Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

GENTLEMAN

in Two Lamentable Tragedies — Yarington, Robert

Metadata

PlayTwo Lamentable Tragedies
AuthorYarington, Robert
Year (catalogued)1601
First performance1594
Decade1600s
GenreTragedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyUnknown
Speech prefix(es)Gen. | Gent. | G • nt.
Words298
Characters1499
Typicality0.28 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA15814
BritDrama no.1015
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

Pray gentlemen which call you Beeches shop? Nothing with him, I hear the man is dead, And if he be not, I have lost my pains. Then I do think I can resolve your doubt, And bring you certain tidings of the rest, And if you know his doublet and his shirt: As for the body it is so abus worser. That no man can take notice whoes it was, Set down this burden of another's shame, What do you know the doublet and the shirt. Ex. Porter. Walking betime by Paris-garden ditch, Having my Uva er Spaniel by my side, When we approached unto that hapless place, Where this same trunk lay drowned in a ditch, My Spaniel gan to sent, to bark, to plunge, Into the water, and came forth again, And fawnd on me, as if a man should say, Help out a man that here lies murdered. At first I took delight to see the dog, Thinking in vain some game did there lie hid, Amongst the Nettles growing near the bank: But when no game, nor any thing appeared, That might produce the Spaniel to this sport, I gan to rate and beat the harmless Cur, Thinking to make him leave to follow me, But words, nor blows, could move the dog away, But still he plunged, he dived, he barked, he ran Still to my side, as if it were for help: I seeing this, did make the ditch be dragged, Where then was found this body as you see, With great amazement to the lookers on. My friend, how long since did you fell that bag? And unto whom, if you remember I ? With all our hearts, how say you Gentlemen? Perchance the murt er thus may come to light.

Plot summary

Plot — Two Lamentable Tragedies
MOmicide is frustrated at finding the town so virtuous, but AWaige recommends two men as suitable agents of violence. [Filth overhears them and introduces the stories. In one plot, MRGM@SIMERY, who would like to be richer, notices how well off B&BGh is. He lures Beech to his inn and murders him there with a hammer. The other members of his household quickly discover what has happened; his man MWilli@fhs leaves his service rather than condone the crime, but nevertheless agrees to keep it a secret. Merry is concerned that BEGeh’sIBSy may know too much, and murders him too. Thinking there are thieves in Beech’s shop, a Maid gives the alarm, and the dying boy is found with the hammer still embedded in his head. Beech comes under suspicion. Merry wants to get the other body out of his inn before it starts to putrefy, and chops it up to facilitate disposal. The various parts of the body are found around London; the torso is in an identifiable sack, but when a house-to-house search is instigated, its vendor fails to recognize M@PySisister as the woman who bought it. Merry begins to feel secure, but the melancholy Williams finally reveals the secret after close questioning by a friend. Merry and his sister are arrested and hanged; Williams is allowed benefit of clergy. In the other plot, ——- —f% die, leaving him in the custody of his uncle, , who will inherit everything should the boy die. Fallerio plans murder, but when his son All@H8o will not co-operate, he hires two ruffans instead. The assassins are to escort Pertillo to university at Padua, and kill him on the way; Allenso follows in secret to see that his cousin is safe. In the event one of the ruffians proves to have a conscience, and tries unsuccessfully to buy off his colleague. Perfillo dies, and the two murderers then kill one another. The bodies are found by the Dike, and Allenso is arrested; the virtuous rufhan survives just long enough to exonerate him and name Fallerio as the guilty man. Allenso brings home the news of Pertillo’s murder, which causes his mother to drop dead. Suicidally guilt-stricken, Allenso disguises himself as his father in order to be executed in his place. He is convicted, but Fallerio follows him to court and admits the truth. Both father and son are sentenced to death. Truth insists that Homicide and Avarice will never get away with their crimes in Eliza’s realm, but they leave the stage threatening more covetousness and murder to come.