Synopsis:
I.i The Goldsmith, Yellowhammer, has two children. One, a virgin named Moll, he has plans for to marry the wealthy Sir Walter Whorehound. Another, a pedantic Cambridge youth named Tim, he has plans for to marry Whorehound's niece, a wealthy Welsh gentlewoman who owns "nineteen mountains" and 2,000 head of runts.Moll is in love with a young gallant named Touchwood, Jr., unbeknownst to Yellowhammer.
Touchwood, Jr. comes to Yellowhammer to have a wedding ring made for his intended—careful not to tell Yellowhammer that Moll is his intended. He feigns that he has lost his fiancée's ring size and tells Yellowhammer to fit the ring to Moll's finger size since they have much the same hand size. He asks Yellowhammer to inscribe in the ring poesy: "Love that's wise, blinds parents' eyes."
Whorehound arrives with his "niece" and we soon learn that she is not his niece at all, but his whore from Wales. He has a plan to marry the Goldsmith's daughter for the dowry and to marry his whore to the Goldsmith's son for the inheritance.
I.ii Meanwhile, in another part of Cheapside, Allwit's wife is preparing to go into labor. Allwit is Whorehound's wittol. Whorehound beds Mrs. Allwit, gets children by her, and keeps the family in fine lodgings with plenty of creature comforts in return. Allwit is happy to live off of Whorehound, and equally happy to have his husbandly duties assumed by Whorehound.
Whorehound, Allwit reasons, has all of the cares of marriage—Jealousy, expense of household upkeep and children's needs, etc.—while Allwit has all the benefits (except copulation, which he cares nothing for anyway). Whorehound sets spies in the Allwit household to make sure Mrs. Allwit takes no lovers other than himself, and even questions Allwit about bedding Mrs. Allwit—an act that he does not allow.
II.i Meanwhile, in yet another part of Cheapside, Touchwood, Sr.—Touchwood, Jr.'s elder brother—must leave his happy home and live away from his wife. He is too virile, and he cannot afford to have any more children, poor as the Touchwood Sr.'s are, nor can he restrain himself from bedding his wife, so lusty are they both. We learn from his own lips, and from apt example (a woman with child who accosts him) that he is so virile that each of his one-night-stands has produced get. He's a good fellow, though, and gives the woman what little money he has that she may take care of the child.
Meanwhile, in still another part of Cheapside, there resides the Kixes, a wealthy couple who cannot get children—try as they might—though they have been married seven years. We learn from them that Whorehound is the residuary legatee and, lest they produce offspring, he stands to inherit all of their property after their deaths. A maid tells them that there is a man, a Master Touchwood, who has special water guaranteed to produce children in an infertile couple. The Kixes determine to try Touchwood's water no matter the cost.
II.ii The Allwit baby being born (actually Whorehound's bastard—a girl), Allwit goes about trying to find gossips (godparents) for the child. Whorehound suggests that he be named as the chief gossip (to throw off suspicion), and suggests Moll as another gossip. Allwit agrees and adds Touchwood, Jr. as the third.
In what appears to be an unrelated bit of business—though fun—two promoters (spies who looked for butchers selling meat without a license during Lent) come by. Allwit flouts them and leaves. A man with meat comes in, they catch him and confiscate the meat—then plan how to divide it amongst themselves. Next a man comes in with meat. They stop him, but recognize him as one who pays bribes to them, and so they let him pass freely with his illicit meat. Finally a woman enters with a basket of meat. They accost her and confiscate the meat. She insists that the meat is bought for a legal purpose and offers to run to get one who would avouch her right to have meat during Lent. She swears them to keep the confiscated goods until she return—which they both swear to do. After she leaves they examine the booty only to discover that she has unloaded an unwanted baby on them, which they realize they have sworn to keep.
II.iii During the christening of the Allwit daughter (actually Whorehound's bastard), Moll sneaks off with Touchwood, Jr.—who has the ring from Yellowhammer.
III.i They have a parson ready and bid him be quick with the ceremony (Touchwood Sr. has bought a license that allows them to marry without the banns being read). Yellowhammer and Whorehound break in before the ceremony is completed and break it up. Yellowhammer removes his daughter and locks her in his house.
