Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

ANTONIO

in The Revenger's Tragedy — Middleton, Thomas

Metadata

PlayThe Revenger's Tragedy
AuthorMiddleton, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1607
First performance1606
Decade1600s
GenreTragedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Men
Speech prefix(es)L. Ant. | Ant. | L. Anto. | L. Ant | L. Ant, | Anto. | And,
Words513
Characters2760
Typicality0.30 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA13843
BritDrama no.1520
ClusterCluster 19 — Grieving nobles & tragicomic sufferers

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Draw nearer Lords and be sad witnesses Of a fair comely building newly fallen, Being falsely undermined: violent rape Has played a glorious act, behold my Lords A sighed that strikes man out of me: Dead! Her honour first drunk poison, and her life, Being fellows in one house did pledge her honour, You deal with truth my Lord. Lend me but your Attentions, and I'll cut Long grief into short words: last revelling night. When Torchlight made and artificial noon About the Court, some Courtiers in the mask, Putting on better faces then their own, Being full of fraud and flattery: amongst whom, The Ducheses youngest son (that moth to honour) Filled up a Room; and with long lust to eat, Into my wearing; amongst all the Ladies, Singled out that deer form; who ever lived, As cold in Lust as she is now in death; (Which that step Duchess—Monster knew to well;) And therefore in the height of all the revels, When Music was hard loudest, Courtiers busiest, And Ladies great with laughter;—Oh Vicious minute! Unfit but for relation to be spoke of, Then with a face more impudent then his vizard He harried her amid a throng of Panders, That live upon damnation of both kinds, And fed the ravenous vulture of his lust, (Oh death to think ont) she her honour forest, Deemed it a nobler dowry for her name, To die with poison then to live with shame. President for wives? A piteous tragedy, able to wake, And old-mans eyes bloodshot; Away with that foul monster, Dipped in a Princes blood. Let him have bitter execution, It was a deadly hand that wounded him, The rest, ambitious who should rule and sway, After his death were so made all away, Just is the Law above 1 line 1 line It was , I not hard of the Like, You two? Lay hands upon those villains. Bear they two speedy execution, My good away with they such and old man as he, You that would murder him would murder me, How subtly was that murder elosde, bear up, These tragic bodies, 'tis a heavy season: their blood may wash away all treason. I marked not this before. A prayer Book the pillow to her cheek, This was her rich confection, and another Placed worser in her right hand, with a leaf tucked up, Pointing to these words. Melius virtute mori, Quam per Dedecus vivere. True and effectual it is indeed. Kind Gentlemen, I thank you in minelre, That is my comfort Gentlemen, and I oy, In this one happiness above the rest, Which will be called a miralce at last, That being and old—man idem a wife so chased. Faith none my Lord it cools and is deferred, Oh you must note who 'tis should die, The Duchess son, sheele look to be a savour, Judgement in this age is never kin to favour. The burdens weighty and will press age down, May I so rule that heaven nay keep the crown, Yes I note him to our shame.

Plot summary

Plot — The Revenger's Tragedy
Nine years ago, the DUKE poisoned Gl@fiana when she refused to submit to his sexual advances; Windies has preserved her skull. HippOlit6 is given the task of recruiting a pander for the Duke’s son [iisstinioso, and brings Mimdiee, his brother, to court in disguise. The object of seduction turns out to be their sister, @AStiZa. Vindice undertakes the task, incognito as the pander (Piato’; he is delighted at Castiza’s outraged rejection, but less pleased at their mother’s venal readiness to countenance a liaison between her daughter and the heir apparent. ‘Piato’ reports this limited success back to Lussurioso. The Prince changes his initial plans to visit Castiza that night when he learns of a chance to catch his bastard brother Spud in bed with the DweHessl However, Spurio has changed his plans too, in the expectation of catching Lussurioso in the act of raping Castiza; so when Lussurioso bursts in on the Duchess with his sword drawn, it is the Duke who is with her, and he is arrested. Two of the Duchess’s sons plead insincerely for their stepbrother’s release, and put their pleas into reverse when the Duke, recognizing their malice, agrees to pardon him. Finally, without their knowledge, he sends order for Lussurioso to be freed. Meanwhile, the Duchess’s younger son, Jaimi6r has raped Ammtonio'siwifé at a recent court masque. He is tried and convicted for the crime, but the Duke defers sentencing until a later date. The victim poisons herself in shame; and a group of lords, including Hippolito, decide to take the law into their own hands should the Duke grant a reprieve. AlbiHOS6 and Sipenvaeuo use the Duke’s signet to order Lussurioso’s immediate execution, not knowing that he has already been released; in consequence it is Jiii6r who is beheaded. His brothers receive the severed head and are busy congratulating themselves on their stratagem when [bussurioss arrives, with his head still on. The Duke engages ‘Piato’ to get him a girl in secret. Waimedice arranges the assignation at a place where the Duchess and Spurid have agreed to meet. The ‘lady’ is also not what the Duke expects: Gléfianasiskull The Duke kisses the skull and is poisoned by it; the last thing he sees is the Duchess and Spurio together. Later, the brothers violently force their mother to repent; (Castiza then tests her by pretending to agree to sex with Lussurioso. Dissatisfied with ‘Piato’, IGSSii0sS6 asks Hippolito to bring his brother Vindice to court as a replacement; his first…