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| Character | Dulcimel Philocalia | |
|---|---|---|
| Scene type / Who are | Friends | |
| Type | Serio-comic | |
| Year | 1606 | |
| Period | 17th Century | |
| Genre | Romance, Drama, Comedy | |
| Description | Princess Dulcimel tells Philocalia that she wants to seduce Tiberio | |
| Location | ACT III, Scene 1 | |
Summary
Duke Hercules sends his son Tiberio as an ambassador to the court of Duke Gonzago. In order to spy on his son and observe his behavior. The play follows the romantic adventures of several characters in Gonzago's court. In this scene Princess Dulcimel, the daughter of Duke Gonzago, confides in her friend Philocalia about her love interest, Tiberio. She plans to seduces him without getting her father's approval.
Written by Administrator
| Excerpt |
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| Dulc.: May I rest sure, thou wilt conceale a secret. Phi.: Yes madam. Dul.: How may I rest truely assurde. Phi.: Truelie thus, Doe not tell it me. Dul.: Why, canst thou not conceale a secret? Phi.: Yes, as long as it is a secret, but when two know it. how can it be a secret, and indeed with what iustice can you expect secresie in me that cannot bee priuate to your selfe? Dulc.: Faith Philocalia , I must of force trust thy silence, for my breast breakes if I conferre not my thoughtes vpon thee. Phi.: You may trust my silence, I can commaund that, but if I chance to bee questioned I must speake truth, I can conceale but not deny my knowledge, that must commaund me. Dulc.: Fie on these Philosophicall discoursing wome, prethee conferre with me like a creature made of flesh and blood, and tell me, if it bee not a scandall to the soule of all being proportion, that I a female of 13. of a lightsome and ciuill discretion, healthy, lustie, vigorus, full and idle, should for euer be shackled to the crampie shinnes of a wayward, dull, sowre, austere, rough, rhewmy, threescore and foure. Phi.: Nay, threescore and ten at the least, Dulc.: Now heauen blesse me, as it is pitty that euery knaue is not a foole, so it is shame, that euery old man is not, and resteth not a widdower. They say in China, when women are past child-bearing, they are all burnt to make gun-powder. I wonder what men should bee done withall, when they are past child-getting: yet vpon my loue Philocalia (which with Ladies is often aboue their honor) I do euen dote vpon the best part of the Duke. Phi.: Whats that? Dulc.: His sonne, yes sooth, and so loue him, that I must marie him. Phi.: And wherefore loue him, so to marrie him. Dulc.: Because I loue him, and because he is vertuous, I loue to marrie. Phi.: His vertues. Dul.: I, with him his vertues. Phi.: I with him, alas sweet Princes, loue or vertue are not of the essence of marriage. Dulc.: I iest vppon your vnderstanding, Ile maintaine that wisedome in a woman is a most foolish qualitie: A Lady of a good complection naturally, well witted, perfectly bred and well exercised, in discourse of the best men, shall make fooles of a thousand of these booke thinking creatures, I speake it by way of iustification, I tell thee, (looke that no body Eaues-droppe vs. I tell thee I am truely learned, for I protest ignorant, and wise, for I loue my selfe, and vertuous enough for a Lady of fifteene. Phi.: How vertuous? Dulc.: Shal I speake like a creature of a good healthful bloud and not like one of these weake greene sicknesse, leane fisicke, staruelinges: First for the vertue of magnanimity, I am very valiant, for there is no heroicke action so particularly noble and glorious to our sexe, as not to fall to action, the greatest deede wee can doe is not to doe, (looke that no body listen) Then am I full of patience, and can beare more then a Sumpter horse, for (to speake sensibly) what burthen is there so heauy to a Porters backe, as Virginity to a well complectioned yong Ladies thoughtes? (looke no body harken,) By this hand the no blest vow is that of Virginity, because the hardest, I will haue the Prince . Phi.: But by what meanes sweet Madam? Dul.: Oh Philocalia , in heauy sadnes and vnwanton phrase, there lies all the braine worke, by what meanes, I could fal into a miserable blanke verse presently. Phi.: But deare Madam, your reason of louing him. Dul.: Faith onely a womans reason, because I was expressely forbidden to loue him, at the first view I likte him, and no sooner had my Fathers wisedome mistrusted my liking, but I grew loath his iudgement should erre, I pittied hee should proue a foole in his old age, and without cause mistrust me. Phi.: But when you saw no meanes of manifesting your affection to him, why did not your hopes perish? Dul.: O Philocalia that difficultie onely inflames me, whe the enterprise is easie, the victorie is inglorious, no let my wife aged, learned, intelligent Father, that can interprete yes, vnderstand the language of birdes, interprete the grumbling of dogs, and the conference of cats, that can reade euen silence, let him forbid all enterviewes, all speaches, all tokens, all messages, all (as he thinkes) humaine meanes, I will speake to the Prince, court the Prince, that hee shall vnderstand me, nay I will so stalke on the blind side of my all knowing fathers wit, that do what his wisedome can, hee shall bee my onely mediator, my onely messenger, my onely honourable spokesman, hee shall carrie my fauours, hee shall amplifie my affection, nay he shal direct the Prince the meanes the very way to my bed, hee and onely he, when he onely can doe this, and onely would not do this, he onely shall doe this. Phi.: Onely you shall then deserue such a husband, O loue how violent are thy passages. Dul.: Pish Philocalia tis against the nature of loue, not to be violent. Phi.: And against the condition of violence to be constant. Dul.: Constancy, constancy and patience are vertues in no liuing creatures but Centenels and Anglers: heres our father. |
