Early Modern Drama · Character Archetypes

HOWELL

in Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue — Jonson, Ben

Metadata

PlayPleasure Reconciled to Virtue
AuthorJonson, Ben
Year (catalogued)1641
First performance1618
Decade1640s
GenreMasque
Play typeOccasional
Theaterbefore the Court;
Speech prefix(es)HOVV. | HO. | HOVVELL.
Words235
Characters1206
Typicality0.19 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP idA72473.8
BritDrama no.1854
ClusterCluster 16 — Errand servants & brief parts

Important excerpts

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

Full speech

What? —you mean (hough) to make us so long tarry here, would? Why that is good Evan, honest brave Evan. And the Howard's by God, is Welse as strait as any arrow. And Erwin, his name is Win; but the Duts-men come here in Wales, and caull him Heer-win. Or Aberdugled haw. Or Abes hodney. Or Aber conway. For the Honour of Wales. 'Tis true, was wear him Sherkin freize, but what is that? we have store of s'eize, And God his plenty of Goats milk that fell him well, will buy him silk Enough to make him fine to quarrel At Hereford-sizes in new apparel; And get him as much green Melmet perhaps, s'all give it a face to his Monmouth cap. But then the over of Lemster, By God is never a Sempster; That when he is spun, over did, Yet match him with his third Still, still, &c. ANd yet, is nothing now aull this, if of our Musiques we do miss; Both Harps, and Pipes too; and the Crowd, must aull come in and tauke aloud, As loud as Bangu, Davies bell, of which is no doubt you have here tell, As well as our louder Wrexham, Organ, and rumbling Rocks in S'eere Glamorgan; Where look but in the ground there, And you s'all see a found there, That put him aull togedder, Is sweet as measure pedder. Still, still, &c.

Plot summary

Plot — Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue
Comus’ attendants steal Hercules’ cup for use in their drunken orgies. Fresh from kiWing Antaeus, Hercules sees them off, then is lulled to sleep. Some pygmies try to steal his club and avenge Antaeus, but are scared off when he wakes. Mercury proclaims the coming of a time when the opposites of Pleasure and Virtue shall be reconciled: for the time being Hercules does not need to choose between them. Virtue brings forth twelve princes bred inside the mountain, led by Daedalus, who directs and explains their dances as allegories of the interpenetration of virtue and pleasure, then beauty, and finally love. However, pleasure and virtue are only temporarily reconciled: the masquers must return to the mountain, where virtue remains its own reward.