Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

2 REBEL

in The Arcadia — Shirley, James

Metadata

PlayThe Arcadia
AuthorShirley, James
Year (catalogued)1640
First performance1640
Decade1640s
GenrePastoral Romance
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyQueen Henrietta Maria's Men
TheaterPhoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)2.
Words246
Characters1226
Typicality0.30 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA12149
BritDrama no.2481
ClusterCluster 3 — Citizens, tradesfolk & neighbors

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

No hang sobriety It is time to look into the government, none but Gentle men are of his counsel, I see no reason since the Country is 'ours but we should have a stroke in the state. Who knows but he has made away the King It's a discredit for any Subject's as we are to have a King as if we were not able to govern our selves How That's worse then the statute against two wives What with the prisoners Excellent, get you behind the trees with your instruments, and tune they ready, the new frisk we danced at Enispies to day will serve rarely as the Prologue, away; but Captain what shall we do with the Kings daughters And what shall we have. Speak Captain And drowned thy tongue, a Company of bashful shrimps; if I but open my mouth, I say no more Some of them are so rotten they will save us a labour Do you fight with the men, and let me alone with the women. Your wife, if you love her be not troublesome I tell you again For nothing but being drunk Faith Captain he hath given us good council let us deal Honestly, if we take away but all they have they will Have more cause to speak well of us What would we done, here are all your Jewels not a stone deminish'd He said she was his wife It's the only way to procure one

Plot summary

Plot — The Arcadia
King Basilius understands an oracle to have foretold that his daughters’ marriage will result in his death and the usurpation of his throne by a foreigner; it has also indicated that he will commit adultery with his own wife. In an effort to thwart any destiny, he has decided to keep the girls unmarried virgins; he leaves court, placing the kingdom under the rule of his deputy, Philanax, and lodges his elder daughter Pamela in the forest with Dametas. Pyrocles and Musidorus are amorously interested in Basilius’ daughters, Pamela and Philoclea, and come to Arcadia in disguise. Musidorus poses as a shepherd, takes a job under Dametas, and, to enable him to elope with Pamela, gets the family out of the way with a series of ruses: Dametas is told a story of buried gold, Miso of her husband’s philandering, and Mopsa of a wishing tree which will enable her to become whatever she wants. (She wants to be a queen, with no obligation to obey anyone.) Pyrocles, meanwhile, gets access to Philoclea by disguising himself as an Amazon, Zelmane, only to find that in his new identity he has attracted interest from Basilius. ‘Zelmane’ helps to quell a rebellion by the people of Arcadia, who are dissatisfied with Basilius’ retirement from government, then arranges an assignation with the King at a nearby cave. Queen Gynecia sees through Pyrocles’ disguise and falls for him herself. He arranges for Gynecia to take his place at the date with Basilius, and approaches Philoclea while they are away. Basilius meets Gynecia in the cave and so fulfils part of the oracle: he commits ‘adultery’ with his own wife. Realizing her identity and his folly, he swears constancy, and she gives him what she takes to be a love philtre—which causes him to pass out, apparently dead. The defeated rebels take refuge in the forest, and encounter Musidorus and Pamela. Despite Pamela’s insistence that he should fight and die with honour, Musidorus persuades the rebels to release them. When they realize Pamela’s identity, however, they suspect treason and take the couple to court in an attempt to purge their own crimes. Meanwhile Pyrocles and Philoclea are found asleep together by Dametas, who has come looking for the missing Pamela. Philanax is now faced with what appears to be a royal crime wave—a poisoner queen, and two princesses guilty of sexual misconduct—and, despite Pamela’s insistence that her father’s death makes her Queen of Arcadia, he has them all imprisoned. King Euarchus comes to visit…