in The Tragedy of Charles Duke of Byron — Chapman, George
Metadata
Play
The Tragedy of Charles Duke of Byron
Author
Chapman, George
Year (catalogued)
1608
First performance
1608
Decade
1600s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Boys Professional
Company
Children of the Queen's Revels
Speech prefix(es)
D'Au: | D' Au. | D' Au | D Au. | D'Au. | D' Au: | D'Av:
Words
356
Characters
1853
Typicality
0.27 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A18404.2
BritDrama no.
1576
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
Betwixt our selves we may give liberal vent To all our fiery and displeased impressions; Which nature could not entertain with life, Without some exhalation; A wronged thought Will break a rib of steel. But me thinks, (Being Courtiers) they should cast best looks on men, When they thought worst of them. He cast no Beam on you; My Lord I stand not on these deep discourses, To settle my course to your Fortune's; mine Are freely and inseparably linked: And to your love my life. My Lord, I Like your other friends advices, Much better then Laffins ; and on my life You can not come to Court with any safety. I told him so my Lord, and much was grieved To see his bold approach, so full of will. Now none will speak to us, we thrust our selves Into men's companies, and offer speech, As if not made, for their diverted ears Their backs turned to us, and their words to others, And we must Like obsequious Parasites, Follow their faces, wind about their persons, For looks and answers: or be cast behind, No more viewed then the wallet of their faults. See, here comes some news, I believe my Lord. Have we yet any friends? My Lord if I could utter any thought, Instructed with disloyalty to you, And might light any safety to my friend; Though mine own heart came after it should out; All this my Lord to me is misery. See see, not one of them will cast a glance At our eclipsed faces; But when a change comes; we shall see them all Changed into water, that will instantly Give look for look, as if it watched to greet us; Or else for one, they'll give us twenty faces, Like to the little specks on sides of glasses; My sword, who fears it? it was never the death Of any but wild Boars; I prithee take it; Hadst thou advertised this when last we met, I had be in my bed, and fast asleep Two hours a go; led; isle go where thou wilt: Exit. We are undone?
Plot summary
Plot — The Tragedy of Charles Duke of Byron
The ambitious Duke of Biron has been offered the crown by a conspiracy of France’s foreign enemies. He pacifies a Huguenot rebellion in Brittany, but suspects - that, now the country is at peace, his military services will no longer be required or even valued by the King. His ally, La Fin, supplies the King with incriminating evidence of his involvement in a plot. [A lacuna in the text follows. The Queen has a quarrel with the King’s mistress, and slaps her.] The two rival ladies make it up by performing together in a masque: Biron is recalled to court. La Fin assures him that all suspicions about his loyalty have been cleared, and- encourages him to go. Against the advice of his other friends, Biron does, thinking his reputation for valour — will make his enemies think twice about arresting him. Henry’s declared intention is to spare him if he will only confess, but Biron is proud and stubborn. He finds himself shunned by the courtiers, and learns that various horses he was given have all died, just as happened when the Earl of Essex fell. He and his ally D’Auvergne are both arrested. A Spanish ambassador asks permission for an army to cross French soil en route to Flanders; King Henry suspects it was originally levied to invade France, but nevertheless gives his permission. He sends despatches to inform foreign courts of Biron’s treason. The French - peers decline to be present at the trial. Biron is confronted with La Fin as chief prosecution witness, and claims that La Fin has practised witchcraft against him; the Chancellor, presiding over the court, retorts that no magic can force a virtuous man to act against his nature. Biron remains confident, convinced of his own indispensability, but is sentenced to death. Only then does he decide to throw himself on the King’s mercy, but it is too late, and he ig executed.