in The Contention for Honor and Riches — Shirley, James
Metadata
Play
The Contention for Honor and Riches
Author
Shirley, James
Year (catalogued)
1633
First performance
1631
Decade
1630s
Genre
Moral
Play type
Private
Speech prefix(es)
Ho.
Words
358
Characters
1925
Typicality
0.41 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A12131
BritDrama no.
2274
Cluster
Cluster 8 — Martial kings & Roman gravity
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
No more there are but compl of wars, Perhaps some studied speech But am not taught with these Hyperbol Honor's not wone with words No paint of often That has the greatest not The greatest danger. You both love me. Not that you boast. True Honour makes not proud, not takes delight I'th ruin of poor virtue. So peremptory, Honour may in time Find ways to tame the insolent Lady Riches, But leave her to her pride. Let they. You see how they pursue me still, but Honour Is not so easily obtained. But no such miracles: Gentlemen, you promise Some spirit in you, ther's no way to make Me confident of your worth but by your Actium: In brief, if you be ambitious of Honour, You must fight for me, and as fame shall give me Your character, I shall distinguish you, And cherish worth: mean time I take my leave. Come, , you and I must have Some private conference, I dare trust your bosom With some thing of more weight. And I keep A Register of all, and though delayed, Forget not the reward. Gentlemen, I come to reconcile your difference, I did foresee you desperate in love, And prompted, I confess your swelling valours To fight for me, but upon second thoughts. I canceled that opinion, and devised A way to settle all things without danger This Gentleman late my servant, Ingenuity, Hath removed all occasion of your further Courtship, and now wone me for his Bride. You are passionate. You could not both possess me, yet in him Your excellencies meet, and I enjoy e'm. He can be Courtier and a Soldier When the occasion presents it self. He that hath learned to obey well, can command. Nay, be not sad, if you loved me, express it In your Congratulations. Here I fix My self, and vow my best affection. If in the number of my friends, I may Write you, be confident you sha'not loose By your respect to Honour. Lady Riches, I hope there is no Antipathy in your nature, But you may smile upon a Scholar now Married to Honour.
Plot summary
Plot — The Contention for Honor and Riches
Honour wants to see Riches, but Riches.is too proud to visit her: even though Honour has injured her foot and has limited mobility, Riches insists that she must be the one who travels. Riches is further annoyed by Honour’s choice of messenger, Ingenuity, simply because she hates scholars. She prefers her rival suitors, the countryman Clod and the citizen Gettings, who are both anti-intellectual. They quarrel over Riches, and the oneupmanship culminates with Clod challenging Gettings toa duel. Honour has two suitors of her own, a courtier and a soldier, who both urge their merits and mock each other’s deficiencies. Honour proves hard to get for both of them, and the argument ends when each is scared by an-apparition: Honesty terrifies. the courtier and No-Pay perturbs the soldier. Clod and Gettings . likewise have unwelcome, scary visitors, Foul-Weather-in-Harvest for Clod and Long- _- Vacation ‘for Gettings. Riches stops their duel and _ promises to marry one of them. Of necessity, it has to be Gettings, because. she is distantly related to Clod. Honour marries Ingenuity because a scholar combines the virtués.of both the courtier and the soldier.