shop, Alexander tricks the painter into revealing his feelings for Campaspe, and, establishing that she reciprocates them, graciously withdraws his suit and allows them to marry. Having subdued his own amorous feelings, he will now go to war with Persia and conquer the world.