Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

CELSO

in The Malcontent

Metadata

PlayThe Malcontent
Year (catalogued)1604
First performance1604
Decade1600s
GenreTragicomedy
Play typeAdult Professional;Professional;Boys Professional
CompanyChildren of the Queen's Revels
Speech prefix(es)Cel. | Cel: | Celso: | Celso | Cels: | Cello | Celio
Words229
Characters1280
Typicality0.27 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA07074
BritDrama no.1391
ClusterCluster 17 — Intriguers & schemers

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

I faith my Lord, that beast with many heads The staggering multitude recoils apace, Though thorough great men's envy, most men's malice, Their much intemperate heat hath banished you. Yet now they find envy and malice near, Produce faint reformation. The Duke, the too soft Duke lies as a block, For which two tugging factions seem to saw, But still the iron through the ribs they draw. Lord Maleuole, if this be true. My honoured Lord. I shall observe ye. Of what shape, weet Lord? All service. My Lord, what strange dilusion? I'll still adhere, lets mutiny and die. Yonders Mendoza. My honourde Lord. Is Ferneze interred? But how stands Mendoza, how is't with him? He does fly from public notice me thinks, as a hare do's from hounds, the feet whereon he flies betrays him. The Duke is either quite invisible, or else is not. Where? A better fortune to our Duke Mendoza. My honoured Lord. Strong with Florence, I, thence your mischief rose, For when the daughter of the Florentine Was matched once with his Pietr now Duke, No stratagem of state untried was left, till you of all I but durst. Of a most cunning knave. He's here. Boy, thy master: where's the Duke? 'Tis the dukes pleasure this night you rest in court. I take my leave, sweet Lord. Upon the stroke of twelve. Much.

Plot summary

Plot — The Malcontent
AltSffont, Duke of Genoa, has been deposed in a coup backed by the Great DukelofiFlorence, and replaced by Pi2tf5) the husband of Florence’s daughter Alurelial Though banished, Altofront has remained in Genoa disguised as the court malcontent Malevolg) his identity known only to his ally @@lS. He tells Pietro that (Mendez, who brokered his marriage to Aurelia, is cuckolding him. So he is, but Femniezé replaces him in Aurelia’s affections when he claims that Mendoza 1603 prefers another woman. Pietro confronts Mendoza, who names Ferneze as the true adulterer, and they lay a plot to surprise the couple in bed: Ferneze flees by a back entrance, but Mendoza lies in wait and attacks him as he leaves, then, when Aurelia comes out, pretends that he was protecting Ferneze. Pietro believes that his objective is to gain Aurelia’s confidence so that he can position himself to spy on her, and rewards his supposed fidelity by adopting him as his successor; but Mendoza’s real motive is to avenge himself on Pietro for suspecting him, on Aurelia for rejecting him, and on Ferneze for supplanting him. Ferneze is left for dead, but Malevole finds him still alive and takes him to safety. Bili6SG is sent as an ambassador to inform Florence of his daughter’s misbehaviour. Aurelia conspires with Mendoza to assassinate Pietro; she will then install him as Duke, with Florentine support. Mendoza engages Malevole, recently banished from court, to murder Pietro during a hunt, and explains his future plans to the malcontent. Malevole finds Pietro sleeping but does not take the opportunity to kill the usurper: instead he discloses Mendoza’s plot and helps Pietro to disguise himself as a hermit. He then brings ‘the hermit’ to court with an eye-witness account of Pietro’s suicide. Mendoza assumes power, banishes Aurelia, retains ‘the hermit’ as his confessor, and sends Malevole to Altofront’s imprisoned Duchess, Mafia} with a message of love. He engages Malevole and ‘the hermit’ to poison one another, intending that the blame shall fall on Maria and serve as a lever to force her into accepting him. Bilioso returns from Florence with the Great Duke’s orders: Aurelia is to be executed, Pietro banished, and Altofront reinstated. Upon seeing the changed political scene, however, Bilioso supports Mendoza. Pietro repents his usurpation of the dukedom, whereupon Malevole reveals his true identity. Together with Celso and Ferneze, they will now conspire to bring down Mendoza. When Malevole…