A Pleasant Comoedie, Wherein is merily shewen:
THE WIT OF A WOMAN

Published, London: Edward White, 1604

Unacted?

a synoptic, alphabetical character list

BALIA
Balia is an old schoolmistress. She is educating the four Wenches, teaching them needlework and writing among other arts. She invites to the house a dancing-master, a schoolmaster, a painter and a doctor, without realizing that these four young men are in fact suitors in disguise. She is asked by Bario to further his suit to one of the daughters, which she attempts to do. She is present at the end, when the wedding-feast takes place in her house.

BALIO
A typographical error for Balia in a stage direction.

BARIO
Bario, one of the four Fathers of the play, is an old Merchant. He is the father of Veronte and Erinta. It seems that he attempts to marry both Isabella (with Balia's connivance) and Gianetta, but he does not succeed in marrying either of them.

BILLA
A name listed in the dramatis personae but who in the play is probably the character known as Figga.

BIZARDO
Bizardo is Bragardo's man. He accompanies Bragardo in his two appearances on stage, and flees with Bragardo at the end.

BORIO
A typographical error for Dorio in the dramatis personae.

BRAGARDO
Bragardo is a Ruffian, and the master of Bizardo. A miles gloriousus figure, on his first appearance he announces his intention of marrying one of the Wenches. He meets disguised gallants, who better him in repartee and sell him a series of worthless goods and services: an allegedly magic "character", some make-up, a supposedly breath-sweetening pill, and a dancing lesson which ends with him being tripped. He arrives at Balia's house in the middle of the wedding preparations, where he is insulted by the servants. Balia invites him in, but off stage, the Gallants beat him again and cut off his hair and beard. He flees from Balia's house in disgrace.

DANCER
Used in stage directions to indicate Logire.

DANO
Probably the character known as Dives in the play. Called "old man" on his first appearance, he is a rich old merchant, a patient of the fraudulent Doctor Niofell. He is a relative of Balia, and after his treatment he invites Niofell to Balia's house. He is presumably identical with the "Dano a sick merchant" named in the dramatis personae and otherwise unaccounted for.

DERIO
Apparently a typographical error for Ferio in the dramatis personae.

DIVES
Dives (called "old man" on his first appearance) is a rich old merchant, a patient of the fraudulent Doctor Niofell. He is a relative of Balia, and after his treatment he invites Niofell to Balia's house. He is presumably identical with the "Dano a sick merchant" named in the dramatis personae and otherwise unaccounted for.

DOCTOR
A name used indiscriminately in stage directions to identify both Giro and Niofell.

DORIO
Dorio, one of the four Fathers of the play, is an old soldier. He is the father of Filenio and Isabella. He announces an intention to marry one of the daughters, to which end he officiates at the secret marriage of Erinta, one of the other daughters. However, he discovers at the end of the play that the girl he intended to marry is herself married. It is not clear which of the girls he has been intending to marry.

ERINTA
Erinta, one of the four Wenches, is daughter to Bario and (according to the dramatis personae) sister to Veronte. Even though he is apparently her brother, she flirts with Veronte when he is disguised as a schoolmaster. She is courted by Figo, one of the Fathers, but tricks him, and ends the play married to one of the Gallants (probably Gerillo). N.b. The four Wenches are Erinta, Gianetta, Isabella, and Lodovica.

FATHERS
Bario, Dorio, Ferio, and Giro are all widowers. Each have a family consisting of an unmarried son and an unmarried daughter, with the daughter studying at Mistress Balia's school. In the course of the play each Father attempts to marry the daughter of one of the other Fathers. That daughter tests their seriousness by getting them to stand in for one of the other Fathers in a clandestine marriage of one of the other daughters to one of the other sons. At the end of the play each Father discovers that they have been betrayed, and that all the daughters have now married all the sons, leaving them still single.

