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)
Norf. | Norf: | Norfol. | N 〈◊〉 : [Norfolk]
Words
255
Characters
1359
Typicality
0.38 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A20096
BritDrama no.
1369a
Cluster
Cluster 6 — Battlefield messengers & soldiers
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
They were misled by their ambitious Father's, Yonder the Traitor marches with a ste le bow. Bent on his Sovereign, and his kingdoms peace: To wave him to us with a flag of truce, And tender him soft mercy, Were to call our right in question, Therefore put in act, your resolute intendments, If rebellion be suffered to take head, She lives too long, treason does suvar e. Therefore give signal to the fight, Where's Captain Bret? And there being missed, some villain finding you out of sighed hath raised this slander on you, but come my Lord. Come leave your swearing, Did not countries care urge me to this quarrel? For my partly I would not strike a blow. Lets break up Court, If Norfolk long should stay, In tears and passion, I should melt away. To do honour to you and those five hundred Londoners that march after your colours, You shall charge the Traitor in the Vanguard While my self with noble Arundel And stout Iarningam, econd you in the main, God and Saint George, this day fight on our side. While thus we tame a desperate Rebels pride. He's damned in hell that speaks it. Nay sweet Earl. Now trust me Arund ell, It does gri me much, to fit In judgement of these harmless — Who is not moved, to see this loving strife? Here's for that purpose. Speak you to me Guilfo To whom? If I strike one blo may my hand off. Conduct them . Sir Thomas Wyat.
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.