Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

BLUNT

in The Fair Maid of Bristol — Anonymous

Metadata

PlayThe Fair Maid of Bristol
AuthorAnonymous
Year (catalogued)1605
First performance1604
Decade1600s
GenreTragicomedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Men
Theaterbefore the Court;
Speech prefix(es)Blu. | Blunt. | Blu • t. | B u •• . | Blu | Blo.
Words662
Characters3327
Typicality0.20 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA16900
BritDrama no.1417
ClusterCluster 20 — Conjurers, witches & physicians

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

How think you, he told me he set it in the letter. Blunt. Well I will speak no more what shall offend you Lets go sweet heart, therefore blunt come go you along, Sir godfrey stays, therefore we do him wrong, I will, straight fetch Sentloe, to this match, Are you there Docter, y says isle be even with you. Oh Sentlo, Wertenberg not for thy friend, How many dangers hadst thou fallen into, The mischi f now abroach I did foretell, For by my means thy life in safety dwells. Sentlo hath drunk his last, the deed is done. Why, wherefore. 'Tis done, and therefore now there is no help. The devil take Thee for a filthy whore, Thou art apt enough in murder, and in lust, But Like a stone in any thing is honest, Well, ere to morrow many things will change, That dead men should revive, it would seem strange, Now after Vallenger I mean to go, To see in what place he does himself bestow. Hark you huswi e, do you hear all this: Does not your heart melt at this amiss. Why this is well: now Sovereign hear me speak, I he that is upposed slain does live, Then friendly may we reconsile the e jars, Why then vouchsa e all in this princely presence, This gentleman and I brought all to pass, He in a Doctors shape, hath saved the life Oh my friend Sentloe, and oh Anabell, I in Like sort have aued Vallenger, And Sentloe which by me should have been slain, I saved him by and honest policy. And now alive present him to your sighed, To make a pleasing end oh these sad sights. This breathes new life into my hated heart. Not I, nor I greatly do not care. You may I you will, I you will not you may choose, Do you hear Sir, is this my mistress. I have done sir: Harbeit, whither wilt thou? Thy love unto thy friend makes Thee forget thy self, therefore no more. Go too, put up vallenger, or isle make you. Gold can do much, but devil can do more, Here is a true pattern, of a common whore. Mistress what means my master to partly in such a rage. What is if Mistress, it shall go hard Shall make me stack in what ma profit you, Although you still thought that I loved you not. Mistress if this should be done, a crash of your office were not cast away. Then héeres my hand, before the sun go down, I'll do the deed Sentlo shall shortly die. Is she not a Whore? she looks Like one? S not that gown good enough or a whore? This way he went, and here he is laid to sleep, And Sentlo by him, this is excellent: Now Harbart since thou hast done him all this good, For once be a little lavish of thy blood. The Potion I gave sentloe to drink, Does make him seem to all as he were dead, And yet his time is not come to wake: Now will I raise the wach. Murder, murder. God save you sir, I here it rumoured, a gentleman is slain. Oh noble sentloe dostly so low, Break heart assonder that thy friend is slain. Yes sir, he was my loving friend, And we at oxford fellow Pupels were, Then good sir let me in kindness crave, That as I always loved him in his life, so I may have his body at his death. That I may give him Cristian burial, So this goes well, once I'll be blont again. For now the times draws on of his awake. are you alive sir, Not I sir but wicked Florance did, And hadst been slain, had it not been for me, Sentloe behold thou Harbert and thy friend, That thus hath waited on Thee Like thy man, To save Thee from a thousand Misery's,

Plot summary

Plot — The Fair Maid of Bristol
Chaloner, who expects to marry Sir Godfrey Umphreville’s daughter Annabel, takes his friend Vallenger to Sir Godfrey’s birthday party. Vallenger falls for Annabel himself, and a violent quarrel with Chaloner ensues; Vallenger is wounded, and Chaloner is disgraced in Sir Godfrey’s eyes. Annabel needs little persuasion to transfer her affections to Vallenger, and they become engaged. On hearing this, Chaloner returns to Bristol from London, disguised as an Italian doctor. Sentloe lives a hedonistic life with Florence, a courtesan, and ignores the moralistic advice of his friend Herbert. To demonstrate his friendship, Herbert follows the couple to Bristol and, taking the alias Blunt, gets himself hired as a servant by Sentloe. They attend Vallenger’s wedding, and, despite the occasion, Vallenger is smitten with Florence, and asks the Italian doctor to poison Sentloe and Annabel. In the meantime he meets with Florence, who admits that her true interest in Sentloe is limited to the contents of his purse. When Florence admires Annabel’s clothes, Vallenger gives them to her, leaving Annabel in her underwear. Florence asks Blunt to murder Sentloe. Outraged by his behaviour, Vallenger’s father turns him out, but Florence refuses to take him in. Blunt tells her that Sentloe is dead - too late, as Vallenger is no longer an eligible suitor, and Florence wishes the murder undone. In reality, Blunt has only given Sentloe a sleeping potion; but, ordered by Florence to frame Vallenger, he finds Sentloe and Vallenger asleep near one another, bloodies Vallenger’s sword, and calls for the authorities. The despairing Vallenger sees the accusation as a good way of committing suicide, and makes a false confession. Blunt pretends Sentloe is an old friend and claims his body for burial. ===== PAGE 72 ===== The King arrives at Bristol, and hears Vallenger’s case. Blunt asks for the sentence to be deferred, and lays information against Florence. Faced with the evidence of the purse with which she paid Blunt, she realizes. the game is up, but tries to drag Blunt down with her. Vallenger, Florence, and Blunt are all sentenced to death, but the King grants the concession that Vallenger may be spared if another man will die in his place. Sentloe disguises himself as a friar to visit the prisoners, but finds Florence unrepentant. At the execution, Annabel and Chaloner both offer themselves in exchange for Vallenger; though Annabel has disguised herself as a man, she is identified, and…