Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

SIR LIONEL

in The Dutch Courtesan (Cockle de Moye)

Metadata

PlayThe Dutch Courtesan (Cockle de Moye)
Year (catalogued)1605
First performance1605
Decade1600s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional;Professional
CompanyChildren of the Queen's Revels
TheaterBlackfriars;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Sir Ly. | Sir Lyo. | ſir Lyo. | Sir Ly • .
Words254
Characters1278
Typicality0.51 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA07065
BritDrama no.1434
ClusterCluster 19 — Grieving nobles & tragicomic sufferers

Important excerpts

No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).

Full speech

What sudden flaw is risen? Nor rage fools. Did no one see him since? pray God, nay all is well, A little heat, what he is but withdrawn? and yet I would to God, But fear you nothing. You must not make a heavy face presage and ill event: I Like your Sister well, she's quick and lively: would she would marry faith. Would, mass and so Will I: I by the Pish, pish, will you have me Five hundred pound jointure. No, by my faith Cris. Had would, and have. How art thou I sir, and so base this a e common woman, you must make it good. Oh Fate? Deep silence. On You maze us all, let us not be lost in darkness? To severest prison with her, with what heart canst live? What eyes behold a face? To the extremest whip and Jail. Call down our daughter: Hark they are at hand, rank handsomely. Fear not, 'tis well: good works get grace for sin. Thie own lips say, thou liest. Sir, the day of trial is this morn, Lets prosecute the sharpest rigor, and severest end: "Good men are cruel, when the'are vices friend. Sir, sir, prepare, vain is all lewd defence. But how know you, how are you assure Both of the deed, and of his suit return. Seize, seize him: Oh monstrous? Oh ruthless Villain? Than I am I faith fair Crisp, and I can tell you, would you affect me, I have it in me yet I faith.

Plot summary

Plot — The Dutch Courtesan (Cockle de Moye)
Mulligrub is morose: Cocledemoy has stolen some goblets from him. As the play goes on he gets increasingly infuriated as Cocledemoy continues to get the better of him. First the cheater borrows barber's instruments, visits him posing as a northern barber, and steals his bag of money while shaving him. Next, Mulligrub buys a goblet from Burnish and has it sent to his wife. Posing as Burnish's man, Cocledemoy pretends that he has been sent to arrange a meal for the Mulligrubs and Burnishes, leaves a gift of salmon, and takes the goblet back for engraving. Mulligrub returns home and, knowing nothing of the meal, decides to eat the salmon before anyone realizes the mistake, but loses his appetite on realizing that the goblet is gone. After he leaves to raise the alarm, Codedemoy returns and cons the salmon out of Mistress Mulligrub too. Finally Cocledemoy arranges for Mulligrub to pick up his cloak, then has him arrested for theft.Freevill invites his friend Malheureux to join him on a visit to the courtesan Francischina, in the hope that he will reconsider his disapproval of prostitution. He does: on seeing the courtesan, he falls in love. She grows jealous on hearing that Freevill is to marry Beatrice, and asks him to give her Beatrice's ring. When he refuses, she asks the infatuated Malheureux to prove his love by killing Freevill; she will reward him sexually when he brings her the ring. Malheureux soon comes to his senses: he tells Freevill everything, and they conspire to frustrate Francischina and enable Malheureux to sleep with her. They pretend to fall out at a masque given by Freevill to honour Beatrice's family, giving credence to the story that Malheureux has killed his friend in a duel. When he brings the ring to Francischina, she sends him away for two hours, then takes the story to Freevill's family and future in-laws. She is unable to provoke Beatrice to jealousy, but conceals Sir Lionel Freevill in her room to hear the murderer condemn hlmself. When Malheureux returns, she questions him about the killing, and he is arrested. Freevill has told Malheureux where he can be found alive, but, to teach his friend a lesson, he has 'disappeared'. In fact he has entered an association with Francischina, disguised as a pander: with the opportunity to observe her malice at dose quarters, he grows to appreciate Beatrice's honesty and fidelity the more. Francischina sends him to Beatrice with the ring in the hope of tormenting her, but he reveals himself…