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)
LAVV.
Words
202
Characters
1138
Typicality
0.28 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A14875
BritDrama no.
1689
Cluster
Cluster 1 — Wives, widows & intimate counsel
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
What are you in by the week, so I will try now whither thy wit be close prisoner, me think's none should fit upon thy sister but old whoremasters, My Lord Duke and she have be very private: If it can be proved they have but kissed one another. My Lord Cardinal will ferit them, For to sow kisses (mark what I say) to sow kisses, is to reap lechery, and I am sure a woman that will endure kissing is half wone. Hark the Ambassadors are lighted, Oh my sprightly Frenchman, do you know him, he's and admirable Tilter. Oh but he's and excellent horseman. Lo you my Spaniard. Well then have at you. Most literated Judges, please your Lordship's, So to connive your Judgements to the view Of this debausht and diversivolent woman Who such a black concatenation Of mischief hath effected, that to exterpe The memory of't, must be the consummation Ofher and her projections Hold your peace. Exorbitant sins must have exulceration. My Lords, the woman Know's not her tropes nor figures, nor is perfect In the academic derivation Of Grammatical elocution. My good Lord. I most graduatically thank your Lordship. I shall have use for them elsewhere.
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…