Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

NARCISSUS

in Messalina, the Roman Empress — Richards, Nathaniel

Metadata

PlayMessalina, the Roman Empress
AuthorRichards, Nathaniel
Year (catalogued)1640
First performance1635
Decade1640s
GenreTragedy
Play typeAdult Professional
CompanyKing's Revels Company
Speech prefix(es)Nar. | N • r. | Nor.
Words788
Characters4284
Typicality0.39 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA68655
BritDrama no.2472
ClusterCluster 18 — Chronicle statesmen & prelates

Important excerpts

Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 18 (salic, caius, flewellen, coronel, mamon, crimes…). Matches are highlighted.

mad, mad to the depth Of madness; Oh I could tear my hair, to See you thus, thus senseless of your wrongs, but Do, do; be the grand Cuckold of this universe, Let Caius Silius reign Rome's Emperor. Hurrid in triumph through the streets of Room Out of his Empire finely to be worked, Finely, betwixt the two hight Palms of lust. That,

Full speech

Emperor of empty brains z'heart I could curse, His soul to the depth of Barathrum Oh— A whores invention, a drab Of state, a cloth of Silver slut, the tricks Of a tempting Tissue Troll, to push his Horns upon the Pikes of ruin, where he Should rot; rot; were't not to serve our own ends, Maintain that habit of perfection sure, Which till this sudden unexpected change Like Past has worked him to what mould we pleased. This put home With low submission, making her believe By cringes, creepings, and a Synons face, That all our care is only for her good, May work persuasion. Mad a Dog, a Cat, a Rat, you're to tame, want spirit To be mad, I am mad, mad to the depth Of madness; Oh I could tear my hair, to See you thus, thus senseless of your wrongs, but Do, do; be the grand Cuckold of this universe, Let Caius Silius reign Rome's Emperor. Hurrid in triumph through the streets of Room Out of his Empire finely to be worked, Finely, betwixt the two hight Palms of lust. That, that, Oh infinite shame in stately Majesty, to make your self a never Dying scoff for ages yet unknown To point at you, for the most famous Cuckold. Cuckold by five and twenty, all in the Short space of a day and night, Oh insati to Bawdy villainy. Now are you Caesar. Confe re on me that absolute command, Which Geta Captain of your guard now holds Over your soldiers here at Hostiam, And ere the next Sun set his circular course The daring pride of all the faction, Caesar shall fit in senate, and their doom. After Calistus, t'appease his fury. My Lord, I'll post to Room, the people groan Beneath the Emp'rsse weight; 'tis mischievous Multam m rtes jussu Messalina pat atas. Tacit. The bloody massacre of those Roman dams Murdered for hate to lust, affords plentle Of friends, to force the City gates open To our free entrance. Like Synons unto Troy ; Talk trifles time. Till next we meet farewell, it is decreed I'th height of pride murder and lust must bleed. My Lord, The Core of lust still lives, time was Room bragged Of these dead corpses for the most virtuous youths It ever brought forth, till your le worser Empress Poisoned their bloods with her bewitching lust. I but such warning as she shall never come there. I'll give no trust to those her whorish eyes. A in cad m jus Nam cissus prop ravissat; vertera in accusa remembering. Tacit. She will bewitch thee Caesar, mollify That flint heart; if they ever piece again Off goes my head; I'll not abide the Test. The reconcilement of a drab of state, Trip, ith' height of pride when topped-with pleasure, O'twere fine fool state policy to trust Raise that declining tempest to her height, But I'll be no such president, it smacks Too much of the great dish of fool for me, And if I do, may thunder sink me. Exit. Let it be so, By that time hither I will conduct th'Emp'rour In interim cut her off, when she is dead Narcissus with his own saves many a head. Black is the night; a Canopy of cloud , Hides the bright Silver spangle's of the sky, All is secure, revenge proportion keeps To my full wish; no thought of blood and death Writes on the Index of black deeds at Court The least suspect; mad lust and wine, revels And pleasures, muffle their understanding. Oh Lust, lust, lust, were't thou not what thou art, A thick black cloud only composed of ill For to tempt judgement, hadst thou the relish Of sweet good, as thou art badly bitter, Thee above all the Gods I would adore, Thee, thee adore, that unresisted thus, Snares the besot ed Faction to their fallen. Load them with Lethe still, while thus I waft Revenge from Hostiam ; Like the sad flames Of Ilion burn, burn bright Torch; let thy fair view Tune to the dance of death, the amorous Measures of full vengeance; blaze prodigy, When the bade bleed give me that Tragedy. Exit I fully apprehend, That so Ro es Syren in the height of pride; Silius and all the factious Accomplices Through wicked wedlock's jollity made drunk Drunk with the dregs of blind security. Then, then my pyoning policies aloft (Of which my brain detains the Theoric) Shall apt a Time for vengeance unwithstood The thirst of their Ambition Queen nche in blood. Till when sleep on, sleep on you fools of fate, "Plots best-encounter plots, free from suspect, "Fly Like the bolts of jove, firm in effect. Exeunt.

Plot summary

Plot — Messalina, the Roman Empress
Having successfully competed with the prostitute Calpurnia to see which of them can sleep with more men in 24 hours, the Empress Messalina sets her sights on the chaste Silius as her lover. He is summoned to the brothel and successfully seduced. The Emperor Claudius leaves Rome for an annual religious ceremony. While he is away, Messalina’s debauchery has free rein. Romans are summoned to court to participate: the actor Mnester is tortured into compliance, and three women taking refuge with Lepida, Messalina’s mother, are murdered when they refuse to come. Messalina invokes the Furies to make her sexy, and resists Lepida’s attempts to persuade her to a chaste life; Lepida goes mad. Silius is sent to murder his wife, Silana, but finds himself unable to go through with it; instead he conceals from Messalina the fact that she is still alive. Messalina’s seduction programme is not universally successful: she identifies Montanus as a desirable sexual partner, but he resists her and flees Rome. She decides to go through a ceremony of marriage with Silius, and has a document of approval drawn up and authenticated with the imperial seal. A wedding masque is planned, in which the Vestal Virgins are to be raped; but Lepida overhears the arrangements being discussed, and rescues the Virgins through a secret passage before they are called on to perform. They are pursued by Messalina’s agents, but the earth swallows them and the Virgins are saved; the pander Saufellus is confronted by the ghosts of the three murdered women and struck by a thunderbolt before he goes down. Claudius’ minions inform him of Messalina’s sexual misconduct, and he sends in the guard. The palace is raided and Messalina’s favourites killed. Silana arrives too late to help Silius, and dies kissing his dead lips. Claudius orders Messalina to be tried before the Senate, but his minion Narcissus fears his susceptibility to her feminine wiles, and sends an executioner to kill her. She is visited by the ghosts of her victims, agents, and favourites, and pre-empts the executioner by taking her own life. Claudius decides not to marry again.