Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

POCK

in All Fools

Metadata

PlayAll Fools
Year (catalogued)1605
First performance1605
Decade1600s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional;Professional
CompanyChildren of the Queen's Revels
Theaterbefore the Court;Blackfriars;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Poc. | Foc. | Pock.
Words260
Characters1294
Typicality0.35 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA18400
BritDrama no.1448
ClusterCluster 14 — Law & judgment

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

God save you Signior Darioto, My name is Pock Sir; a practitioner in Surg , My name has made many Doctors Sir. Faith Sir I could fetch my pedigree far, if I were so disposed. And if I stood on my arms as others do, Though I live by my bore practice, yet I could show good cards for my Gentility. The incision is not deep, nor the Orifice exorbitant, the Pericranion is not dislocated, I warrant his life for forty crowns, without perishing of any . By what time would he have it well sir. I Byr-lady Sir, I have known some have lost there heads for a less matter I can tell you, therefore sir you must keep good diet: if you please to come home to my house till you be perfectly cured, I shall have the more care on you. Oh sir, cures are Like causes in law, which may be length ned or shortened at the discretion of the Lawyer, he can either keep it green with replications or rejoinders, or sometime skin it fair a'th outside for fashion sake, but so he may be sure it'll break out again by a writ of error, and then has he his suit new to begin, but I will covenant with you, that by such a time I'll make your head as found as a Bell, I will bring it to suppuration, and after I will make it coagulate and grow to a perfect Cycatrice, and all within these ten days, oh you keep a good diet.

Plot summary

Plot — All Fools
alerio and Fortunio are both in love, but the strictness of Valerio's father Gostanzo crosses them both: Valerio has married Gratiana in secret and must keep the fact from Gostanzo, who wrongly thinks him a model of virtue; and Fortunio loves Valerio's sister Bellanora but can gain no access to her. Rinaldo resolves both problems by tellingGostanzo thatGratiana is Fortunio's wife and that his father Marc Antonio, angry at not being consulted about the match, has disowned him. Gostanzo offers to take in the 'couple' until Marc Antonio's displeasure passes; there Fortunio will learn from Valerio's good example. However, when he sees Valerio behaving amorously with Gratiana, Gostanzo insists that she leaves. Rinaldo next lodges Gratiana with Marc Antonio, telling him the truth that she is really Valerio's wife and that the story about Fortunio was a blind to gull Gostanzo. Marc Antonio believes this at first, until Gostanzo persuades him otherwise; when Valerio seeks his forgiveness for his secret marriage, he thinks this a device to deceive Marc Antonio, and gives the couple his blessing. Valerio has been made to look a fool when Cornelio and Dariotto persuade him to sing and play for them. He gets even by spreading a rumour that Dariotto has cuckolded Cornelio, who wounds the courtier in reprisal and then sets about divorcing his wife. As he is signing the divorce papers, however, he gets a nosebleed and, thinking it ominous, defers it till the next court day. On being told that the whole affair was a ruse, he tricks the arch-trickster Rinaldo into bringing Gostanzo to the tavern where he sees his son drinking and gambling. He also learns beyond doubt that both his children have married without his consent: Fortunio has taken full advantage of his access to Bellanora. Cornelio is reconciled to his wife, claiming that he merely intended to frighten her with the prospect of divorce (and gave Dariotto the opportunity to cuckold him in order to have grounds). Valerio declares that cuckold's horns are endemic in the present age.