Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

ANNOT

in Ralph Roister Doister — Udall, Nicholas

Metadata

PlayRalph Roister Doister
AuthorUdall, Nicholas
Year (catalogued)1566
First performance1552
Decade1560s
GenreComedy
Play typeInterlude
Speech prefix(es)An. Alyface | An. Alyface. | An. Alyfac. | An. Al. | An. Aly. | An. • . | Annot Aly. | An. Aliface.
Words214
Characters1049
Typicality0.26 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA14193
BritDrama no.234
ClusterCluster 16 — Errand servants & brief parts

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

By Cock and well sowed, my good Tibet Talk apace. And how does our old beldame here, Mage Mumblecrust? To make us poor girls shent to his is small gain. Let all these matters pass, and we three sing a song, So shall we pleasantly both the time beguile now, And eke dispatch all our works ere we can tell how. Have we done singing since? then will I in again, Here I found you, and here I leave both twain. To me tr lie is he welcome. And why not Annot Alyface as as she Then our pretty new come man will look to be one. Perchance he can not sing. Yet get e not all, we will go with you both. And have partly of your hanks be you never so loath. Tidings hough, tidings, dame Constance greeteth you well. You sir? no sir? I do no such tale tell. Tybet Talk apace, Your m stress Constance and mine, must speak with your grace and friking? I hope we shall better We asked not. You must come in to his out of all doubts. In the street ever where. Yea that you did. I come. He is not far gone of likelihood. And I with our skimmer will fling him one flap.

Plot summary

Plot — Ralph Roister Doister
Ralph Roister Doister seeks Matthew Merrygreek’s help in wooing Dame Custance, who is already affianced to Gawyn Goodluck. They send her a letter using her nurse, Madge Mumblecrust, as a go-between, but Dame Custance will not read it. They also send her a ring, but Tibet the maid gets into trouble for accepting it. Merrygreek tells Ralph that Dame Custance has not only rejected him but disparaged his manhood; Ralph despairs, but is persuaded to try again. Dame Custance is persuaded in turn to hear the love-letter read aloud, but Merrygreek reads it without regard for the punctuation, and reverses its meaning: it seems to promise her an unpleasant married life. His hopes dashed, Ralph seeks revenge on the scrivener who composed the letter, but the fault is shown to lie with the reader of it. Ralph continues to press his suit, and arouses the suspicions of Gawyn Goodluck’s servant. Ralph and Custance prepare to use force against one another, and Merrygreek admits that he was only helping Ralph for fun. When the men and women do battle, he hits Ralph while pretending to attack Dame Custance. Ralph has the worst of it, and retreats in disarray. Gawyn Goodluck hears of his fiancée’s apparent disloyalty, but accepts Tristram Trusty’s word as to what really happened. He makes his peace with Ralph, despite Dame Custance’s doubts.