FERIO
Ferio, one of the four Fathers of the play, is an old lawyer. He is the father of Rinaldo and of Lodovica, according to the dramatis personae. He announces an intention to marry one of the daughters, and we see him acting as a stand-in father for the secret marriage of Bario's son to Giro's daughter. He finds at the end of the play that he has been tricked, and the girl he has been intending to marry is herself secretly married. The identity of the girl is not clear, particularly since he appears to announce that he is courting Lodovica, who is stated elsewhere to be his own daughter.

FIDDLER
A fiddler attends Gerillo in his disguise as dancing master.

FIGGA
Figga is a young woman, a patient of the fraudulent Doctor Niofell. When she returns for a follow-up consultation, Foggo proposes marriage to her. She is presumably the character whom the dramatis personae names as Billa.

FILENIO
Filenio is one of the Gallants. He is son to Dorio, brother to Isabella, and master to the servant Goffo. Filenio takes on the disguise of a doctor. In this disguise he treats three patients, Figga, Miso, and Dives. Dives is a relative of Balia, and invites Filenio back to Balia's school. As a doctor, Filenio flirts with Lodovica. He benefits from the deception of the Fathers, and ends the play married to one of the Wenches, presumably to Lodovica. N.b. the four gallants are Filenio, Gerillo, Rinaldo, and Veronte.

FOGGO
Foggo is the alias of Goffo when Filenio is disguised.

GALLANTS
Veronte, Rinaldo, Filenio, and Gerillo are the four gallants (identified in stage directions under this name). Each of them has a sister who is studying at Mistress Balia's, and a father on whom they are still financially dependent. The four gallants swear an oath of loyalty to each other at the start of the play, and then each adopts a disguise, with which to gain entry to Balia's school. On their way to the school they meet, and humiliate, Bragardo the gallant. Each of them then flirts with and secretly marries one of the four Wenches.

GERILLO
Gerillo is one of the Gallants. He is son to Giro and brother to Gianetta. He disguises himself as a dancing master, and is invited to Balia's house. As a dancing-master, he flirts with Gianetta, who according to the dramatis personae is his own sister. Thanks to the Wenches' trick, he finishes the play married to one of the Wenches: from what is known about the other pairings off, he is likely to marry Erinta. N.b. the four gallants are Filenio, Gerillo, Rinaldo, and Veronte.

GERO
Gero is a drunken vintner's boy who comes in briefly near the end of the play carrying wine.

GIANETTA
Gianetta, one of the four Wenches, is daughter to Giro and sister to Gerillo. She flirts with Gerillo disguised as a dancing master, even though the dramatis personae state that he is her brother, but she also sends a letter to Veronte. She is courted by Bario, but tricks him and finishes the play married to one of the gallants: presumably, to Veronte. N.b. The four Wenches are Erinta, Gianetta, Isabella, and Lodovica.

GIRO
Giro, one of the four Fathers of the play, is an old doctor. He is the father of Gerillo and (according to the dramatis personae) Gianetta. He announces an intention to court Ferio's daughter, whom he calls Gianetta, perhaps in error. He does not succeed in marrying her, and is left single at the end of the play.

GOFFO
Goffo is the servant of Filenio, who impersonates a doctors assistant while Filenio is impersonating a doctor. He then proposes marriage to Figga, whom his master had treated as a patient.

ISABELLA
Isabella, one of the four Wenches, is daughter to Dorio and sister to Filenio. She flirts with Rinaldo, who is impersonating a painter. But Bario the merchant uses Balia to court Isabella: she tricks him and ends the play married to one of the gallants, presumably Rinaldo. N.b. The four Wenches are Erinta, Gianetta, Isabella, and Lodovica.

LAWYER
A name used in stage directions to identify Ferio, although one probably erroneous stage direction seems to identify Ferio and the Lawyer as separate characters.

