in The Renegado, or The Gentleman of Venice — Massinger, Philip
Metadata
Play
The Renegado, or The Gentleman of Venice
Author
Massinger, Philip
Year (catalogued)
1630
First performance
1624
Decade
1630s
Genre
Tragicomedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Lady Elizabeth's Men
Theater
Phoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Aga.
Words
407
Characters
2251
Typicality
0.20 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A07246
BritDrama no.
2090
Cluster
Cluster 21 — Old fathers & plain counsel
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 21 (gar, shillings, alii, yongrave, ogenes, nat…). Matches are highlighted.
This Christian Fears not, it seems, the near approaching Sun Whose second rise He never must salute. Manto. Use your own freedom. Prithee Manto How hath the unfortunate Princes spent this night Under her proud new mistress? Break the watch up, What should we fear in the amid of our own strengths? 'Tis but the Bashas jealousy.
Full speech
She was ever our good Mistress, and our maker, And should we check at a little hazard for her, We were unthankful. That concerns not us: His fallen may be our rise, what ere he be He passes through my guards. Stand: the word. Or being a Christian to press thus far, Forfeits thy life. Pass e in peace. The Devils in him think. Here he comes. The ods In the men and shipping, and the suddainnesse Of their departure yielding us no leisure To send forth others to relieve our own, Deterd us mighty Sir. We already Madam Have satisfied your pleasure further then We know to answer it. 'Tis enclosed here The box to, that contains it, may inform you How he stands affected: I am trusted with Nothing but this, on forfeit of your head She must have a speedy trial. Ever provided that if she, the said offender, by any reasons, arguments or persuasion, can win and prevail with the said Christian offending with her, to altar his religion, and marry her, that then the winning of a soul to the Mahometan sect, shall acquit her from all shame, dis grace and punishment whatsoever. Sir by your leave (nay stay not) I bring comfort; The Viceroy taken with the constant bearing Of your afflictions, and presuming to You will not change your temper, does command Your irons should be taken off. Now arm your self With your old resolution, suddenly We shall sir. This Christian Fears not, it seems, the near approaching Sun Whose second rise He never must salute. Manto. Use your own freedom. Prithee Manto How hath the unfortunate Princes spent this night Under her proud new mistress? Break the watch up, What should we fear in the amid of our own strengths? 'Tis but the Bashas jealousy. Farewell soldiers. Great sir hear me Then after kill me, we are all betrayed, The also Grimaldi sunk in your disgrace With his confederates, have seized his ship And those that guarded it stowed under would ches With him the condemned Princess, and the Merchant That with a ladder made of ropes descended From the black Tower in which he was enclosed, And your fair mistress, With all their train And choicest jewels are gone safe aboard, Their sails spread forth and with a fore-gale Leaving our cost, in scorn of all pursuit As a farewell they showed a broad side to us.
Plot summary
Plot — The Renegado, or The Gentleman of Venice
PLOT Paulina has been kidnapped by the pirate Grimaldi and brought to stock the Viceroy Hassan Bey’s seraglio in Tunis. However, she wears a relic given to her by the Jesuit Francisco, which protects her from violence and ensures that she cannot be raped. Hassan Bey’s attempts to seduce her are proving ineffectual. The Pasha Mustapha arrives in Tunis and presents himself to Donusa with a letter from her uncle, the Sultan, recommending him as a prospective husband. She expresses an interest in seeing the market, and he escorts her there. One of the merchants, Vitelli, is really Paulina’s brother. He is selling pictures of beautiful European women, so Donusa unveils herself to invite a comparison. Vitelli instantly falls in love with her, and, to bring him out of his reverie, she smashes some of his glassware and tells him to present the bill for the damage at the palace the following day. Seeing an opportunity to rescue Paulina, he goes, is admitted to the seraglio, and ends up having sex with Donusa. He returns to the market a made man, and passes on his business to his servant Gazet. The Maltese raid the harbour at Tunis and capture a ship. Having failed to prevent this, Grimaldi is dismissed from Hassan Bey’s services; his seraglio recruitment work counts for nothing. He goes to the market in despair, believing he can never be forgiven the act of sacrilege for which he originally fled Venice: dashing the host out of a priest’s hand as he was saying mass. The priest was, in fact, Francisco, who cures him by presenting himself in episcopal vestments and granting him absolution. A change in Donusa’s behaviour alerts Mustapha to the loss of her virginity, and he arranges for Hassan Bey to be a hidden witness to her next meeting with Vitelli. The merchant has lost confidence in her, and returns her gifts, but their guilt is established and they are imprisoned pending a ruling from the Sultan. Vitelli impresses Mustapha by his constancy in imprisonment, but his fall disappoints Gazet: having heard that eunuchs regularly sleep with their mistresses, he has set his heart on becoming one. A ruling comes back from Constantinople that the law should swiftly take its course: any Muslim woman who fornicates with a Christian shall lose her head, unless she can convert him to Islam and marry him. Donusa invokes the exception, but Vitelli refuses to become a Muslim, and instead converts her to Christianity. She is condemned to death for apostasy, and he for procuring…