in The Fatal Dowry — Field, Nathan; Massinger, Philip
Metadata
Play
The Fatal Dowry
Author
Field, Nathan; Massinger, Philip
Year (catalogued)
1632
First performance
1619
Decade
1630s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
King's Men
Theater
Blackfriars;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
Aym. | M •• n •• eur Aymour, | Aym
Words
466
Characters
2494
Typicality
0.28 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A07251
BritDrama no.
1883
Cluster
Cluster 16 — Errand servants & brief parts
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 16 (nat, ningle, chould, numps, terry, dery…). Matches are highlighted.
laid as directly, as if truth were a Taylor. You are right, Mounsieur his vestaments fit: as if they grew upon him, or art had wrought they on the same loom, as nature framed his Lordship as if your Taylor were deeply read in Astrology, and had taken measure of your honourable body, with a Jacob's staff, and Ephimeri des. By
pension o'the St to. Flatters, detracts, impairs, yet put it by, Lest thou deer Lord ( Narcissus -Like) should dote Upon thy self, and die and rob the world Of nature's copy, that she works form by. I'll never ask him, what he takes me for He has brought a battle in his face, let's go. Are you a Consort? A rascal? Offer to
Full speech
By gad, my Lord, you have the divi nest Taylor of Christendom; he hath made you look Like and Angel in your cloth of Tissue doublet. What, he that wears a clout about his neck, His cuffs in's pocket, and his heart in's mouth? That face would do well in a surplesse. He looks Like A Curryer when his hides grown deer. Come let's be gone. We are beleaguerd. Admirably, admirably, o sweet Lord! assuredly it's pity the worms should eat thee. I vow and affirm, your Taylor must needs be and ex pert Geometrician, he has the Longitude, Latitude, Alti tude, Profundity, every Dimension of your body, so ex quisitely, here's a lace laid as directly, as if truth were a Taylor. You are right, Mounsieur his vestaments fit: as if they grew upon him, or art had wrought they on the same loom, as nature framed his Lordship as if your Taylor were deeply read in Astrology, and had taken measure of your honourable body, with a Jacob's staff, and Ephimeri des. By the Lard, sweet Lard, thou deservest a pension o'the St to. Flatters, detracts, impairs, yet put it by, Lest thou deer Lord ( Narcissus -Like) should dote Upon thy self, and die and rob the world Of nature's copy, that she works form by. I'll never ask him, what he takes me for He has brought a battle in his face, let's go. Are you a Consort? A rascal? Offer to kick a Gentleman, in a Nobleman's cham ber? A pox of your manners We doubt the cause, and will not disparage you, so much as to take your Lordship's quarrel in hand. Plague on him, how he has crumpled our band . Let the Coach be brought Enter Aymiere. To the back gate, and serve the banquet up: My good Lord Charalo S, I think my house Much honoured in your presence. Had I been one hour sooner made acquainted With your intent my Lord, you should have found me Better provided: now such as it is, Pray you grace with your acceptance. Begin the last new air. This little distance from the instruments Will to your ears convey the harmony With more delight. You're tedious, By this means shall I with one banquet please Two companies, those within and these Gulls here. I would he were well of—perhaps your Lordship Likes not these sad tunes, I have a new Song Set to a lighter note, may please you better; It's called The happy husband. Stay him I am undone, And they discovered. Ah! That woe en, when they are well pleased, cannot hold, But must laugh out. Enter Nouall lu. Charaloys, Beaumely, Bellap rt. I prithee sing the song Devoted to my M . Cant. Music. A silent black.
Plot summary
Plot — The Fatal Dowry
. Before the start of the action, the Marshal Charolais bankrupted himself to pay the army, and died in a debtors’ prison. Now his creditors seek to detain his body, preventing it from being buried. His son appeals in the courts, but the measure is pronounced legal; however, the creditors accept Young Charolais’s offer to be imprisoned himself, and the funeral takes place. Being poor, Charolais has no hope of ever being released, but Rochfort pays the debt and, in return, asks that Charolais marry his daughter Beaumelle. Before the marriage, Young Novall paid Beaumelle’s waiting-woman Bellapert to help him seduce her. Despite now being Charolais’s wife, Beaumelle proves receptive to his continued courting, but their meeting is witnessed by Charolais’s friend Romont. He intervenes and sends Novall packing, much to Beaumelle’s displeasure, then accuses her, first to Rochfort and then to her husband, but neither will believe him. Finally he confronts Novali and forces him at gunpoint to sign a confession and undertake never to see or contact Beaumelle again. Novall does not keep his word: Charolais catches him with Beaumelle and kills him. He then presents his wife to her father as the accused in an adultery trial. As a judge, Rochfort is obliged to condemn her to death, a sentence Charolais readily carries out; but as a father, he takes her part and accuses Charolais of ingratitude. The young man is arrested and tried for Novall’s murder. He admits the killing, but pleads that the adultery extenuates it. The court accepts the argument after Romont produces the confession signed by Novall. Private revenge takes over: Charolais is killed in open court by Pontalier, Novall’s kinsman, who is himself killed in turn by Romont, whom the court banishes for the crime.