LODOVICA
Lodovica, one of the four Wenches, is daughter to Ferio and sister to Rinaldo. She flirts with Filenio when he is disguised as a doctor. In what is clearly an authorial slip, she is then apparently wooed by Ferio, but tricks him and finishes the play married to one of the gallants: presumably, to Filenio. N.b. The four Wenches are Erinta, Gianetta, Isabella, and Lodovica.

LOGIRE
Logire is the pseudonym of Gerillo when he is impersonating a dancing-master.

MAID, FIRST and SECOND
Two Maids figure in the play:

The First is otherwise called Figga (see under separate listing).
The Second is an imaginary character: Veronte's sister has a maid who is referred to in passing.

MAID with a BROOM
A maid with a broom is seen chiding Bragardo when he arrives at the wedding.

MERILLA
Apparently an alternate name for the character otherwise known as Lodovica.

MISO
An old woman is a patient of the fraudulent Doctor Niofell. She is named in the dramatis personae as Miso.

NEMO
There is some confusion over the name Nemo:

According to the dramatis personae, Nemo is the name of the character otherwise known as Giro.
According to a stage direction, Nemo is the name of the mock-doctor discussed here as Niofell.
An imaginary character, "Lord Nemo," is an imaginary client of the fraudulent Doctor Niofell.

NIOFELL
Niofell is the alias of Filenio when disguised as doctor.

NULLA
An imaginary character, Lady Nulla is allegedly a patient of the fraudulent Doctor Niofell.

OLD WOMAN
An old woman is a patient of the fraudulent Doctor Niofell. She is named in the dramatis personae as Miso.

PAINTER
Used in stage directions to indicate Rinaldo.

PHYSICIAN
Used in stage directions to indicate Niofell.

PRIEST
Used in Stage Directions to indicate Sir Lawrence.

RIMALDO
Variant form of the name Rinaldo.

RINALDO
Rinaldo is one of the Gallants. He is son to Ferio and and brother to Lodovica. He takes upon himself the disguise of a painter, and is commissioned by Bario to paint the picture of Isabella, which he does, flirting with her the while. Thanks to the Wenches' trick, he finishes the play married to one of the Wenches–probably Isabella. N.b. the four gallants are Filenio, Gerillo, Rinaldo, and Veronte.

SCHOOLMASTER
Used in stage directions to indicate Ventero.

SERVANTS
Bragardo stops two servants during the wedding preparations and asks what is going on. Both servants reply with rhyming insults.

SIR LAWRENCE
Sir Lawrence is a Latin-spouting comic priest, whom Ferio asks to officiate at the marriage of (presumably) Veronte and Gianetta. He is presumably also the priest who is present at the marriage-feast, and therefore it is to be assumed that he has also officiated at the other three marriages.

SNOT, SINIOR
Sinior Snot is a nickname applied to Bragardo by a hostile servant.

SWAPS, CAPTAIN
Captain Swaps is a nickname applied to Bragardo by the maid with the broom.

VENTERO
Ventero is the pseudonym of Veronte when he is impersonating a writing master.

VERONTE
Veronte is one of the Gallants. He is son to Bario and brother to Erinta. He disguises himself as a schoolmaster, under the name Ventero, and is invited to teach Balia's students. As a schoolmaster Veronte is seen courting Erinta, who according to the dramatis personae is his sister: however, he also mentions that he receives a letter from Gianetta, and therefore presumably ends the play married to her. N.b. the four gallants are Filenio, Gerillo, Rinaldo, and Veronte.

WENCHES
Erinta, Gianetta, Lodovica, and Isabella are the four wenches (identified in stage directions under this name) who are studying together at Mistress Balia's school. Each is the daughter of one of the Fathers and the sister of one of the Gallants. The wenches swear an oath of sisterly loyalty to one another. Each wench is courted by one of the Fathers, and each induces that Father, as a demonstration of their love, firstly to grant financial independence to their own children, and secondly to act as a stand-in father at the clandestine marriage of one of the other wenches to one of the Gallants. Thus, all four Wenches get to marry all four Gallants.