Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

KNIGHT

in Cambises, King of Persia — Preston, Thomas

Metadata

PlayCambises, King of Persia
AuthorPreston, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1570
First performance1561
Decade1570s
GenreTragedy
Play typeInterlude
Speech prefix(es)Knight. | knight.
Words160
Characters823
Typicality0.28 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA10041
BritDrama no.480
ClusterCluster 2 — Allegory, Nature & pageant voices

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

And I for my hability, for fear will not turn back: But as the ship against the rocks, sustain and bide the wrack. Your Knight before your grace eve ̄ here, him self hath ready pressed: With willing heart for to fulfil as your grace made request. In person ̄ of Cresus I answer make, we may not his grace come pare in whole respect for to be Like, Cirus the kings father. In so much your grace hath yet no child, as Cirus left behind Even you I mean, Cambyses king, in whom I favour find. Behold (Oh King) where he doth come, his infant yung in hand It shall be done (Oh mighty king) with all seleritie. Here is the heart, according to your graces behest. And that her waiting maiden is attending her upon: He is a Lord of Princes Court, and will be there anon. They sport them selves in pleasant field, to former used use:

Plot summary

Plot — Cambises, King of Persia
Gamibyses leaves Sisamimes in charge of his kingdom while he conquers Egypt. After a comic incident in which soldiers going to the war are beaten by a prostitute, the deputy, encouraged by AlmibiGextér, grows corrupt and takes bribes. Cambyses returns victorious and has him executed and flayed in the presence of Sisamnes’ son @tiaii, whom he appoints as his father’s successor. Praxaspes criticizes Cambyses’ drunkenness, so the King demonstrates his steady hand by shooting the courtier’s son dead. SHIEFAIE is also critical, but bides his time awaiting Cambyses’ death and his own succession to the throne; but Cambyses grows fearful of his ambition and has him murdered. After another comic incident in which Ambidexter first entraps two rustics into speaking ill of the King and then denounces them as traitors, Menus and @upid induce Cambyses into an_ incestuous marriage with a kinswoman. She criticizes him for the murder of Smerdis and he has her killed too. ===== PAGE 46 ===== Finally Cambyses accidentally impales himself on his own sword when leaping onto his horse, and dies. This is interpreted as divine punishment for his tyranny.