III.ii In the next sequence—also only tangentially related to the plot—the gossips (here meaning women) and the puritans (who are also gossips) meet around Mrs. Allwit's bed and pass the time after the christening. The puritans are portrayed as hypocrites. They take far too much of the free food for later consumption and drink the free liquor freely, until they can no longer stand.
Tim enters into the scene, is kissed by all the women—much to his displeasure, for he has a high opinion of himself and his learning, though he is a pedantic fool in reality. He has his tutor with him. Tim is told that he is to marry a Welsh gentlewoman, and he reacts negatively to being married off to a stranger.
Davy, Whorehound's servant, tells Allwit that Whorehound is about to marry. Allwit, fearing that a marriage would cause Whorehound to cut off his benefices to his household, swears to wreck the marriage plans. Davy, we learn, stands to inherit upon Whorehound's death and would be cut off if Whorehound produce any legitimate offspring—so he, too, has reason to want the marriage stopped. He simply uses Allwit as his tool to that end.
III.iii Touchwood Jr. informs Touchwood Sr. that he has plotted with Susan, Moll's servant, to have Moll sneaked from the house to a secret spot where they will marry. Touchwood Sr. promises to help the plan.
Meantime, Touchwood Sr. meets with the Kixes. The Kixes, run mad with not having produced get, fight bitterly, blaming each other for their infertility, and as quickly as they start the bickering, turn 180 degrees into pure love for one another. Touchwood Sr. gives Kix his medicinal water and tells Kix that he must constantly stir and also ride a horse for five hours. To that end, Kix begins to caper about, orders his white mare saddled, and dances out to begin his ride. Meantime, Touchwood Sr. takes Mrs. Kix to bed in order to get her with child.
IV.i Tim and the Welsh gentlewoman are thrust together. In order to impress her, Tim speaks Latin. Not understanding him, the woman speaks Welsh. They misunderstand each other to highly comic effect.
Allwit goes to Yellowhammer, pretending to be a Yellowhammer himself—a distant cousin. He carries the news of Whorehound's licentious behavior with one Mrs. Allwit, the children he has got with her, and the wittol's household he keeps. Yellowhammer feigns shock and outrage, but after Allwit leaves, Yellowhammer confesses that he has kept a mistress himself, and got a bastard, so since he's really after Whorehound's supposed wealth, he chooses to overlook Whorehound's indiscretions.
Mrs. Yellowhammer rushes in with the news that Moll has escaped from her room over the roof. Yellowhammer, Mrs. Yellowhammer, and Whorehound give chase.
IV.ii By the Thames, Touchwood Jr. has hired a waterman to carry him to Barn Elms and another to convey Moll to Barn Elms when she arrives. They go in separate boats, but Mrs. Yellowhammer catches Moll and drags her home. Touchwood Jr., in searching for his apprehended love, comes across Whorehound. They duel and each is wounded.
V.i Whorehound is taken to Allwit's house. Allwit worries that his benefactor's death will be the ruin of the household. Whorehound, having narrowly escaped dying in the gutter, and feeling the perdition of his soul for his lecherous acts, abjures the Allwits—he makes out his will, leaving both the Allwits nothing but curses. A servant enters with news that Touchwood Jr. has died of his injuries. Allwit, rebuffed by Whorehound's curses, orders the murderer out of his house—saying he will not harbor "such persons as men-slayers." Mrs. Allwit stands by her husband. Next there comes a servant with news that Mrs. Kix is pregnant, and Whorehound's inheritance there has thus been cut off. His servants take Whorehound away. The Allwits decide that, as they are well provided with a house and elegant furnishings, which are all paid for, they should hire it out and take apartments in the Strand—that, or turn the place into a bordello.
V.ii Moll, meantime, is at the point of death herself—for her dunking in the Thames and her heartache over Touchwood Jr. Touchwood Sr. enters with a letter that Touchwood Jr. has died and Moll expires. The Yellowhammers, afraid of what the neighbors will say of their cruel treatment of Moll, decide to sneak away until the funeral and have Tim quietly married to the Welsh woman.
V.iii Kix is overjoyed that his wife has become pregnant. He orders that Touchwood, Sr. be paid one hundred pounds for the "water" and laughs that this news will make Whorehound poor. He prepares to go to the funeral of the young lovers.
