Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

RHYS

in Patient Grissel — Dekker, Thomas; Chettle, Henry; Haughton, William

Metadata

PlayPatient Grissel
AuthorDekker, Thomas; Chettle, Henry; Haughton, William
Year (catalogued)1603
First performance1600
Decade1600s
GenreComedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyAdmiral's (Nottingham's) Men
Speech prefix(es)Ric. | Rice. | Ri.
Words468
Characters2313
Typicality0.32 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA20077
BritDrama no.1230
ClusterCluster 11 — Tosspots & tavern railers

Important excerpts

Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 11 (tospot, rees, ralph, soch, tout, oundes…). Matches are highlighted.

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh. Exit. Yes forsooth my Lady but what shall I do with all yonder beggars? How? the beggars in, we shall have a lousy feast Madame. Exit Rees. Come my hearts, troop, troop, every man follow his leader, here's my Lady. Here Madame, I'll set it on, tak't off who will. I beseech you sir be patient, I tell

Full speech

Faith even to find a full manger: my tooth uva ter till I be mounching, I have been at the Cutlers, to bid him bring away Sir Owens rapier, and I am ambling home thus fast, for fear I am driven to fast. No, for Signior Emulo has warned my Master to the court of Conscience, and theres and order set down, that the coward shall pay my Master good words week lie, till the debt of his choler be run out. Would would, not write and read? why I have seen him pull out a bundle of sonnets written, & read them to Ladies. Why then its Greek to him. Not a letter and you would hang him. No nor by his good works, for heel do none. Signiors both, I commend you to the skies, I commit you to God, adieu. A little more will make me a great deal less, house keeping you know is out of fashion: unless I ride post, I kiss the post: in a word isle tell you all, challenge was sent, answered no fight, no kill, all friends, all fools, Emulo coward, Sir Owen brave man, farewell, dinner, hungry: little cheer, great great stomach, meat meat, meat, mouth, mouth, mouth, adue, adue, adue. Exit. Yes forsooth. Spit out his meat. Yes by my troth Sir. No sir I have my five senses and am as well as any man. He that shall deny it Sir isle make him eat his words. O rare, is this to save his shins? I will master dahoma, Gewnthyan dahoma ? I am gone sir. Exit Rice. What say you forsooth? No he sent a terrible one, but he gave a sexton of a Chuch a groat to write it, and he set his mark to it, for the gull can neither write nor read. Would I were at gallows, so I were not here: Not I sir shee'll set her marks on me then. Your worship may stab her, she gives you the lie. You shall not needs to bid me go, for I'll run. Exit. Tannekin the Fidem hath brought your Rebato, it comes to three pound. The Fro sir says five pound. O rare sir Owen, ah precious Kninght, o rare Sir Owen. O rare Madame, o precious Madame, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh. Exit. Yes forsooth my Lady but what shall I do with all yonder beggars? How? the beggars in, we shall have a lousy feast Madame. Exit Rees. Come my hearts, troop, troop, every man follow his leader, here's my Lady. Here Madame, I'll set it on, tak't off who will. I beseech you sir be patient, I tell you the beggars have it. They are here sir, in the twinkling of and eye. Yes Sir. Exit.

Plot summary

Plot — Patient Grissel
Gwaltef has vowed to choose a wife. On the day of decision, he goes hunting instead, but leads his companions to the low-born (GHiSSil] whom he has been wooing in secret. D@WFe6) Grissil’s brother, comes home from university in poverty, but he and his father become courtiers after Gwalter and Grissil are married. Grissil becomes pregnant. Gwalter’s subjects object to his marrying beneath him. Though obsessively uxorious, he is determined to test her patience, and attempts to humiliate her by making her tie a servant’s shoe; she complies without protest. He then banishes her family from court; again she accepts this patiently. She gives birth to a twin son and daughter, and Gwalter has the babies taken away from her: they are sent to PaWia to be looked after by his brother, and Grissil is expelled from court. She ===== PAGE 196 ===== GRISSIL, Janicola’s daughter, Laureo’s sister: later Gwalter’s wife and mother of Prince Gwalter and the Princess; also called Lady Grissil returns to her father’s house, and Gwalter sends Fan to tell her she will never see her children again; he watches the conversation in disguise, and BABULO, Janicola’s man; formerly a traveller ‘accidentally’ drops a piece of gold to ensure that Master LAUREO, a poor young scholar; Janicola’s son, she will not starve. In the sub-plot, Eiiul6 and Siff{Oweni are rivals for Grissil’s brother; later uncle of Grissil’s children Two LapIgs attending Gwalter (sc.2, non-speaking) the Welsh widow GwWénthian, while others compete for - Gwalter’s sister, Jiilia. Emulo challenges Sir Owen toa = ATTENDANTS on Gwalter (sc.2, 5, non-speaking) duel, but then tries to back out of it; his later account of the duel is met with disbelief. Sir Owen marries Gwenthian, and she turns out to be a shrew. He asks Gwaltéf for advice on how to tame her, and is told to cut six osier twigs; Gwalter takes three and Sir Owen SIR OWEN ap Meredith, a Welsh knight; later keeps the others. Later, when Gwalter visits Sir Owen for dinner, GWénthiaW ruins the occasion: she has Gwenthian’s husband and Gwalter’s kinsman; also called Sir Meredith and Sir Owen Meredith allowed beggars to eat all the food, and turns up dressed in rags as a protest after Sir Owen tore the Lady GWENTHIAN, a Welsh widow, Gwalter’s kinswoman by marriage; later Sir Owen’s wife rebato she had bought. Gwalt@r spreads rumours that he plans to marry ONOPHRIO, a gentleman and a bachelor; also called Onophry again, and summons Grissil and her family to attend…