Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

KING OF SICILY

in The Young Admiral — Shirley, James

Metadata

PlayThe Young Admiral
AuthorShirley, James
Year (catalogued)1637
First performance1633
Decade1630s
GenreTragicomedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyQueen Henrietta Maria's Men
TheaterPhoenix/Cockpit;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Ki. | Kin. | Ki | K. of Sci. | Sicil.
Words1401
Characters7822
Typicality0.38 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA12158
BritDrama no.2410
ClusterCluster 8 — Martial kings & Roman gravity

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

I must tell you too, Your father has transgressed beyond example. What would you ask. Your father? We would thought upon't Vittori, and without The Council of our son, will condescend To your Father's liberty, he is yours upon Condition, you and he, and this your Mistress Go into present banishment. I run my sons distaste There is no time for study, he affects That Lady, if you stay something may follow, To that general repentance, troth I pity thee, Here take our signet, time and absence may Correct all. I did it for the best, By his absence thinking to remo his anger, I could have been content, to have honoured him, For to say truth, his services did challenge More friendly payment. But son, son, how Can these stains reach Vittori? he hath given No argument to suspect his fallen from Loyalty. Nay prithee come back, thou hast awaked me, I find my rashness, I did never think There had been so much danger, we will study Timely prevention, let em be called back, Fly after em, and in our name command. How shanot needs? Cassandra Y'ave sent for too. Women are strangely attractive, Fame speaks her virtuous too. Where's your son Alphonso? Speak Alphonso? Away with him. Vittori gave ablow to their design. They could not be reinforcd so soon, what number? Then make safe The City. Now we want Vittori. We do thank you all, The seas were kind, and the winds kissed our sails. All things conspired to our revenge. Marshal of the field Give present order for entrenchments. Weel quarter here, you shall make good that partly With your horse troops, and plant Canons on that hill, To play upon the town, Naples shall find We did not venture all upon one stake, That petty lose at sea which made them triumph, And perhaps careless of more opposition Shall dearly be accounted for, beside Dishonouring our Daughter, and our Court By such a rude departure. Thy particular Sufferings Horatio, and wounds are put Into the scale. We are confident of thy loyalty. Alas Rosinda thou Wertenberg not bred to these Tumults and noise of war, has not the sea Impaired thy health, I was too rash to allow Thy travail, and expose thy tenderness To this rude voyage. The kingdom of our enemy which shall groan for the inhabitants. Are all our forces. Landed? My dearest child, Whose very eyes do kindle flames of courage In every soldier, be still safe, and promise Thy self a brave revenge. I know not what to think, no sooner Landed, But such a storm pursue us, does not this Affright Rosinda into paleness? dost Not feel and ague? We are confident Thou hast happily expounded, what lightning Darts from those angry exhalations. What thunder? Yet would thou Wertenberg at home. This fire will quicken the whole army. Soldiers pursued by Vittori, Cassandra half dead under his arm. What mutiny is here? What are you? Whence are you? Do you delight in wounds, resign that Lady. I promise by The word and honour of a King, she shall Be carefully attended. See Rosinda With as much diligence to this Ladies health, As you'd preserve your own. My faith is passed, Now if you please you may acquaint us with Your name and quality, Already you have expressed your self this Country man, Be more particular. A chance sayest? Your fame was with us earlier, entertain him, They disarm Vittori. You are welcome man, there's cause we should Be kind to you. Know miserable man, thy destinies Have made thee his, that will exact severe Account for many lives, most happy storm, Thy master too shall find a punishment Great as his pride, how fortunate we are! We violate no promise made to her, Though torment make thee curse thy self, blessed heavens? You shall pay deer for all. Unless he will be cruel to himself, His fate smiles on him, does he love you Lady. You shall preserve him, Rosinda. Leave, as thy health Is but a prologue to his blessing, that Paper speaks our intention, you shall Present it, if he be wise his judgement Will meet our purpose, what we lost at sea, We enable him to satisfy by a second Proof of his courage, and propound not only Life, and his liberty, but so great and honour As next our title, there is left no glory To equal it. There are some Conditions, if you find him cool, you may Apply what argument you find to warm His resolutions, here he is, I leave you. She will instruct you Alphonso must be sent for out of prison, He's and experienced soldier. Now we are punished for Vittories banishment. What if you Tasted Alphonso, he has been ever faithful, And we too rash. Alberto, Julio. Be temperate. He will deserve our favour, keep at distance, Sent for in Cassandra's name? belike He loves that Lady, let him, 'tis a strange Adventure, sure my daughter is of counsel With her, she had some bend that way, till he Became ingrateful to us. Be silent. You're welcome prince of Naples. Reward him. Away with the fool. Another time Rosinda —by thy duty— Weel hear and thank thee at more leisure too, attend our daughter As things fallen out Your valour may be useless, we acknowledge This happiness, from Cassandra, though she meant Other success. What? Come my Lord, you must with us, Here your command determines, we shall have No further use of your great valour sir. What dare not men that hate us, And yet conceal the murder? Here, what portends thy haste, and busy countenance? Has thy intelligence brought us knowledge of Our son? Proceed, and weel reward thee. Villain what dost rack My expectation? speak, what of my son? Answer me without circumstance, where is The Prince? be brief or— Traitor, didst not prepare me to expect News of my son, pronouncing thy self happy In being the messenger? is he in health? Answer to that. Cut off his head, I shall become the scorn Of my own subject. Tell me then, And isle have patience for the rest, but be not Tedious, is my son alive or dead? Confusion! Where? whom? and quickly save thy life. A Lady. And excellent presence. Fair Lady, make me more acquainted with Your purpose, nothing can proceed from you, That will not charm us to attention. Where? speak, you do not look As you delighted to report a Tragedy, Lives my Cesario? Support me good Alphonso, I shall faint Under my joy. Alas, thou hast undone me. Make me blessed. Alphonso is't a woman? Alp. Vittori! We thus confirm it. But tears of joy salute thee, best of Ladies! Alphonso she is fair, well shaped, my son Gave her deformed, with what eyes could he look Upon this beauty, and not love it. Welcome again fair Princess, my Cesario Is here supplied—— Alphonso. Away— Never did Lady such and act of Nobleness, And what we cannot reach in honouring thee, Ages to come shall pay thy memory. S. May I believe Rosinda loves the Prince, And yet so cunningly disguise it from me? I'll to my Daughter. We shall think on him. The Prince, excuse my absence. I cannot take Too great revenge, no punishment can fallen Severe enough upon his head was guilty Of all these tumults. Not without some conspiracy, ya're all Traitors, if I recover not my Child, I will sacrifice the lives of my whole army. I'll hear nothing unless Rosinda be concerned ith message Would, where? A prisoner. How came she thither? That double renegade, where is Cassandra? Off with her head, and his.— For further pledge on both sides, Horatio weel exchange to invite Naples To give us meeting. We follow, come my Lord old men have passion. You have displeased our son Vittori. Another Fleet? Horatio, Command your prisoner be brought to us presently. Flatter not my soul, That is already weary of her burden, And would begun to rest. Where? what pledge? 'Tis treason to be ignorant, search every where, I'll hang ye all, unless you find my Daughter, Prince where Rosinda? I will have her, or Your head shall off. What are you sir? Julio? I thank thy care. What Hope's? Lets hear our daughter speak. Thus our kingdoms knit.

