in The Bird in a Cage (The Beauties) — Shirley, James
Metadata
Play
The Bird in a Cage (The Beauties)
Author
Shirley, James
Year (catalogued)
1633
First performance
1633
Decade
1630s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Queen Henrietta Maria's Men
Theater
Phoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)
2.
Words
202
Characters
1117
Typicality
0.23 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A12128
BritDrama no.
2396
Cluster
Cluster 15 — Devils, vices & grotesques
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 15 (ang, hunc, fleire, shillings, chil, sblood…). Matches are highlighted.
stomach, that can break these stone walls to come to her. One makes towards us,—it's a Lady. By this gold, breeches Tush, that won't satisfy me. You have commodity, hang this transitory gold—give me—what's this? A wart, let me see't. Is it your will I should have it? You know the way back Lady. Lady, I kiss your hand. Use your fortune,
Full speech
Is that he that has gold enough? would I had some of his yellow hammers. In the position general, 'ile not touch him For money may be said to purchase all things But to aspire to my good Sovereigns daughter Of blessed memory. There Gold and trash was impudently inferred, And 'twas a task too insolent, in that point You'd willingly give a pound of your proud flesh, To be released. He must have and excellent stomach, that can break these stone walls to come to her. One makes towards us,—it's a Lady. By this gold, breeches Tush, that won't satisfy me. You have commodity, hang this transitory gold—give me—what's this? A wart, let me see't. Is it your will I should have it? You know the way back Lady. Lady, I kiss your hand. Use your fortune, pass. And you were his sister, all's one to him, the Devil is not more hight and Robustious, where he finds opposition to the sport; therefore the Duke made choice of him, as suspecting some Lord might come disguised a this fashion, to prevent dishonour to the Princess and Ladies—use your own discretion. Sure it's a woman. And Hermaphrodite. Your Name, I beseech you.
Plot summary
Plot — The Bird in a Cage (The Beauties)
After rumours of Philenzo’s interest in Eugenia, her father the Duke banishes him and shuts her up in a newly-built palace, attended only by ladies, until he can find her a husband of suitable rank. Orpiano is sent to Florence with her picture to negotiate a marriage treaty; her fiancé will be the Great Duke’s son. Rolliardo, an unemployed wit, comes to court looking for work. The Duke gives him the task of gaining access to Eugenia in her new quarters within a month, with the proviso that he will be executed if he fails; he agrees, subject to the condition that the Duke gives him enough money to do the job—meaning, in effect, unlimited access to the exchequer. Pursued by creditors, the artist Bonamico sets up business disguised as a mountebank, Altomaro, offering to teach people the secret of invisibility. Rolliardo sceptically rejects this as a method of penetrating Eugenia’s palace, preferring to trust in the corruptibility of the captain of the guard—who refuses to help, but keeps the bribe anyway. ‘Altomaro’ tries to encourage prospective clients by dressing up as a series of customers entering his shop; they are not seen leaving because, he says, they have become invisible. Dondolo and Grutti decide this would be a good way to get to see their girlfriends, two of Eugenia’s attendants, and pay ‘Altomaro’ for a demonstration: he will be invisible, save only for his hand. And so he is—the ‘hand’ being a handwritten letter from him. The courtiers realize they have been cheated; Bonamico’s assistant Carlo tells them his true identity and helps them find and imprison him pending the repayment of their demonstration fee. Morello attempts to get into the palace prison posing as a woman, but one of the guards wants a sexual fee and discovers his true gender. He is taken to the Duke and sentenced to wear his women’s clothes for a month. An ambassador arrives from Florence to finalize the marriage contract; Fulvio tells him about Philenzo’s love for Eugenia. Rolliardo uses his access to the exchequer to buy all debtors out of prison; one of the beneficiaries is Bonamico, who again offers his help. He brings the Duke a large cage of birds, which the Duke sends as a present to Eugenia. It arrives while the ladies are putting on a play, The New Prison, about Jupiter and Danaë, imprisoned by her tyrannous father. Eugenia feels sorry for the birds and opens the cage. Rolliardo is hidden inside. He woos her, but she refuses him: her heart belongs to Philenzo. He…