Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

OLDRAT

in The Example — Shirley, James

Metadata

PlayThe Example
AuthorShirley, James
Year (catalogued)1637
First performance1634
Decade1630s
GenreComedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyQueen Henrietta Maria's Men
TheaterPhoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Old. | Old
Words258
Characters1362
Typicality0.29 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA12136
BritDrama no.2437
ClusterCluster 21 — Old fathers & plain counsel

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

It has been Day this two hours. And after supper call for his breakfast. As sure as I have the Key. My Lady is come sir, The Gentleman that compliments with my Lady, And is here half and hour before my Lord still— The same, he man's her Ladyship, and she is coming this way through the Gallery. Yes, and please your worship, Would I were well gone too. I understand a Procedendo Well enough, but who shall serve the writ? Laughs. I am of and opinion under correction that if we Should discover him, we should not carry it so Privately, but it would be known, and then we shall Be in as much danger o'th tother side for concealing it. Laughs again. Not I, sir, would, would. Traitors, we look for, and traitors we will have, And they be above ground. Reprehend them. Your good Knight must go too, go cheerfully it'll be the better for you, if you discharge and honest conscience, you may have the favour to hang tell you be dead. We are Subject's of command, shee'l discover us. Who would would thought it? I think? I hope they mean well. And lovingly, and let us Like honest servants Into the seller and pray for'em. Good Madam be not troublesome, do not you know who I am? I charge you to resist us, come your ways, where; where be these traitors? let me see, where is sir Solitary? I thought he would would shown more wit then to conceal traitors in his house.

Plot summary

Plot — The Example
Money troubles have driven Sir Walter Peregrine to go to war in Europe to keep him away from his creditors in England. In his absence, his wife Bellamia is being pursued by Lord Fitzavarice, who plies her with rich gifts. She chastely refuses him, but he feels that, since he is known to have courted her, it is a matter of honour that the seduction should succeed. He pursues her to her chamber and offers to surrender her husband’s mortgage if she will sleep with him, then pay off his debts £100 a time in return for subsequent nights of passion. When she still refuses him, he threatens rape, and she faints. The experience converts him from his louche ways: he is relieved to learn that she is not dead, and returns the mortgage anyway, impressed with her virtue. A captain comes from the Netherlands on a recruiting mission. Sir Walter takes the opportunity to accompany him and pays a flying visit to his wife. She proposes to pay his debts with Lord Fitzavarice’s gifts, but he assumes that these are the rewards of adultery and challenges the Lord to a duel. Fitzavarice, recognizing that he is obliged to answer the challenge, appoints Confident as his second. But Confident’s reputation for valour is undeserved: rather than have to prove it by fighting, he tips off Sir Walter’s creditors and has him arrested for his debts before the duel can take place. Lord Fitzavarice disowns the ploy and secures Sir Walter’s release by paying his debts. Sir Walter realizes that his suspicions must be false—an adulterer would find it more convenient to keep him in jail—but the Lord insists on going through with the duel. Both men are slightly wounded, and honour is satisfied. In the sub-plot, Vainman and Pumicestone have both borrowed heavily to finance their courtship of Bellamia’s sister, Jacintha. They agree that whichever of them wins her will cover the other’s expenses. Jacintha is not disposed to marry anyone, but asks them to demonstrate which of them loves her best. Rather than send them to do dangerous deeds, she imposes difficult conditions: they must both visit her every day for six months, during which time Vainman must not speak a word and Pumicestone must do the opposite of everything she asks. She then contrives a situation in which their compliance is embarrassing. At her instigation they also visit her uncle, the plot-obsessed Sir Solitary, and pretend to be agents of a foreign power; Jacintha also arranges for servants to pose as officers come to arrest them.…