Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

CAESAR

in Every Woman in Her Humor — Anonymous

Metadata

PlayEvery Woman in Her Humor
AuthorAnonymous
Year (catalogued)1609
First performance1607
Decade1600s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional
CompanyChildren of the King's Revels
Speech prefix(es)Caeſ. | Caeſ:
Words379
Characters2086
Typicality0.16 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA15676
BritDrama no.1532
ClusterCluster 7 — Pedants, satyrs & Latin wit

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Now gallant Bridegrooms, and your lovely Brides, That have ingeminate, in endless league, Your trothplight hearts in your nuptial vows, Tied true love knots, that nothing can dissolve, Till death that meager pursuivant of Jove, That Cancels all bonds: we are to cloudy, My spirit a typtoe nothing I could chid so much, As winged time that begins to free a passage, To his turrent glass, and crops our daylight That misty night will summon us to rest, Before we feel the burden of our eyelids. The time is tedious, wants variety, But that I may show what delightful raptures, Combats my soul, to see this union, And with what boundless joy I do embrace it, We here command all prison gates fly open, Freeing all prisoners, (traitors all except, That poor men's prayers may increase our days, And writers circle you with wreathes of bays. My promise is irrevocable, take it: but what is he and the quality of his fault? He hath freedom, and I prithee let him be brought hither Perhaps in his presence we shall win some smiles, For I have noted oft in a simple brain (Only striving to excel it self) Hath corrupted language that hath turned To pleasant laughter, in judicious ears; Such may this prove, for now me thinks Each minute, wanting sport does feeme As long and tedious, as a fever: but who does know The true condition of this Accutus? Let him stand forward. O, we can no otherwise so well be pleased. Else should we wrong their kindness much: Accutus, be it your care to give them kindest welcome, we cannot recom pence their loves without much beholdings. Accutus, you have deserved much of our love, But might we not break the law of sport so far, As to know to whom our thanks is endue, By seeing them unmasked, and the reason of their habits? Gentles, we thank ye all, the night hath spent his youth, and drowsy Morpheus bids us battle, We will defy him still, weel keep him out While we have power to do it, found your loudest noise, Set forward to our chamber. Good rest to all. With all our heart, Acutus give him liberty. What, is't effected Graccus? What found is that?

Plot summary

Plot — Every Woman in Her Humor
Misogyny has made the normally jovial Acutus.- melancholy. After scaring some foolishly fashionable characters, he joins them at the Hobby tavern, where Gaetica has taken lodgings with her dog. Disguised as a © soldier, Acutus picks a fight with Scilicet and Servulus, © then exposes their hypocrisy by returning disguised as first a friend and then an enemy of the ‘soldier’, and eliciting inconsistent responses. Scilicet attempts to woo Gaetica; she is more concerned about the disappearance of her man Bos with her dog, but becomes betrothed to him. , Lentulus is in love, and asks Cicero to woo Terentia for him. They go to dine with Flaminius, Terentia’s father, and Cicero is left alone with the ladies of the house. The upshot is that Terentia falls in love — but -- with Cicero himself rather than Lentulus. Rumours circulate that she is to marry Cicero, but Flaminius has not given his consent and takes offence. Lentulus makes Cicero and Terentia admit wronging him, and. _ he sentences Cicero to death — but only if Terentia will kill him. He woos and wins Terentia’s sister Flavia, and plans a double wedding. Acutus gives Philautus a sleeping potion, and he appears to die. He is rumoured to have drunk himself to death, but the reported numbers of alcohol victims escalate as the news circulates. Acutus pays for the funeral and invites the tavern’s proprietors and customers, Philautus wakes up on the way to his interment: initially it is assumed that he is a ghost, but - ===== PAGE 375 ===== 1607 an exorcism is unsuccessful. The Hostess allows him to hide in her chamber, but Acutus, pretending to have been robbed, sends a constable to search the tavern; Philautus is found and arrested. The drunken Bos has his clothes stolen, and is brought back to the tavern in a barrel. Gracchus agrees to give him a new suit if he can demonstrate that drunkenness is a virtue, which he proceeds to do in a debate. Gracchus promises to arrange for the Hostess and Dama to attend the wedding. Trying to get better, more fashionable clothes for the event, the Hostess turns to Gaetica, who has already had to pawn her jewels to support her impecunious fiancé, and arranges to wear her outfit. At the wedding, Caesar declares a general amnesty; Acutus and Gracchus have Lentulus intercede to procure Philautus’ release. Forced to sing in the imperial presence, the bashful Philautus is sent to the suburbs and told not to get drunk again. Acutus presents a masque of bestial men, and shows…