Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

VIRRO

in The Heir — May, Thomas

Metadata

PlayThe Heir
AuthorMay, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1622
First performance1620
Decade1620s
GenreComedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyRed Bull (Revels) Company (first)
Speech prefix(es)Vir. | Ʋ ir. | Vir, | Vi • | Virro | Ʋ erro. | Vir | V • r. | Vi.
Words1021
Characters5239
Typicality0.21 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA07326
BritDrama no.1943
ClusterCluster 17 — Intriguers & schemers

Important excerpts

Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 17 (nat, leaguer, assyrian, mowche, bashas, andalle…). Matches are highlighted.

relieved by you. I am your beauty's captive. Your beauty contradicts that freedom Lady. For me, what I prithee. Speak, what is't? And Heir. How, Thou art mad. But dost thou mock me. Where prithee. Why, Wertenberg thou at the house then. Beshrew my heart I know not what To think on't, till Like enough, this Lord was Always cunning

Full speech

Is your Lord a sleep? Y'haue lost a worthy and a hopeful son, But heaven that always gives, will sometime take And that the best, there is no balsome left us To cure such wounds as these but patience, There's no disputing with the acts of heaven, But if there were, in what could you accuse Those powers that else have been so liberal to you, And left you yet one comfort in your age: A fair and virtuous daughter. Your blood is not extinct, nor your age childless, from that fair branch thats left may come much fruit to glad posterity, think on that my Lord. Alas good Gentleman. I would, my Lord, I could as well redress As I can take compassion of your grief You should soon find and ease. You would feign sleep my Lord, I'll take my leave aven send you comfort, I shall make bold shortly to visit you. Yes sweet to me. Whom your scorn kills, and pity will revive. And so am I, if not relieved by you. I am your beauty's captive. Your beauty contradicts that freedom Lady. For me, what I prithee. Speak, what is't? And Heir. How, Thou art mad. But dost thou mock me. Where prithee. Why, Wertenberg thou at the house then. Beshrew my heart I know not what To think on't, till Like enough, this Lord was Always cunning beyond measure, and it Amazed me that he should grow so exreme Kind to me on the sudden to offer me all this: Beside this fellow is so confident, and on No ends of couznage that I can see; well, I would feign enjoy her, the Wench is Delicate, but I would have the estate too, and not be gulled, what shall I do, now brains If ever you will, help your Master. Well, so, Sir, What may I call your name? Your name as well as your attire Speakers you poor. And very poor. Would you not gladly take a course To get money, and a great some of money. Hark you. Fie, never Talk of the Conscience, and for Law thou art Free, for all men think him dead, and His father will be ashamed to follow it Having already given him for dead, And then who can know it, come be wise, Five hundredth crowns I'll give. When thou hast done it. Thou shalt. Now thou But love has made me bold, the time has been, In such a place as this I should have feared Each rolling leaf, and trembled at a reed Stirred in the Moonshine, my fearful fancy Would frame a thousand apparitions, And work some fear out of my very shadow: I wonder Philocles is tardy thus, When last we parted every hour, he said, Would seem a year till we were met again, It should not seem so by the hast he makes I'll fit and rest me, come I know he will. I conceive you Sir. I shall live my Lord to give you thanks, but aside. Will be after a strange manner, if Irus has Dispatched what he was hired too, then my kind Lord I shall be a little too cunning for you. I warrant you my Lord no pardon passes while I am there, isle be a bar betwixt him and the King, but hark the King approaches. My promised wife Is lately stolen away by Philocles, Lord Euphues son against her father's will, Who followed um and apprehended them, The Law may right us Sir, if it may have course. To his joust prayers do I bend my knee My promised wife is stolen, and by the son Of that injurious Lord, justice I crave. I told you what he would do, I knew He would not here of a pardon, and I against it, He respects me. Where the devil hath his mind been all this while, Perhaps he herd none of us neither, We may eene tell our tales again. What made him swear this I wonder. Pardon us my Lord, we were wronged. Fare well my Liege, now let him chafe alone. Nothing my Lords, I must confess the fact. Well my life is saved yet, though my wench be lost, God give you joy. How do you Sir. I'll wait upon your Lordship. exeunt manet Euge. solus. She loves me not yet, but that's no matter, I shall have her, her father says I shall, And I dare take his word, maids are quickly Overruled, ah, ah, me thinks I am grown younger Then I was by twenty years, this Fortune Cast upon me, is better then Medea's charm, to Make and old man young again, to have a Lords estate freely bestowed, and with it such A beauty as should warm Nectors blood, Make old Priam lusty. Fortune I see thou love me Now, I'll built a Temple to thee shortly, and Adore thee as the greatest deity. Now what are you. So are most of your profession, Thou shouldst to ke some more thriving Occupation, to be a judges man, they are The bravest now adays, or a Cardinals Pander, that were good profession and gainful. I thank his Majesty, I have his care before anon there man. I thank your Majesty, but the marriage that I intended is stolen to my hand, and by another. Nor I here is mad dancing. I do beseech your Lordship's not to credit What this base fellow speaks, I am innocent. But Sir, remember your self, remember your Daughter, let not your grief for the dead make You forget the living, whose Hope's, and Fortune's Depend upon your safety. Be Like your self, let not a cruel doom Pass those fair lips, that never were ordained To kill, but to revive. I'll do the best I may, but we old men Are but cold comfort, I thank your Lordship's love. Lawful, That Cardinal may come to be Pope, and Then he could pardon thee and himself too. Alas Sir I know your grief. Vile Cousner, cheating Lord, dissembler. Your Majesty is joust.

