Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

FORTUNE

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)For.
Words184
Characters976
Typicality0.31 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA12133
BritDrama no.2464
ClusterCluster 16 — Errand servants & brief parts

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Not yet? what silence does inhabit here? No preparation to bid Fortune welcome! Fortune the genius of the world, have we Descended from our pride, and state to come So far attended with our darlings, Youth Pleasure, and Health, to be neglected thus? Sure this is not the place? call hither Fame. Know, Who dwells here. It cannot be, This place has too much shade, and looks as if It had been quite forgotten of the Spring, And sun beams Love, affect society And heat, here all is cold as the hairs of Winter, No harmony to catch the busy ear Of passengers, no object of delight, To take the wandering eyes, no song, no groan Of Lovers, no complaint of Willow garlands, Love has a Beacon upon his palace top Of flaming hearts, to call the weary Pilgrim To rest, and dwell with him, I see no fire To threaten, or to warm, can Love dwell here? Make good your boast and bring him to us. We came to dance and revel with you He'e my servant. Despised? I shall Remember this affront.

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.