in Cynthia's Revenge, or Maenander's Ecstasy — Stephens, John
Metadata
Play
Cynthia's Revenge, or Maenander's Ecstasy
Author
Stephens, John
Year (catalogued)
1613
First performance
1613
Decade
1610s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Closet
Speech prefix(es)
MAN.
Words
293
Characters
1616
Typicality
0.33 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A12954
BritDrama no.
1710
Cluster
Cluster 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
Gracchus (my Lord) the gallant Eunuch. He does (my Lord) inveigh at poverty, And shows how forceable a Saint Wealth is, How potent the command of money is, The dreadful awe of dame . I expect Upon deliue of his closet keys. The Captain with his military troop, I have appointed to their ambush; they Expect upon my signal (gracious Duke) The Kings vaunt-couriers do each testify His glad approach; give are to Majesty. Who lives to know, obtains a blessed age, But he a curse, who knowledge does abuse; Subtle temptation must not make men err With judgement, though approval may confer Kingdoms of wealth, which is impossible (So got) to continue, if well paid. Oh since I knew the folly to advise And nourish up the rude infirmities Of each voluptuous Epicure in state Striving to take dependence from the smile Of and imperious favourite, weak shame Never now oppressed me; and I swear Did not sword of justice now strike home I wou worser counter sh me with fortitude, But a discarded woe (the common plague Of servile age even dead with misery) Hath after long forbearance seized on me: Pheudippes death was fatal to my life Because neglected by his living wife. But o Judicious— I am not (sacred King) as you suppuse The tortured Ghost of that inglorious man Pheudippe, sunk below the verge of hell. But old Mantesio is my servile name, Once did I serve whom you so much did love, The murdered honour of that haughty Duke. My flesh does witness for me I do live. Of all I tasted in extremity. Yet am I poor, and will partake in woe: For a pure copious linguist he does well, But for ingenious Actium does excel.
Plot summary
Plot — Cynthia's Revenge, or Maenander's Ecstasy
PLOT The King of Sparta has decreed that henceforth only women need to worship Cynthia, goddess of change; men are to be exempt. Cynthia takes revenge. The King dies, but his son Menander begins his reign by confirming the edict and marrying Favorina, daughter of a senior counsellor. Malindo plots with Cassius, Governor of Epirus, to murder Menander and the peers as they watch a play, but Malindo’s letter falls into the hands of the playwright Perillus, who writes a special prologue to warn Menander. Malindo is beheaded, the Spartan army mobilized, and Cassius repelled. Malindo’s estate is given to Amilcar, son of the new favourite, Pheudippe, who is himself allowed to marry Lucilla, Menander’s sister. Reading Lucan tempts Pheudippe to aspire to be King, and these thoughts are reinforced by the invisible influence of Malindo’s ghost. Against his better judgement, Pheudippe confides in Lucilla, encouraging her jealousy that Favorina has supplanted her as the top woman at court. Their plan has three heads: Pheudippe will corrupt Laelio, Captain of the Guard, to assassinate Menander; Amilcar will kill Favorina; and they will secure control of the corn supply in order to starve the people into submission. Amilcar has his own agenda, however. He is sexually attracted to Favorina, tells her about the plot in confidence, and invites her to help him circumvent it: he will abduct her with her assistance and procure someone to confess to her murder and implicate Lucilla; once Lucilla has been executed, Favorina will come out of hiding. What Favorina doesn’t know is that Amilcar also intends to rape her. Famine strikes Sparta. Pheudippe is accused of causing it by hoarding corn, but he persuades Menander that this was provident anticipation of the inevitable. Vindicated, Pheudippe invites Menander to a banquet at his house, where he is to be killed; but in the event the loyal Laelio kills Pheudippe himself. Menander is outraged and will not believe Laelio’s story of Pheudippe’s treason. News arrives that Favorina has been murdered, and Menander rails against Cynthia. Realizing she will have to continue her vengeance, the goddess drives him mad. The old statesman Euphorbus puts on an antic disposition to keep him company. Amilcar tells Favorina that Menander is dead and advises her to remain in hiding, but she resists his attempts to seduce her. Pheudippe’s ghost haunts Menander, identifies his surviving accomplices, and reveals that Favorina is still alive, but the…