Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

NOVALL SENIOR

in The Fatal Dowry — Field, Nathan; Massinger, Philip

Metadata

PlayThe Fatal Dowry
AuthorField, Nathan; Massinger, Philip
Year (catalogued)1632
First performance1619
Decade1630s
GenreTragedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Men
TheaterBlackfriars;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Nou. Se. | Nou • se. | Nou. se. | No • Se. | Nou. se | Nouall se. | Nou. S • . | Nouall. | 〈◊〉 [Novall Senior]
Words451
Characters2386
Typicality0.45 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA07251
BritDrama no.1883
ClusterCluster 22 — Ghosts, curses & horror voices

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Speak to the cause. How long have you Sir practised in Court? By your gross ignorance it should appear, Not twenty days. How dare you move the Court, To the dispensing with and Act confirmed By Parl meant, to the terror of all bankrupts? Go home, and with more care peruse the Statutes: Or the next motion savouring of this bo ldnesse, May force you to leap (against your will) Over the place you plead at. Strange boldness! Sirrah, you that prate Thus saucily, what are you? Shall such and Insolence pass unpunished? Away with him to prison. The president were ill. Let him alone, If he love Lords, a Gods name let him wear they, Provided these consent. The Court must grant you that. Strange rashness. Pray you demand The moiety of my estate, or any thing Within my power, but this. I know not One reason why you should not do Like others: I am sure, of all the heard that fed upon him, I cannot see in any, now he's gone, In pity or in thankfulness one true sign Of sorrow for him. If all may be believed A passionate prisoner speaks, who is so foolish That durst be wicked, that will appear guilty? No, my graven Lords: in his impunity But give example unto jealous men To cut the throats they hate, and they will never Want matter or pretence for their bade ends. As far as my grief Will give me leave, I thank you. Away I only know now to hate thee deadly: I will do nothing for thee. See, equal Judges, with what confidence The cruel murderer stands, as if he would Outface the Court and ustic l You hinder our proceeding. You come not To rail again? but do, you shall not find Anoth r Rochfort. Yes, it's my sons. That I Till now was never wretched, here's no place To curse him or my stars. Exit Nouall senior. You are too violent, You shall have my consent—But woe ld you had Made trial of my love in any thing But this, you should have found then—But it skills not You have what you desire. Force open the doors—Oh monster, cannibal, Lay hold on him, my son, my son.—Oh Rochfort, 'Twas you gave liberty to this bloody wolf To worry all our comforts,—But this is No time to quarrel; now give your assistance For the revenge. I'll be mine own guide. Passion, nor example Shall be my leaders. I have lost a son, A son, graven Judges, I require his blood From his accursed homicide. He had from ̄ the state sufficient entertainment for the Army. My honourable Lord. to the poyn .

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.