V.iv The coffins of Moll and Touchwood Jr. are brought on and set beside each other. Touchwood Sr., as chief mourner, asks the assemblage whether they would not have been happier to see the two married than buried. When the congregation answers "Yes", Touchwood Sr. says that there are no enemies of the couple here. The coffins open, Moll and Touchwood Jr. hop out, are instantly married, and congratulate themselves on their clever ploy—actually the handiwork of Susan, we are told by Touchwood Sr.
Yellowhammer enters and, to the surprise of all, declares himself happy at the marriage. He has married his son to a whore, and discovered the fact too late; Whorehound is ruined as are all of Yellowhammer's expectations in that man. Whorehound, in fact, has been taken away to debtor's prison (Fleet prison in the Knight's ward), where his creditors torment him.
Kix, so happy at having a child on the way, all thanks to Touchwood Sr., entreats Touchwood Sr. to move back in with Mrs. Touchwood Sr., and not fear having more children, Kix will look after them all out of his bounty and wealth. The Welsh woman says that marriage has made her an honest woman, and Tim is satisfied in that. All ends happily.
Lesser characters not otherwise treated in the synopsis:
Several babies, likely prop dolls, appear. The country wench confronts Touchwood Senior with one. The wet nurse brings one in to Allwit and Whorehound. The Lady with a basket leaves one with the two Promoters. The Midwife brings in the newest Allwit child to be viewed at the christening. Davy brings the baby to the Allwits with the rest of their children.
Toward the end of the play, Davy Dahumma brings all of Allwit's children on stage. They are placed before Whorehound, their true father, and he sees them as the reminder of his adultery that will keep him from heaven.
A "ghost character." Maudlin encourages Yellowhammer to take Tim's letter around to her cousin at the Inns of Court to have the Latin deciphered, but Yellowhammer rejects the suggestion saying that they are all for French and have no Latin.
A "ghost character." Ellen is the country wench's Derbyshire cousin who, according to the country wench, has also borne a child by Touchwood Senior. The country wench asserts that he has "cracked her marriage quite." Touchwood Senior assures the wench that he has several fools and gulls that he can make marry her.
A gentleman enters Yellowhammer's shop to have the goldsmith weigh a chain. He wishes to sell it to Yellowhammer for 100 pounds and leaves when Yellowhammer refuses to give more than 100 marks.
They are on hand at the Allwit christening. They fall to quarrelling about which is the more important. They later return after the christening to celebrate.
Lady Kix's maid. She tells the Kixes of Touchwood Senior's wonderful water by which he has got nine children. Kix desires to employ that water, but Jugg warns him it is very dear.
Yellowhammer's nickname for his wife Maudlin.
Two men with baskets of meat.
- The first man has his Lenten meat confiscated when the two Promoters catch him with the contraband.
- The second man is allowed to pass with his contraband meat when the two Promoters recognize him as one who paid them bribes.
She brings the new Allwit child in to be viewed at the christening.
One of Whorehound's bastards by Mrs. Allwit. He and his brother Wat call Allwit "father" in Whorehound's presence, and Allwit fears Whorehound will hear them. Allwit calls both boys "bastard" and, ironically, "Whoreson." Toward play's end, he and all his siblings are brought before Whorehouse as he lies wounded.
Nurses in the Allwit household. When Allwit calls for the nurse, the dry nurse appears first and is dismissed for the wet nurse. The wet nurse brings in a baby, a girl whom the wet nurse says will grow up to be "a knocker." She exits telling Allwit to wipe his mouth.
He asks Touchwood Junior to show him his marriage license and begins to marry Touchwood Junior and Moll in the presence of Touchwood Senior. They get as far as ring exchange and clasping of hands, but Yellowhammer and Whorehound break up the wedding before any words are exchanged. A parson, perhaps the same one, also enters at the end of the play to preside over the double funeral of Moll and Touchwood Junior.
They come to the Allwit christening. When the gossips fall to arguing over which of them is more important, they leave the place as they love to be lowly. The gossips suggest that the Puritans argue just as much for pride of place over which of them is more lowly. They come back after the christening to celebrate.
The first waterman. He and his fellows accept a French crown from Touchwood Junior in return for rowing Moll to Barn Elms.
Two servants in the Allwit household. They call Whorehound their master and recognize Allwit only as their mistress's husband. They are employed to spy on their mistress for the jealous Whorehound and even ensure that Allwit is not sleeping with Mrs. Allwit. One of these servants comes to Whorehound toward the end of the play with the news that Whorehound has killed Touchwood Junior in their duel. He then delivers the news that Lady Kix is pregnant.
