Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

GISBERTUS

in The Conflict of Conscience — Woodes, Nathaniel

Metadata

PlayThe Conflict of Conscience
AuthorWoodes, Nathaniel
Year (catalogued)1581
First performance1572
Decade1580s
GenreMoral
Play typeInterlude
Speech prefix(es)Gisbertus. | Giſbertus. | Gisbartus.
Words150
Characters821
Typicality0.31 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA68918
BritDrama no.519
ClusterCluster 2 — Allegory, Nature & pageant voices

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

Indeed, good father, we have cause, to praise your gravity, Who did both save your self from woe, and us from begging state, Where if you had persevered still, as we did fear greatly: Your goods from us, your Children should, to Legate be confiscate Our glorious pomps, then, should we have be glad for to abate. O Brother hast you to the Town and tell Theologus, What sudden plague and punishment, my Father hath befell, O Father, rest your self in God, and all thing shall be well, To here my Father's doleful plaints, it brings perturbation, Unto my soul, but yonder comes, that good Theologus: O welcome sir, and welcome you good master Eusebius. Come Father do you not think good, that we from hence begone? Alas deer Father, what does move and cause you to lament? O say not so my Father deer, Gods mercy mighty is,

Plot summary

Plot — The Conflict of Conscience
Satan, concerned about the spread of godliness on Earth, procures Hypocrisy, Tyranny, and Avarice to counteract it by propagating vice through the Roman Catholic church. Philologus and Mathetes discuss the danger to Protestantism, and conclude that worldly torments are sent by God to test men’s faith. After arguing about their mutual precedence, the vices resolve to help the papal legation, and adopt innocuous aliases. Tyranny is commissioned as an inquisitor to hunt heretics, while Avarice accepts their bribes to save them from arrest. Caconos alerts the vices to the heresies of Philologus, who is arrested and tried by the Cardinal in consistory court. He is examined on the topics of papal authority and transubstantiation, and found guilty. His property is confiscated and his family’s distress used to put psychological pressure on him; he is also threatened with imprisonment, torture, and execution, but promised money and power if he recants. He does, persuaded by the glass of vanity given by Sensual Suggestion. Spirit and Conscience call on Philologus to renounce his apostasy and embrace martyrdom, but he rejects them. In prosperity, he is visited by Horror, who torments him with the knowledge of his own damnation. Theologus and Eusebius urge the continuing availability of God’s grace, but Philologus blasphemes and curses God. Despairing of salvation, he hangs himself. (In the B-text, he is given grace to repent at the last moment.)