Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

IANTHE

in The Widow's Tears — Chapman, George

Metadata

PlayThe Widow's Tears
AuthorChapman, George
Year (catalogued)1612
First performance1604
Decade1610s
GenreComedy
Play typeBoys Professional
CompanyChildren of the Queen's Revels
TheaterBlackfriars;Whitefriars;Indoor Professional
Speech prefix(es)Ian. | Iant.
Words285
Characters1471
Typicality0.46 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA18426
BritDrama no.1456
ClusterCluster 13 — Attendant courtiers & citizens

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

I, as well as we are known to be waiting women. Who? ant please your Honour? None so fit to set on any dangerous exploit. Ho? Argus ? If his Lordship did but know how gracious his A specked is to my Lady in this solitary humour. Venus keep her upright, that she fallen not from the state of her honour; my fear is that some of these Sir pentine suitors will tempt her from her constant vow of widowhood. If they do, good night to our good days. Well applied Argus ; Make you husbands Mon sters? We shall appear to her Like the two fortunate Stars in a tempest, to save the shipwreck of her patience. If not, that my Lady be not. too deep in her new dumps, we shall hear from his Lord ship; what such a Lord said of his wife the first night he embraced her: To what Gentleman such a Count was be holding for his five children. What young Lady, such and old Count should marry; what Revels: what present ments are towards; and who penned the Pegmas; and so forth: and yet for all this, I know her harsh Suitor hath tired her to the uttermost scruple of her forbearances, and will do more, unless we two, Like a pair of Shear, cut a-sun der the thread of his discourse. Excepting young Tharsalio. What? beat him out? For your own sake, I advise you to pack hence, lest your impudent valour cost you dearer then you think. Well, she has a welcome present, to bear out her unwelcome presence: and I never knew but a good gift would welcome a bade person to the purest. Arsace?

Plot summary

Plot — The Widow's Tears
Renouncing Fortune and devoting himself instead to the goddess Confidence, Tharsalio intends to woo the widowed Countess Eudora. His wooing technique is grossly sexual, and he also quarrels with a rival, Rebus. Rebuffed and mocked by his family, he seeks out Arsace and bribes her to advise Eudora not to marry him, but when he returns to her and throws out Rebus, he is rejected a second time. Finally, however, she accepts him, and their wedding is marked by a masque. ===== PAGE 180 ===== Lysander is concerned about his wife Cynthia’s constancy, and plans to test it by faking his own death: with the help of Lycus he undertakes a journey and sends back a report that he has been murdered by mountain bandits. His body is interred in the family monument; Cynthia and her waiting-woman go to live in the tomb in order to be near him. Lysander returns incognito, disguised as a soldier assigned as the sentinel of the cemetery. He successfully seduces Cynthia, but she insists that their liaison be conducted privately to avoid compromising her reputation. Tharsalio sees them kissing inside the tomb and takes revenge on the ‘sentinel’ by stealing one of the crucified bodies he is supposed to be watching. When this is discovered, Cynthia suggests disinterring Lysander’s body and substituting it for the stolen one. Lysander goes to fetch a crowbar, removes his disguise, and meets Tharsalio, who deduces what is happening and informs Cynthia. She is thus able to pretend that she knew who the ‘sentinel’ was all along. Lycus is arrested for Lysander’s murder, and the tomb is opened to test whether his presence will make the corpse’s wounds bleed; but the coffin proves to be empty, and the ‘sentinel’ is found hiding in the tomb. Both men are sent for trial by the Governor, recently appointed with a hard-line law-and-order policy. Eudora intervenes to explain the truth, and Lycus is released; after Tharsalio replaces the stolen body, so is Lysander. Tharsalio allows him to believe that Cynthia was never tempted to infidelity.