Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

PHILOTIMIA

in The Muses' Looking Glass — Randolph, Thomas

Metadata

PlayThe Muses' Looking Glass
AuthorRandolph, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1638
First performance1630
Decade1630s
GenreMoral
Play typeBoys Professional
CompanyKing's Revels Company
Speech prefix(es)Phil. | Philo. | Phylo.
Words300
Characters1537
Typicality0.43 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA10411.1
BritDrama no.2313
ClusterCluster 1 — Wives, widows & intimate counsel

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

What mole dressed me to day? Oh patience Who would be troubled with these mop-eyd Cham bermaids? Ther's a whole hair on this side more then tother, I am no Lady else!—come on you sloven! Was ever Christian Madam so tormented To wed a swine as I am? make you ready. To ! she hath made this cheek By much too , and hath forgotten to whiten The natural redness of my nose, she knows not What it's wants dealbation! Oh fine memory! If she has not set me in the self same teeth That I wore yesterday, I am a jew. Does she think that I can eat twice with the same, Or that my mouth stands as the Vulgar does? What? are you snorting there? yowl rise, you sluggard And make you ready? Beshrew her for't, this wrinkle is not filled! Youll go and wash—you are a pretty husband What gentleman is that? A pretty Proficient! What standing is he of i'th' University? What pity it's he is not impudent! Construe me that. I see it to my grief, pray counsel him. Here comes Anaiskintia too;—Oh fates! Acolastus, and Asotus have sent for me, And my breath not perfumed yet! Kat. Oh sweetmother, Are the Gentlemen there already? How long have you been in the Academy? Inure him to speak bawdy. So he will prove a Stoic; I long to have a Stoic strut before me: Here kiss my hand. Come what is that in Latin? My lip;—nay sir you must if I command you. His breath smells strong. He will come to it one day—you shall go with me To see and exquisite glass to dress me by. Nay, go! you must go first; you are too mannerly. It is the office of your place, so—on .

Plot summary

Plot — The Muses' Looking Glass
Bird and Mistress Flowerdew, Puritan residents of Blackfriars, bring their wares to the theatre, but are appalled when Roscius tells them they have been ordered for use as props in a filthy stage play. Roscius argues that they themselves make a living from the vice of vanity, and invites them to see the play before they condemn it; he will give them a running commentary on its moral import. Despite Roscius’ high claims, Comedy and Tragedy seem initially more concerned about the order of their precedence; they agree to spend a year in competition, staging examples of their respective genres, and whichever is adjudged the better will thereafter have the theatre to herself. The play is a series of episodes showing specific virtues to be the mean: an excess or a deficiency constitutes a vice. A lack of courtesy makes Dyscolus churlishly ready to pick quarrels, whereas too much of it makes Colax sycophantic, to such an extent that he hangs around for the rest of the play flattering all the other vices. Aphobus is over-confident and Deilus cowardly, afraid of his own shadow: they have respectively too much fortitude and too little. Temperance is the next example, illustrated by Acolastus the epicure and Anaisthetus the ascetic, followed by liberality, missing in Aneleutherus the miser and carried to excess in Asotus the prodigal. The over-ostentatious Banausus, full of extravagant schemes for public works, overdoes magnificence, whereas Microprepes balks at replacing a church steeple. (The Puritans in the audience 1630 approve.) Chaunus overvalues himself, and seeks inappropriate high offices, whereas Micropsychus thinks himself unsuited to even the meanest position. Meekness is quite absent from quarrelsome Orgylus, who persistently tries to provoke patient Aorgus to a fight, without success. The arrogant Alazon and the modest Eiron deviate from truth: one falsely claims personal qualities he lacks, the other denies those he does have. Philotimia is unduly fastidious about her appearance, whereas her slovenly husband Luparus would rather clothes had never been invented. The impudent bawd Anaiskyntia brings Kataplectus to visit Philotimia, but he is too bashful to speak to her in English. Philotimia appoints him her gentleman usher, and they go off together; it looks as if Luparus is going to be cuckolded, but he doesn’t care. The extremes of justice are next: Nimis is worldly and prone to accept bribes, adjudicating between litigants according to which can…