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)
Ve.
Words
184
Characters
1032
Typicality
0.42 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A06975
BritDrama no.
1563
Cluster
Cluster 3 — Citizens, tradesfolk & neighbors
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 3 (numps, numpes, blastfield, wares, parson, nidden…). Matches are highlighted.
his highness grant, touching our trade with Spain, in which if it please you to assist us, we have a thousand crowns which shall attend you. Master Orator, the Senate are set, and can dispatch no causes through your absence, therefore they earnestly entreat your presence.
Full speech
Master Orator, is it your pleasure I attend you about my dispatches? Sir, I have born mine attendance long. This is his chamber, lets enter, heeres his clarke. I pray you sir, what book do you read? Who have we here? another Client sure, crows flock to car kasses; Oh 'tis the Lord Meshant. It's strange to see how the world waits upon them, therein they are the only men now. They gain indeed excessively, & are not Like us citizens Exposed to hazard of the seas and traffic. After these preparatives (if you call them so) The physic wrought well for a few years practice, Brought him in wondrous credit, and preferments Came tumbling in: Oh such a sudden rise, Hath fortune for her minions, blame him not then, Though he look high on't. Your confirmation to his highness grant, touching our trade with Spain, in which if it please you to assist us, we have a thousand crowns which shall attend you. Master Orator, the Senate are set, and can dispatch no causes through your absence, therefore they earnestly entreat your presence.
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.…