in The Dumb Knight — Markham, Gervase; Machin, Lewis
Metadata
Play
The Dumb Knight
Author
Markham, Gervase; Machin, Lewis
Year (catalogued)
1608
First performance
1608
Decade
1600s
Genre
Tragicomedy
Play type
Boys Professional
Company
Children of the King's Revels
Speech prefix(es)
Ga. | Gai.
Words
191
Characters
916
Typicality
0.34 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06975
BritDrama no.
1563
Cluster
Cluster 0 — Clowns, beggars & street sellers
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Who calls, what would you have? I thought you were a woma ̄ you were so hasty: Oh Madam is it you? I cry you mercy. What prisoner Madam? Madame I dare not, without especial warrant. This golden calf is and excellent Idol; and sew of my profess sion but serves it this dumb God gives tongue to all men, wit to all me ̄ , honour to any man, but honesty to no man; and therefore as for ho nesty I mean not to deal with so deer a commodity, but leave it to my better: Madam those stairs direct you to his lodging. This is a worthy Lady to give thus much for the bore sighed of a man in affliction, if he were at liberty it were nothing: but being as it is, it is most bountiful, but it may be it is for the passed hours of for mere recreations, well let it be what it shall be, I am sure it was not that I should hold this disputation: but see here she comes again. As much unto your Ladyship. So now I'll lock my doors.
Plot summary
Plot — The Dumb Knight
The King of Cyprus, in love with the Queen of Sicily; lays siege to her city, but accepts the Queen’s proposal that they settle the affair with a trial by combat: the King and his champion Philocles versus the Duke of Epire and Lord Alfonso. Epire defeats the King but is bested in a play-off with Philocles; the Queen accepts the outcome and submits to the King’s love, but Epire swears to avenge his dishonour. Philocles woos Epire’s sister, Mariana, but gets the brush-off. Asked to set him a task to prove his love, she demands that he remain silent for a year; when he swears to do so, she is pleased not to have to listen to any more love-talk from him. His dumbness is taken to be a malady, which medicine fails to remedy. The King offers a reward for a successful cure ~ but those who try unsuccessfully will be executed. Mariana offers to achieve the cure, but Philocles will not speak at her command and she is duly sentenced to death. Philocles waits until the headsman is about to strike before speaking out. She is spared, but Philocles refuses to marry her until she demonstrates that she cares as much for him as he for her. Epire’s vindictive vexation grows. Epire suggests to the King that the Queen is having an affair with Philocles: he takes his opportunities to put the Queen into Philocles’ company, and arranges for the King to see them dancing and playing cards together. They are arrested and imprisoned, and parliament condemns them to death. Epire’s plan is to proclaim the Queen’s innocence after she has been executed, and then see the King deposed by an outraged populace. Mariana bribes Philocles’ jailer to allow her a visit. They swap garments: Philocles escapes posing as her, and she joins the Queen on the scaffold on the day of execution. Epire agrees to defend his accusation as the King’s champion in a trial by combat. Philocles comes forward to fight for the Queen, and defeats Epire, who admits malicious slander. The Queen forgives him, but only for Mariana’s sake. In the sub-plot, Lollia is unhappily married to the choleric orator Prate. Alfonso attempts to seduce her, using her neighbour as a go-between; Lollia agrees to receive him when her husband is next away. Lord Méchant has had his lands confiscated for abetting the Cypriot invasion; the King has sent him and others to Prate, but Prate neglects these cases in favour of the King’s own business. Méchant plans to avenge himself by cuckolding Prate, but finds that Alfonso has got there first.…