Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

FERNEZE

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)Fer. | Ferneze | Fer:
Words200
Characters1094
Typicality0.34 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA07074
BritDrama no.1391
ClusterCluster 12 — Wooers, gallants & courtly love-talk

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Possible? what can be strange in him that's drunk with favour, Grows insolent with grace? speak Maq erelle, speak. Nay, called you, speak Maquerelle, speak. For maintenance. But as for poor Fernezes fixed heart, Was never shadeless meadow drier parched, Under the scorching heat of heavens dog, Then is my heart with your enforcing eyes. Your smiles have been my heaven, your frowns my hell, Oh pity then; G ace should with beauty dwell. "His love is liveless, that for love fears breath, "The worst that's endue to sin, Oh would t'were death. By this diamond— By this ruby.— And that the door shall not creak. By this purse.— Save you fair Ladies, is the Duke returned? TO is very strange. Not yet returned I fear, but The Duchess approaches. So soon? t'is wonder. Believe it Lady, To Bean cham. shall I swear, let me enjoy you in private, and I'll marry you by my soul. I'll swear by them both, to please you. a that, sweet creature, let me enjoy you to night, and I'll marry you to morrow fortnight, by my troth la. Oh! Oh a Surgeon. Oh help, help, conceal and save me. For your pardon. How?

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…