Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

LORD

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)Lord, | Lord. | Lord
Words317
Characters1663
Typicality0.43 (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

Yea peerless Prince to aid your grace, my self will live and die. Report declares, he is a man that to him self is nigh: One that fa ureth much the world, and to much sets thereby. But this I say of certainty, if he your grace succeed: In your absence but for a while, he will be warned indeed: No injustice for to frequent, no partial Judge to prove: But rule all things with equity, to win your graces Love. Nonewes (Oh king) but of duty come, to wait upon your grace: No, no, my Lord, it is not so, for this of Prince they tell: For virtuous proof and Princely facts, Cirus he doth excel. By that his grace by conquest great, the Egyptians did continued ̄ vince Of him report abroad doth pass, tobe a worthy Prince. Here is the cup with filled wine, thereof to take repast: My Lord Praxaspes, this had not been, but your tongue must be walking To the King of correction, you must needs be talking. Yea noble Prince if that your grace, before his honour die: He will succeed a virtuous King, and rule with equity. Lady déer to King a kin, forthwith let us proceed: To trace abroad the beauty fields, as erst we had decreed. The blowing buds whose savoury sents our sense will much The sweet smel of musk white rose, to please y e appetite. The chirpig birds whose Pleasant tunes, therein shall hear record delight That our great joy we shall it find, in field to walk a broad. On Lute and Cittern there to play a heavenly hermony: Our ears shall hear, heart to content, our sports to beauty. Redoubted Prince pleases your grace, to you she is a kin: Cousin Iarmin nigh of birth, by mother's side come in. I connote think it in my heart, that he would report so,

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.