in 2 The Honest Whore (2 The Converted Courtesan) — Dekker, Thomas
Metadata
Play
2 The Honest Whore (2 The Converted Courtesan)
Author
Dekker, Thomas
Year (catalogued)
1630
First performance
1605
Decade
1630s
Genre
Comedy
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Prince Henry's Men
Speech prefix(es)
Pen.
Words
214
Characters
1073
Typicality
0.28 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A20065
BritDrama no.
1459
Cluster
Cluster 15 — Devils, vices & grotesques
Important excerpts
Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 15 (ang, hunc, fleire, shillings, chil, sblood…). Matches are highlighted.
stick to me, good sir, you are and old man. Will you bail me, Gentlemen? No—is my Judge, sir, I am in for no debts, I paid my Taylor for this Gown, the last five shillings a week that was behind, yesterday. Penelope Whore-hound, I come of the Whore-hounds. How does Lieutenant Bots. I was never in this pickle before, and yet if I go
Full speech
I'ha worn many a costly Gown, but I was never thus guarded with blue Coats, and Beadles, and Constables, and— O sweet sir, I fear the spoiling of other places a bout me that are dearer then my eyes; if you be Gentlemen, if you be men, or ever came of a woman, pity my case, stand to me, stick to me, good sir, you are and old man. Will you bail me, Gentlemen? No—is my Judge, sir, I am in for no debts, I paid my Taylor for this Gown, the last five shillings a week that was behind, yesterday. Penelope Whore-hound, I come of the Whore-hounds. How does Lieutenant Bots. I was never in this pickle before, and yet if I go a amongst Citizens wives, they jeer at me: if I go among the Loose-bodied Gowns, they cry a pox on me, because I go civilly attired, and swear their trade was a good trade, till such as I am took it out of their hands: good Lieutenant Bots, speak to these Captains to bail me. Out you Dog, a pox on you all, women are born to curse thee, but I shall live to see twenty such flat-caps sha king Dice for a pennyworth of Pippins: out, you blue-eyed Rogue.
Plot summary
Plot — 2 The Honest Whore (2 The Converted Courtesan)
On his way to court, Hippolito receives petitioners, including the reformed courtesan Bellafront: she wants his help in petitioning the Duke to pardon her husband Matheo, who has been condemned to death for homicide. Hippolito solicits the help of Bellafront’s father Orlando, but he is still morally outraged at her former sexual misconduct. Nevertheless he secretly arranges for Matheo’s release, and enters his household disguised as a servingman, Pacheco. Matheo proves dissolute, and when ‘Pacheco’ gives him money for safe keeping, he gambles it all away. Bellafront is trying not to let poverty and Matheo’s prodigality force her back into prostitution. Hippolito, who converted her from whoredom, now tries to seduce her back again. She sends ‘Pacheco’ to return his love-tokens, but ‘Pacheco’ instead takes them to Infelice, who identifies them as her own gifts to Hippolito. She interrogates Hippolito’s go-between, Brian the footman, then tells her husband that Brian gave her the love-tokens and had an affair with her. Brian is dismissed and goes home to Ireland. Desperate for money, Matheo strips the gown from his wife’s back and sells it. Lodovico promises to furnish him as a gentleman, so he is properly dressed when Orlando visits in his own person. The old man feigns lack of sympathy, then returns as Pacheco in time to prevent Matheo assaulting Bellafront. Prompted by Orlando, the Duke takes a hand: he issues a warrant to arrest Matheo for robbing two pedlars (who were actually Orlando’s men); and, hearing that Hippolito is in love with a whore, but not knowing her identity, passes new anti-prostitution laws. Meanwhile, Candido is married a second time, but his bride tests his patience with unruly behaviour on their wedding day. He determines to tame her, and Lodovico helps in the guise of an apprentice; she submits herself after a mock duel with measuring sticks. Some gallants attempt to seduce her into a brothel, but fail, and Candido still keeps his temper when, drawn to an alehouse for a business deal, he is forced to drink to a bawd’s health. Matheo is arrested at the alehouse on the Duke’s warrant, and Candido too for receiving the cloth stolen from the pedlars. At Bridewell, Matheo admits the robbery, but attempts to incriminate Bellafront out of jealousy for her supposed relationship with Hippolito. Orlando explains everything, and accepts his daughter’s forgiveness of her husband. The visitors see some of Bridewell’s new inmates: a pander and…