in The Famous History of Sir Thomas Wyatt — Dekker, Thomas; Webster, John; Heywood, Thomas (?); Chettle, Henry (?)
Metadata
Play
The Famous History of Sir Thomas Wyatt
Author
Dekker, Thomas; Webster, John; Heywood, Thomas (?); Chettle, Henry (?)
Year (catalogued)
1607
First performance
1602
Decade
1600s
Genre
History
Play type
Adult Professional
Company
Worcester's Men
Speech prefix(es)
Hoom. | Hom: | Hom. | Ho: | H •… .
Words
241
Characters
1216
Typicality
0.55 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A20096
BritDrama no.
1369a
Cluster
Cluster 22 — Ghosts, curses & horror voices
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
My Lord. With much a do my Lord, meat, bred & wine, While you refresh your self, I will record The cause of my long stay. And I no sooner entered but attached, Threatened the Rack: and if I did not yield Your gracious self into their graceless hands. and offered a thousand Crowns to him that can Bring news of your abided, it offered in my hands. Which I beseech may stop my Vital breath, When I am feed with gold to work your death. and in requital of so great a grace, I kiss your hand that dares to kiss my face. The night I left you in the hollow tree, My house was searched. Done it! oh betray you? Oh no! First would I see my loved wife and Children Murdered, and tossed on spears, before I would Deliver your grace unto their hands, For they intend your death. Oh God, Oh God, that ever I was born, This deed hath made me (slave) to abject scorn. Pardon me my Lord. Shall I ask mercy? no it is too late, Heaven will not hear, and I am desperate. This is the place, where I betrayed my Lord, This is the place where oft I have relieved: and villain I, betrayed him to the Jaws of death, But here before I further will proceed Here will I bury this enticing gold, Lie there damned fiend never serve human more,
Plot summary
Plot — The Famous History of Sir Thomas Wyatt
The King of England is dying. Northumberland and Suffolk conspire to disinherit his sister, Mary, in favour of Suffolk’s daughter, the reluctant Lady Jane Grey. When news arrives of the King’s death, they have her proclaimed Queen. Sir Thomas Wyatt, refusing to be a party to this, leaves court, and brings the news to Mary, who is living in frugal retirement. Northumberland and Suffolk raise an army against Mary, but Wyatt and the Lord Treasurer speak in the Council for a legal succession in accordance with the will of King Henry VIII. Mary is proclaimed Queen in London, and Lady Jane and her husband Guildford Dudley are arrested. Northumberland is ordered to discharge his troops and come to court, and is arrested. Suffolk is on the run. His servant, Holmes, brings him food, but also brings the Sheriff to arrest him. Holmes is paid well, but later strangles himself in remorse. Queen Mary begins to make fiscal arrangements, and reneges on her promise not to make any alteration in state religion: she plans to restore the Roman Catholic church. She also plans to marry Philip of Spain, contrary to the laws established by her father. Northumberland is executed. Disgusted at the prospect of Spanish infiltration, Wyatt raises rebellion in Kent. Part of Norfolk’s army defects to Wyatt on nationalist grounds, but when Pembroke bars the gates of London against him, his supporters slink away and he is arrested. Jane and Guildford are tried, and declare their innocence; Guildford notes that the commissioners were originally supporters of Northumberland in his attempt to influence the succession, and accuses them of hypocrisy. Though several commissioners want to seek clemency, the Bishop of Winchester sentences them to traitors’ deaths. Wyatt is taken to execution. Jane and Guildford are to die together; Jane is beheaded first. Guildford faints as he is taken away, but recovers to see her severed head, and is taken to the block.