Plot summary

Plot — The Young Admiral
Cesario has provoked a war between Sicily and Naples by wounding the King of Sicily’s favourite, Horatio, and by refusing to marry his daughter, Rosinda; he is more interested in Cassandra, the girlfriend of the Neapolitan Admiral Vittori. He pesters her unsuccessfully while Vittori is away fighting the war, then has Vittori’s father Alphonso imprisoned. When Vittori returns in triumph, he finds the city gates shut against him on Cesario’s orders. Offered a reward by the King, Cesario’s father, Vittori asks for Alphonso’s freedom; the King agrees only on condition that Vittori and Cassandra go into exile. The banished pair are shipwrecked on the Neapolitan coast and fall into the hands of the regrouped Sicilian army. Cassandra is taken into Rosinda’s custody and Vittori offered a choice: if he agrees to lead the army against Naples, Cassandra’s life will be spared. Torn between love and honour, he chooses love. He goes to Naples, disguised as a herald, and tries to persuade the King to surrender; but Cesario complicates his dilemma by sending back the message that Alphonso will be executed if Vittori fights. The threat is a bluff: after the message is sent, Alphonso is appointed to command the Neapolitan army against his son. Rosinda is with the invasion forces because, despite everything, she loves Cesario. Cassandra writes to him to set up an assignation, intending that Rosinda should go in her place. Cesario agrees to come into the Sicilian camp for the meeting, but the plan is overheard by Horatio, who tells the King. Cesario is arrested on arrival and held as a hostage. Vittori assumes that Cassandra was two-timing him, and decides to fight and save Alphonso. Rosinda corrects his misapprehension, and they go in disguise to Naples, where she offers herself as a reciprocal hostage: now Sicily cannot harm Cesario without Naples harming Rosinda, and vice versa. The war ends with a marriage treaty: Cesario accepts Rosinda and apologises for wounding Horatio. In the sub-plot, Pazzorello is afraid of battle, and accepts Didimo’s offer of magical protection against injury. He meets with a witch—actually Rosinda’s waiting-woman in disguise—and, after he has handed over all his money, he is blindfolded for the magical ceremony. Didimo assaults him, telling him that each blow adds to his invulnerability. With his courage reinforced, he picks a fight with a soldier, and comes off worst—because, Didimo explains, the weapons used against him were not included in…