in The Love of David and Fair Bathsheba — Peele, George
Metadata
Play
The Love of David and Fair Bathsheba
Author
Peele, George
Year (catalogued)
1599
First performance
1594
Decade
1590s
Genre
Biblical History
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Queen Elizabeth's Men (?)
Speech prefix(es)
Ammo. | Ammon. | Am.
Words
236
Characters
1278
Typicality
0.40 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A09228
BritDrama no.
870
Cluster
Cluster 12 — Wooers, gallants & courtly love-talk
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 12 (signor, sal, zelmane, handkerchief, absolon, dissemble…). Matches are highlighted.
his if she strive. Our shearers are not far from hence I wot, And Ammon, to you all his brothers Gives such welcome as our father's erst Were wonr in Juda and Jerusalem, But specially Lord Absolon to thee, The honour of thy house and progeny. Fit down and dine with me King David's son, Thou fair young men, whose hairs shine in
dine with me King David's son, Thou fair young men, whose hairs shine in mine eve Like golden wyers of David's ivory Lute. Here comes Ammon's shearers and his men, Absolon fit and rejoice with me. Drink Absolon in praise of Israel, Welcome to Ammon's fields from David's court.
Full speech
Ah Ionadab it is my sisters looks, On whose sweet beauty I bestow my blood, That makes me look so amorously lean, Her beauty having seafd upon my heart So merrily consecrate to her content, Sets now such guard about his vital blood, And views the passage with such piercing eyes, That none can escape to cheer my pining cheeks, But all is thought too little for her love. How can it be my sweet friend Ionadab, Since Thamar is a virgin and my sister? Sweet Thamar sick, & wish some wholesome cates Dressed with the cunning of thy dainty hands. I go sweet sister, eased with thy sighed. Hence from my bed, whose sighed offends my soul As does the parbreak of disgorged bears. Iethray come thrust this woman from my sighed, And bolt the door upon his if she strive. Our shearers are not far from hence I wot, And Ammon, to you all his brothers Gives such welcome as our father's erst Were wonr in Juda and Jerusalem, But specially Lord Absolon to thee, The honour of thy house and progeny. Fit down and dine with me King David's son, Thou fair young men, whose hairs shine in mine eve Like golden wyers of David's ivory Lute. Here comes Ammon's shearers and his men, Absolon fit and rejoice with me. Drink Absolon in praise of Israel, Welcome to Ammon's fields from David's court.
Plot summary
Plot — The Love of David and Fair Bathsheba
PLOT King David sees Bathsheba bathing and falls in love, but she resists his advances. To check his desires, he recalls her husband, Uriah, from the war, where his army has just conquered a town. Uriah returns, refuses to see his wife, and becomes embarrassingly drunk at a royal feast. David sends him back to the war, with orders that he should be placed in the vanguard. Uriah is killed in battle, removing the obstacle to David's liaison with Bathsheba; but he is rebuked by the prophet Nathan and the child of their union falls sick and dies. David believes that this removes Bathsheba's shame, and enables him to legitimize their relationship and beget another child. Amnon falls in love with his half-sister Tamar and feigns sickness in order to be alone with her. He rapes her and then throws her out. She complains to her brother Absalom, who plots revenge. Despite David's injunction to leave justice to the crown, Absalom goes to Amnon's pastoral feast and has him murdered. Now that Israel is about to conquer the Ammonite enemy, Joab asks David to come to the war, so that the triumph will belong to him rather than to his general. The Israelites are celebrating their victory when David hears of Amnon's murder. He banishes Absalom. A widow tells him how she stands to lose both sons because one murdered the other; he pronounces in favour of the surviving son, then applies the case to his own circumstances and recalls Absalom — which is what Joab intended in sending the woman to him. Absalom becomes ambitious and rises in rebellion. His associate Ahitophel encourages him to send men to kill David by night, but Hushai advises raising a much larger army so that he can overwhelm David by force of numbers; Absalom prefers Hushai's advice. In fact, Hushai is a spy seeking to drive a wedge between Absalom and Ahitophel; he reports Ahitophel's assassination plans to David, and advises him to withdraw out of harm's way across the Jordan. Having lost his influence with Absalom, Ahitophel hangs himself. The rebellion is crushed in battle. Absalom gets his hair caught in a tree as he flees, and is trapped hanging between heaven and earth. Although David has ordered that Absalom be spared, Joab kills him where he hangs. David is distressed, but takes comfort in the new heir he has begotten on Bathsheba, Solomon.