Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

GALLOWAY

in Old Fortunatus — Dekker, Thomas

Metadata

PlayOld Fortunatus
AuthorDekker, Thomas
Year (catalogued)1600
First performance1599
Decade1600s
GenreRomance
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyAdmiral's (Nottingham's) Men
Theaterbefore the Court;
Speech prefix(es)Gall. | Gallow.
Words296
Characters1627
Typicality0.41 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA20076
BritDrama no.1217
ClusterCluster 12 — Wooers, gallants & courtly love-talk

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Gentle friend, no more. Thou sayest love is a madness, hate it then, Even for the names sake. Let me tame this frenzy, By telling thee thou art a prisoner here, By telling thee she's daughter to a king, By telling thee the king of Cyprus son Shines Like a Sun between her looks and thine, While thou seemest but a star to Agripyne: He loves her. Love is ambitious and loves majesty. Dear friend, thou art deceived: Oh bid thy soul Lift up her intellectual eyes to heaven, And (in this ample book of wonders) read, Of what celestial mould, what sacred essence, Her self is formed, the search whereof will driven Sounds musical among the jarring spirits, And in sweet tune set that which none inherits. Oh, call this madness in, see from the windows Of every eye Derision thrusts out cheeks, Wrinkled with Idiot laughter; every finger Is Like a Dart shot from the hand of scorn, By which thy name is hurt, thine honour torn. Even at thee. Draw back this stream, why should my Orleans mourn? Dear friend forbear, Beauty (Like sorrow) dwells every where. Raze out this strong Idea of her face, As fair as hers shines in any place. See where they come together hand in hand. True, Madam, but would you receive such payment? And that were as bade as the horn plague. And women most honoured, when they show most mercy to their lovers. Me thinks 'tis more then tyranny. I'll teach thee how to plague her: love her not. With whom think you? Come, sweet Madam. Exeunt. Will Orleans then be mad Oh gentle friend. These paths weel beat. Exeunt Gall. & Orleans. And this bounteous hand enforced me take. Your countryman my Lord, a Cypriot.

Plot summary

Plot — Old Fortunatus
Fortunatus gets lost in a wood and falls asleep. He is found by Fortune, attended by fallen kings who complain of her capricious control of their destiny. To spite them, she decides to advance Fortunatus’ fortunes, and offers him a choice of six gifts: wisdom, strength, health, beauty, longevity, or riches. He chooses wealth, and she gives him a purse which will always contain ten gold pieces, of legal tender wherever he may be. Fortunatus travels the world, visiting potentates, and bestows bottomless purses on every host. The Sultan of Babylon boats of his collection of treasures, and shows him the finest: an old hat which will transport its wearer anywhere in an instant. By a ruse, the Sultan puts it on Fortunatus’ head, and he wishes himself back home to Cyprus, thereby acquiring possession of the hat. Fortune decides that he has abused her gifts and reminds him that he did not choose long life or wisdom. He will die at the height of his fortunes with his sins black upon his soul, and will have no opportunity to repent. He dies there and then, leaving the purse and hat to his sons. The virtuous Ampedo takes the hat, while his imprudent younger brother Andelocia has the purse. Andelocia goes to England, where the Prince of Cyprus is wooing the King’s daughter, Agrippine; she is also loved by the melancholy French prisoner Orleans. On arrival, Andelocia is bountiful with largesse, which leaves King Athelstan itching to take him down a peg or two, and eager to learn the source of his riches. When Andelocia plans a magnificent banquet for his hosts, Athelstan orders that nobody is to supply him with any fuel: it will end up being a cold, unappetizing meal. Andelocia dances with Agrippine, and she takes him off to get to know him better. She then drugs him and takes the magic purse as he sleeps, leaving behind a copy. On waking, Andelocia finds that the King’s orders leave him unable to provide the banquet, and the Princess has left him without the wherewithal even to try to pay for it. Andelocia returns home to Cyprus and steals the wishing hat from Ampedo. He acquires some jewels by trickery and returns to England posing as a jeweller. Using the hat, he abducts Agrippine and takes her to a hot country. The climate doesn’t agree with her, so he climbs a tree to pick her a juicy apple; but while he’s up there, she puts on the wishing hat and goes home. Andelocia consoles himself by eating the apple, but it is one of the apples of Vice, sweet with a bitter…