Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

FLORIO

in The Traitor — Shirley, James

Metadata

PlayThe Traitor
AuthorShirley, James
Year (catalogued)1635
First performance1631
Decade1630s
GenreTragedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyQueen Henrietta Maria's Men
Speech prefix(es)Flo.
Words548
Characters2944
Typicality0.32 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA12154
BritDrama no.2337
ClusterCluster 4 — Constant hearts & virtuous ladies

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

What Traitor? Now brother, what news brings the great Lorenzo? He's transported. Are not you My brother? My Sister? Offer to touch her With any rudeness, and by all that's virtuous — I do not fear your sword, This with my youth, and innocence, is more Defence then all thy armoury, what Devil Has crept into thy soul? I'll never kill thee. Sir how fare you? I am amazed. Shall a long suit and speeding in his love With the world's notice, and a general fame Of contract too, just in the instant when A marriage is expected, be broke off With infamy to our house. A trial; no It showed too Like a truth You have Power to command it, dry your eyes then, He's returned. Their gone sir. The alteration was strange and sudden. I do not Like my brother's Moral Mask, The Duke himself was personated, I Wonder it did not startle him. What here? Was he not invited? And in your crowned tables, And Hospitality will you murder him? Wanton heat, Let youthful blood excuse him. Mistake me not, o think but who he is, The Duke, that word must needs awake your piety. Trust her? My Poigniard? Take it, I know, thou art my virtuous Sister, It were wickedness to doubt thy purpose Or the event. Thou hast a guard of Angels. Look, here's our Sister! so, so, chafe her: She may return; there is some motion. Sister? Amidea, how came this wound? You talk idly. He commends His service to your Lordship, and hath sent— Much ado he had to effect it: He Hope's his Grace will quickly sign his pardon. I have a suit my Lord. My Sister would entreat your Honour She may be admitted privately and that I may have privilege to prepare her chamber: She does retain some modesty, and wo'd not Trust every servant with her shame: their eyes Are apt to instruct their tongues. You're gracious. I attend my Lord. We are all bound to you. So, now you may return, it will become Your modest duties, not to inquire the reason Of this strange service, nor to publish what Y'ave been commanded; let me look upon Ex. gen tlewomen. My sister now, still she retains her beauty, Death has been kind to leave her all this sweetness. Thus in a morning have I oft saluted My sister in her chamber, sat upon Her bed, and talked of many harmless passages, But now 'tis night, and a long night with her, Ineere shall see these Curtains drawn again Until we meet in heaven. The Duke already. This shall declare thee to posterity The best of Sisters—what of that? and is not A brother's life more precious then a trifle? I prithee do not sighs: how many Ladies Would be ambitious of thy place to night? And thank his Highness? yes, and Virgins too. He's come: goodnight— Your Slave. Pleasures crown your expectation. Are not you hurt? He's dead too: 'tis in vain for me to fly Within Break open the doors You shanot need. He can inform you best that brought you hither. The Dukes lust: There was no other way to save her honour, My brother has revenged it here, but fate, Denied him triumph.

Plot summary

Plot — The Traitor
PLOT Lorenzo plots against both the Duke and his political rivals. He induces Pisano to jilt his fiancée Amidea and transfer his affections to the wealthy Oriana, who loves Cosmo; this will block Cosmo’s political ascent by denying him Oriana’s money. Cosmo, motivated by male friendship, agrees to give up his girlfriend. The Duke is warned against Lorenzo, but when he publicly confronts Lorenzo with the letter of denunciation, the traitor argues plausibly that it is a malicious libel. The sexually undisciplined Duke is attracted to Amidea, and Lorenzo arranges an assignation for him, but also inflames her brother Sciarrha with a desire for revenge: the liaison is to be the occasion for the Duke’s assassination. When he comes to Sciarrha’s, the Duke is shown a moral masque rebuking royal lust, but he is so busy chatting up Amidea that he doesn’t watch the entertainment. He visits Amidea in her bedroom, but she keeps him off by threatening suicide, and he returns to his senses. Sciarrha is satisfied: he denounces Lorenzo to the Duke, but when Lorenzo is told that the assassination has taken place, with the Duke eavesdropping, the traitor disclaims all knowledge and again re-establishes his good faith. De Pazzi, Lorenzo’s ally, worries that his part in the treason will lead to his execution, and asks to be excused from further complicity; he gets his wish to leave court when the Duke banishes him. Oriana’s mother, believing Cosmo is a poor match while his enemy Lorenzo is in the ascendant, forces her to marry Pisano; but Sciarrha kills the bridegroom on the way to the ceremony, to avenge his treatment of Amidea. Having persuaded the Duke to make another attempt on Amidea’s chastity, Lorenzo tries to enlist Sciarrha’s help by promising a pardon for Pisano’s murder. Sciarrha makes the proposition, but when Amidea consents to save his life, he saves her honour by killing her. Meanwhile Lorenzo recruits a new accomplice in Petruccio, and practises stabbing the Duke’s portrait. The Duke’s assignation with Amidea goes ahead, but he finds himself in bed with her corpse. Lorenzo and Petruccio assassinate him, but Lorenzo is killed by Sciarrha, who dies himself in the fight. Cosmo, the next in blood, becomes Duke.