Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

AEMILIA

in May Day — Chapman, George

Metadata

PlayMay Day
AuthorChapman, George
Year (catalogued)1611
First performance1602
Decade1610s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional
CompanyChildren of the Queen's Revels
TheaterBlackfriars;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Aemi. | Aem. | Amil.
Words760
Characters3885
Typicality0.23 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA18415
BritDrama no.1439
ClusterCluster 10 — Mourners, mothers & doleful voices

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

It's strange to see the impiety of parents, Both priuiledgd by custom, and professed, The holy institution of heaven; Ordaining marriage for proportioned minds, For our chief humane comforts; and t'encrease The loved images of God in men: Is now perverted to th'increase of wealth; We must bring riches forth, and Like the Cuckoe Hatch others eggs; Join house to house, in choices Fit timber-logs and stones, not men and women: (Enter Aurelio.) Ay me, here's one I must shun, would embrace. Exit. Fie Cozen, will this wild tongue of yours never receive the bridle? I rather wish my self married to a thousand death's. I protest, I never changed three words with him in my life; he hath once or twice woo'de my father for me, but never me. The worse my fortune to be entangled with such a winding bramble. Oh ugly, and monstrous spectacle. Nay deer Cuze, a word. Alas what would you wish me to do? Would you counsel me to marry him against my father's will? Come you are such and other. If you go, I die: fie on this affection, it rages with suppression. Good Cuze, I am no longer able to con tinue it, I love, Aurelio better then it is possible for him to love me. Nay sweet Cuze, make me not so immodest, to write so suddenly, let me have a little time to think vpon't. But rather then write I will meet him at your pleasure. Nay good Cuze, urge not my offence so bitterly, our next meeting shall pay the forfeit of all faults. There is the mischief, and we shall hardly avoid it, my father plies my haunts so closely: and uses means by our maid to entrap us, so that this Tarrasse at our back gate is the only place we may safely meet at: from whence I can stand and talk to you. But sweet Cuze you shall swear, to keep this my kindness from Aurelio, and not intimate by any means that I am any thing acquainted with his coming. By mere chance as t'were. By no means Cuze. If do not Cuze, trust me not. I will do all this, I warrant thee Cuze. Now, fie upon you Cuze, what a fool do you make me? But good Cuze if you chance to see my chamber window open, that is upon the Tarrasse, do not let him come in at it in any case. Oh Sir, you men have not devices with ladders of topes to scale such walls at your pleasure, and abuse us poor wench . As you love me Cuze, no words of my kindness from me to him. Cozen Lodowick? What to mpest hath cast you on this solitary shore? Is the party come? Well, is he come then? Was there ever such a wild-brain? Aurelio. Now Jesus bless us, why cousin, are you mad? Lord, how you roll in your roperipe terms. I know not what I should say t'ee: I will fasten it, so only your self will come up. Nay sweet Cuze, swear it. Nay see if he do not make me give over again? Well sir, remember your word; I will fasten it, but i'faith Cuze, is not the Gentleman, and his parting chol ler parted yet? Nay, nay, choose him; I shall live, if they be not and if I live till his choler kill me, I shall live till he leave lo ving me, and that will be a good while first. Nay by my troth, 'tis but a careless confidency neither, which always last longer then that which is Timon rous: well Cuze, here I have fastened it for your pleasure; but alas, the fear of my father's coming does so distract me that I scarce know what I do or say. But are you sure he is safe? Oh cousin Lodwicke, do you thus cousin and betray me? What does he know? Now was there ever such and immodest creature? Peace, some body comes. I am resolved my love; and yet alas, So much affection to my father's will Consorts the true desires I bear to you, That I would have no spark of our love seen, Till his consent be asked, and so your father's. I wonder where he is. Alas, why, Angelo is my father coming. So enter frighted souls to the low world, As my poor spirit upon this sudden doubt, What may succeed this danger. Once more and ever, fare my deer life well. Oh welcome good Angelo.

Plot summary

Plot — May Day
It is May morning. In accordance with the season, old Lorenzo is planning an amorous, adulterous adventure with Francischina, and approaches her kinsman Angelo to act as go-between. Francischina’s husband too is going out with his gull, Innocentio, who is to observe gentlemanly behaviour at an ordinary. Lodovico makes doubly sure of his absence by introducing him to an admirer, Giovanelli, and they go to a tavern together. He is implicated in a second plot which in turn requires Lorenzo to be away from his home: Lorenzo’s daughter Aemilia, whom he plans to marry against her will to Gasparo, loves Aurelio, and Lodovico has promised to bring him to her at the house’s rear terrace. Meanwhile, Leonoro conspires with Temperance to win the love of Lucretia, Aurelio’s cousin. Nothing goes entirely according to plan. Lorenzo comes to Francischina disguised as a chimney-sweep, so that he can enter the house without risk to her honour, but Lodovico lets his friends in on the secret and they tease him on the way; later Angelo pretends to be Quintiliano coming home early, and frightens Lorenzo into hiding. Aurelio’s assignation with Aemilia turns out to involve more than talking when Lodovico provides a rope ladder and he climbs up onto the terrace, which gives access to her bedroom. Lodovico waits below, muffled in his cloak, and Temperance mistakes him for Leonoro; she invites him in just as the real Leonoro arrives and is taken to Lucretia’s chamber. When he gets into bed with her, however, the liaison ends with fighting when he discovers ‘her’ to be a cross- dressed man. Meanwhile Quintiliano cozens Giovanelli of his money and then returns home drunk to find Lorenzo, still disguised, hiding in his coal-house. Lorenzo goes home in turn and discovers Aurelio and Aemilia together; Angelo helps Aurelio escape while Lorenzo is changing out of his disguise before fetching the Provost to administer justice, then substitutes Francischina in Aurelio’s clothes so that Lorenzo will infer that he misunderstood an innocent jest. Everyone goes to the May night show at Honorio’s house, which includes a masque. Leonoro and Quintiliano have the page Lionel cross-dress as a woman with a view to tricking Innocentio into chatting her up. Leonoro confronts Lodovico over his liaison with ‘Lucretia’, and he explains what happened. In fact ‘she’ is really Lucretio, whose father was a Sicilian exile and close friend of Aurelio’s family. ‘Lionel’ turns out to be Lucretio’s fiancée…