Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

PAN

in The Arraignment of Paris — Peele, George

Metadata

PlayThe Arraignment of Paris
AuthorPeele, George
Year (catalogued)1584
First performance1581
Decade1580s
GenrePastoral
Play typeBoys Professional
CompanyChildren of the Chapel (first) (Oxford's Boys)
Theaterbefore the Court;
Speech prefix(es)Pan.
Words236
Characters1179
Typicality0.54 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA09220
BritDrama no.751
ClusterCluster 16 — Errand servants & brief parts

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

SILVANUS, either Flora does S ng Or Faunus made us tarry all to long, For by this morning mirth it should appea The Mus S or the goddesses be near And I have brought a twagger for the nonce A bunting lamb: nay, pray you feel no bones. Believe me now, my cunning much I miss, If ever Pan felt fat r lamb then this. Peace man for shame, shalt have both lambs & dams & flocks and herds & all, And all my pipes to make the glee, we meet not now to brawl. Sayest truly Faunus, I my self have given good tidy lambs, To Mercury may say to thee, to Phœbus and to Jove: When to a country mops forsooth, chaue offered all their dams, And piped and prayed for little worth and ranged about the grove. wel-sed we ̄ changed some other thing you mean. Flora well met, and for thy taken pain, Poor country gods thy debtors we remain. Good Flora, by my flock it very good, To worser ght her all in read resembling blood. Pipe Pan f r joy and let thy shepherds sing, Shall neue age forget this memorable thing. The silly birds make mirth, then should we do them wrong, Pomona, if we nil bestow and Echo to their song. The God of shepherds, Juno, ere thou go, Intends a lamb on thee for to b stow.

Plot summary

Plot — The Arraignment of Paris
Minor deities greet Juno, Pallas, and Venus and present them with gifts. Intending Troy’s downfall, Ate leaves a golden apple where the three goddesses will find it. Seeing that it is addressed to the most beautiful, they quarrel about which of them should be the recipient, then refer the case to the judgement of the next passer-by. This proves to be Paris, who has just pledged his love to Oenone. Each goddess offers him a reward for judging in her favour: Juno offers wealth, Pallas fame, and Venus love, in the person of Helen. Paris chooses Venus, and wins the enmity of the other two. Colin the shepherd dies for love of Thestylis. Not knowing that he has jilted Oenone, Venus tells Paris of the unpleasant consequences for lovers who break their vows, and punishes Thestylis with unrequited love for an ugly old man. Mercury summons Paris to the court of Jove, to answer charges of partiality laid by Juno and Pallas. He pleads his case before the Council of Gods: the court acknowledges its justice and sends him home to the doomed city of Troy. Juno and Pallas appeal, and Venus gives up the golden apple, confident that it will be awarded to her a second time. At Apollo’s suggestion, Diana is appointed judge in the case, since the incident originally happened near her bower. Diana awards the golden apple to the nymph Eliza, ruler of Elysium (representing Queen Elizabeth, in the audience). The goddesses of destiny, according to their annual custom, also resign their symbols of power to the Queen.