Plot summary

Plot — The Heir
In order to facilitate a marriage between his daughter Leucothoe and the wealthy Count Virro, Polymetes has the rumour put about that his son Eugenio has died during a trip overseas, which means that Leucothoe is now his heir. Among her many other admirers is Philocles, the son of Polymetes’ enemy, Euphues; he is barred from direct access to her, but is able to see her through the window of his friend Clerimont’s lodgings, next door to Polymetes’ house. He overhears her admitting that she does not love Virro, who is too old for her, but has fallen in love with a young man she saw riding in the street: Philocles. He throws a letter to her, and she plans an assignation with him in her father’s absence. Eugenio returns home disguised as the scholar Irus, but Polymetes seems less interested in the news of his son’s survival than that the rumour of his death should not be contradicted. Polymetes learns of Philocles’ assignation with Leucothoe; he and ‘Irus’ eavesdrop on it and hear the lovers plan to elope, even though stealing an heiress is a capital crime. Approving of his sister’s choice, Eugenio tells Virro that he will be marrying Leucothoe under false pretences, since the true heir is still alive; but Virro’s response is to hire ‘Irus’ to poison Eugenio. Polymetes catches Philocles and Leucothoe in the act of elopement, and Euphues’ attempts to secure a pardon are fruitless. Leucothoe’s pleading has more effect on the King, but only because he is attracted to her: he swears not to issue a pardon unless she has sex with him. When she adamantly refuses, the King tries to find a way out of his oath, but the papal price list for exemptions disgusts him and there is no legal loophole. At the trial, Philocles pleads guilty and is sentenced to death; Leucothoe declares her determination to die with him. ‘Irus’ is produced in court, having contrived to get himself arrested for murdering Eugenio; both he and Virro are also sentenced to death. ‘Irus’ gets Polymetes to declare in open court that, as things stand, he would allow Leucothoe to marry Philocles after all, if he were available. Then he reveals himself to be Eugenio: no murder has been committed, and no heiress stolen, so the death sentences are all quashed. In the sub-plot, Francisco has got Luce pregnant, and offers to make amends by marrying her; but her father Franklin intends her instead for the rich, foolish Shallow. Shallow is persuaded that he himself is responsible for her condition, and that,…