Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

CAPTAIN

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)Cap. | Cap | Cap, | Cap •
Words775
Characters3978
Typicality0.34 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA12149
BritDrama no.2481
ClusterCluster 23 — Gulls, fops & laughing-stocks

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

COme my Master's let us be resolute, is there any man That will justify himself to be sober amongst us? We must be valiant, the King I say again has left us, and since He scorns our company for my partly I scorn to be his subject That was bravely spoke my bully, stroke, heby Mars his Gauntlet spoke Like a soldier, I do not Like the Carriage of the secret Counsels But shall be governed by Philonax': Shall I speak for you Why then let me alone; I will know a reason why he has left the government without our consents to depose him, it's wisely spoken mybrave men 'oth commonwealth, we will have other laws and the old shall be executed No justice, why should we lose our liberties, and being free men, upon any occasion suffer our selves to be bound over It shall be lawful for any man to be drunk without forfeiting or paying anything to the poor No man shall marry They shall be common too Set'em a fire it'll warm the City when there is cold doings Put'em in possession of their creditors lands, they are the only men fit for authority; for no men are used worst, and they will know the better to domineer, nay weel have admirable laws, but who shall be this Ambassador to the King And because we will be wise Say weattend here to do our duties I'll have one Thereare Ladies about the Court will content you Thumb valiant Thumb, all spirit no mutiny no mutiny all of a faction together by the ears for a piece of venison First let us know the Kings resolution, and if we Like not our conditions, the hares a foot; and every man take what course he please in my Lords Park Enter Basilius, Gynecia, Pyrocles, and Philoclea. But stay the King umh If it please your Majesty, what was it resolved upon We have intorrogations points to put to you COme my bloods since there is no hope of our pardons let us be honest outlaws one to another, and do all the mischief we can, we are Master's of the Woods, and we will domineer Like Lords of the soil; I say we will live, we will eat and we will drink. Arcadia shall be thy Anvil smith; and thou mayest live to beat Great men to dust Be resolute and strike the iron while it is hight, where is the little miller Who can help it, be not crest fallen, but show your selves Cocks of the game, weel make the state send for us home, and agree to our own conditions, let us therefore play the thieves manfully Hang hang ng, we defy the laws and we will execute when we list in our own quarters we will rob man woman and child Without noise or tumult lets steal upon them Let your courage cool, and hear us you were best If you do love this Gentlewoman's life. Put up your tool, dee see this b dkin sir With it, I'll punch her heart, if you but offer A blow at any of my train, I'll doo't As I am true Rebel and for the more security Deliver up your whinyard to our use Or I'll make and oylet-hole presently Drop your steel quickly, or I'll stay no longer So first and foremost throw his sword out of the way, we have no use on't, secondly bind him to a tree None dare to take a skirt Unhand the Gentlewoman, he that offers her But a wry look had better eat my sword Unbind the malefactor His sword thou ignorant thief no so he may chance to ask us again for his Jewels; take thy Penelope sweet tongued Ulysses; and on the next back smother her in kisses—farewell How, umh; now I look better on her I have seen that face in a mask before now As we are true men and thieves Madam Umh, I guest treason, are not you an't shall please your Ladyship running away with this Gentleman Lay hands on him again, well thought upon you shall Justify your selves before the King Weel teach you to know your self; away with they we are all made Where is the King? Yes my Lord we suspected they were running away together and therefore in hope of his majesty's pardon Stroke up thy forehead thou Wertenberg born to be a statesman, Be ruled by me and weel have no justice in Arcadia For every woman shall be common Say so we must, heel not come forth else

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…