Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

CHARILLA

in The Coronation — Shirley, James

Metadata

PlayThe Coronation
AuthorShirley, James
Year (catalogued)1640
First performance1635
Decade1640s
GenreTragicomedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyQueen Henrietta Maria's Men
TheaterPhoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Cha.
Words266
Characters1428
Typicality0.37 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA12133
BritDrama no.2464
ClusterCluster 12 — Wooers, gallants & courtly love-talk

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Madam, you are too passionate, and loose The greatness of your soul, with the expense Of too much grief, sor that which providence Hath eased you of, the burden of a state Above your tender bearing. I grant it For the honour of our sex, nor have you, Madam, By any weakness forfeited command, He that succeeds, in justice, was before you, And you have gained more in a royal brother Then you could loose by your refigne of Epire. Virtue forbid. For what? O do not injure Your own clear innocence. 'Tis but Your own opinion, Madam, which presents Something oh fright your self, which cannot Be in the same shape so horrid to our sense. True Madam. Madam, you yet may recompense Lisimachus, If you affect him now, you were not false To him whom then you loved not, if you can Find any gentle passion in your soul To entertain his thought, no doubt his heart, Though sad, retains a noble will to meet it, His love was firm to you, and cannot be Unrooted with one storm. He's here As fate would have him reconciled, be free, And speak your thoughts. Such a found me thought Came from him. Take courage Madam, And my advice, he has another Mistress, If he have twenty, be you wise, and cross him With entertaining twice as many servants, And when he sees your humour heel return, And sue for any Livery, grieve for this, It must be she, it's Polidora has Taken his heart, she live my rival, How does the thought inflame me. Polidora?

Plot summary

Plot — The Coronation
When King Theodosius seized power in Epirus, he agreed to make his opponent Cassander the next heir should he himself die without issue. Now his daughter Sophia is Queen and Cassander the Lord Protector during her minority. She appears to favour Cassander’s son Lysimachus as a potential husband, but this is only a stratagem to secure Cassander’s support for her forthcoming installation as Queen regnant. Wishing to find a legitimate way of killing Arcadius, Seleucus proposes settling a family feud by single combat with themselves acting as champions. Sophia agrees, and schedules the fight immediately after her coronation; but the two heads of the families disapprove and prevent it by announcing that they have settled their differences. Sophia now declares her choice of husband: not Lysimachus as expected, but Arcadius. Arcadius accepts, even though he has sworn a vow of constancy to Polydora. Seleucus is imprisoned when he protests, and the disappointed Cassander plots treachery. Macarius, Arcadius’ uncle, produces documentary evidence that the proposed marriage would be incestuous: Arcadius is really Sophia’s brother, Demetrius, Theodosius’ younger son, who was bestowed on Macarius in infancy for fear of Cassander’s ambition; his claim to the throne is therefore better than Sophia’s. He and Sophia both try to reactivate their former relationships, but Polydora and Lysimachus are both less than compliant. Cassander plans to pull off the same trick twice: he arranges Seleucus’ release, claims him to be Theodosius’ elder son, Leonatus, and installs him as King. Demetrius takes refuge in Polydora’s house, happy to be deposed and so eligible to win back her love. But Cassander has overestimated the ease with which his new King can be controlled: ‘Leonatus’ refuses to reinstate him as Lord Protector, so he plots first to assassinate Demetrius and then admit the ruse, deposing Seleucus. The scheme backfires when it emerges that Seleucus really is Leonatus after all, and so the rightful King.