in The White Devil (Vittoria Corombona) — Webster, John
Metadata
Play
The White Devil (Vittoria Corombona)
Author
Webster, John
Year (catalogued)
1612
First performance
1612
Decade
1610s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Queen Anne's Men
Speech prefix(es)
GIO.
Words
456
Characters
2298
Typicality
0.33 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A14875
BritDrama no.
1689
Cluster
Cluster 21 — Old fathers & plain counsel
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 21 (gar, shillings, alii, yongrave, ogenes, nat…). Matches are highlighted.
then I'll press the women to the war, And then the men will follow. Yes Uncle, I was taught to imitate you In virtue, and you must imitate me In colours for your garments, my sweet mother Is, Is there, no yonder, indeed sir I'll not tell you, For I shall make you weep. Do not blame me now, I did not tell you so. What do the
Full speech
Lord uncle you did promise me a horse And armour. Give me a pike. Suppose me one of Homers frogs, my Lord, Tossing my bulrush thus, pray sir tell me Might not a child of good discretion Be leader to and army: Say you so, Indeed I have herd it's fit a General Should not endanger his own person oft, So that he make a noise, when he's a horseback Like a dansk drummer, o it's excellent. He needs not fight, me thinks his horse as well Might led and army for him; if I live I'll charge the French foe, in the very front Of all my troops, the foremost man. And will not bid my Soldiers up and follow But bid them follow me. The first year uncle that I go to war, All prisoners that I take I will set free Without their ransom. Thus my Lord, I'll marry them to all the wealthy widows That falls that year. Why then I'll press the women to the war, And then the men will follow. Yes Uncle, I was taught to imitate you In virtue, and you must imitate me In colours for your garments, my sweet mother Is, Is there, no yonder, indeed sir I'll not tell you, For I shall make you weep. Do not blame me now, I did not tell you so. What do the dead do, uncle? do they eat, Hear music, go a hunting, and be merry, as we that live? Lord, Lord, that I were dead, I have not slept these six nights. When do they wake? For I have known her wake and hundredth nights, When all the pillow, where she laid her head, Was brine-wet with her tears. I am to complain to you Sir. I'll tell you how they have used her now she's dead: They wrapped her in a cruel fouled of led, And would not let me kiss her. I have often herd her say she gave me suck, And it should seem by that she dearly loved me, Since Princes seldom do it. Oh my most loved father! I pray leave me Sir. Why, what said he? Study your prayers, sir, and be penitent, 'Twere fit you'd think on what hath former been, I have herd grief named the eldest child of sin. You bloody villains, By what authority have you committed This Massakre. Mine? Would! He turned murderer; Away with them to prison, and to torture; All that have hands in this, shall taste our justice, As I hope heaven. Remove the bodies, see my honoured Lord, what use you ought make of their punishment. Let guilty men remember their black deeds, Do lean on cruthes, made of slender redes.
Plot summary
Plot — The White Devil (Vittoria Corombona)
Count Lodovico is banished from Rome after a career of drunkenness, riot, and murder; but, he comments, not all malefactors fall foul of the law, for the Duke of ===== PAGE 257 ===== 1612 Bracciano seems to be getting away with his designs against the honour of Vittoria Corombona. In this, Bracciano is abetted by Vittoria’s brother Flaminio, who persuades her husband Camillo that their sleeping apart will make her more amorous. Vittoria tells Bracciano of a dream which seems to suggest the murder of Camillo and the Duchess Isabella; but the liaison is forestalled by the intervention of Vittoria’s mother, Cornelia. Flaminio inveighs against Cornelia for compromising his chances of preferment. Isabella comes to Rome to effect a reconciliation with her husband. Cardinal Monticelso and the Great Duke of Florence also put pressure on him to fulfil his responsibilities, both marital and political. In a private interview with Isabella, Bracciano vows never again to sleep with her, but she tries to limit the political damage by making the same vow herself in public. Florence and Monticelso plan to tempt Bracciano into adultery by getting Camillo out of Rome on public business, but Bracciano plots murder: Isabella is killed when she kisses a poisoned picture of Bracciano, and Flaminio breaks Camillo’s neck. Vittoria is arrested and arraigned before an ecclesiastical court; unable to prove her complicity in Camillo’s murder, it convicts her of adultery and commits her to a house of convertites. Flaminio feigns madness to evade interrogation. Lodovico witnesses Isabella’s murder. He returns to Rome illegally to bring Florence the news, but his pardon is signed after the event. He and Flaminio meet and quarrel. Florence borrows from Monticelso a list of villains, in order to select an agent of vengeance. By writing a letter feigning love for Vittoria, he induces Bracciano to contrive her escape from the house of convertites, disguised as a page. Monticelso is elected Pope; his first act is to excommunicate Bracciano and Vittoria. Florence sends Lodovico to Padua to assassinate Bracciano, and by trickery makes it appear that Monticelso supports the conspiracy. Bracciano marries Vittoria and accepts into his court Mulinassar, a Moorish soldier, who is actually Florence in disguise. Marcello challenges Flaminio toa duel over the latter’s liaison with Zanche the Moor, but Flaminio kills him without ceremony. Instead of a pardon, Bracciano grants him only a daily lease of…