Kix orders one to saddle his horse. Later, One is told to order the parish bells rung (to celebrate Lady Kix's pregnancy supposedly), a second is told to make a bonfire by the door at night (an order he deems "monstrous"), and the third is sent with 100 pounds to give to Touchwood, Senior. They tell Sir Oliver Kix that both Moll and Touchwood Junior have died.
One of Hobson's Porters. He says he has come from the Bell, but probably Middleton meant the Bull in Bishopsgate as that was Hobson's place of call. He brings a letter from Tim to Yellowhammer, styling it "from a gentleman in Cambridge," and helps them translate Tim's bad Latin–particluarly the part that reminds Yellowhammer to pay the porter.
A "ghost character." Touchwood Senior tells the country wench that he is a poor younger brother. As Touchwood Junior is his younger brother, this allusion is to yet a third and elder Touchwood brother who does not appear in the play.
A "ghost character." When the Touchwood Seniors decide to separate, she says she will live with her uncle.
A Puritan. She has made the comfit and comes to be a gossip at the Allwit christening. When the gossips begin to quarrel over which of them is most important, Mistress Underman leads the Puritans (who love to be lowly) from the place. On returning from the christening, she approves that it was performed without unnecessary ritual after the Amsterdam manner. She has five children herself, "got with zeal," at home. She calls for the christening wine often and grows drunk in drinking to every child she can think of. She reels and falls trying to give Tim a welcome home kiss.
One of Whorehound's bastards by Mrs. Allwit. He and his brother Nick call Allwit "father" in Whorehound's presence, and Allwit fears Whorehound will hear them. Allwit calls both boys "bastard" and, ironically, "Whoreson." Towards play's end, he and all his siblings are brought before the wounded Whorehound.
Three or four watermen enter but only two speak. The first waterman is called Sam. Touchwood Junior gives them a French crown and orders them to take Moll to Barn Elms. When the Yellowhammers and Whorehound stop Moll, the watermen beg them to spare her. They tell Mrs. Yellowhammer that she is cruel to drag Moll by the hair. One of them goes to the Touchwoods to tell them what has happened.
A woman who has borne one of Touchwood Senior's children. She brings the child to Touchwood Senior demanding restitution and claiming he has also ruined her cousin Ellen of Derbyshire. Touchwood Senior gives her is purse, and she takes pity on him and promises to leave him alone. She also admits that this is her fifth bastard, but whether it is the fifth by Touchwood Senior she does not amplify.
A "ghost character." When Kix is told he must stir constantly after taking Touchwood Senior's water, he orders his white mare saddled and goes on a five-mile ride.
Characterization: Although there is difficulty in finding a comic norm, it seems to be centered around the Touchwood, Jr. / Moll love story.
Sir Walter Whorehound seems to be the tie that binds the intricate stories together, he is important to each plot line:
- Yellowhammer prefers him for Moll's husband,
- He is Mrs. Allwit's lover, who makes Allwit the wittol,
- he is Kix's inheritor, and
- he introduces his discarded whore to Tim for the "clown's marriage" subplot.
Tim's proclivity toward demonstrating paradoxes (e.g. how whores are really honest and fools are really wise men) underscores much of the paradox of the play—how cuckolds are the happiest of men (in two cases, the wittol, Allwit, and the deceived cuckold, Kix).
The unusually high number of female and children's roles in this play is occasioned by the amalgamation of the children's theatre with the adult companies, making for a larger number of boys to take female roles.
Notes of interest:
This represents the end of the children's companies.This is the only play that we know for certain was acted at the Swan. The title page to the quarto edition states "As it hath beene often acted at the Swan on the Bank-side, by the Lady Elizabeth her servants."
This is also a transition play into the era of satiric tragedy (cf. Women Beware Women).
This play also demonstrates Middleton's interest in female psychology (see also Webster's The Duchess of Malfi).
Middleton is enjoying a high reputation today, though such was not always the case. Eliot found his Changeling the greatest non-Shakespearean tragedy of the period, but his comedies, according to L. C. Knight, had "neither thought, emotional attitudes, etc., but stay only on action", though successful on the stage, they are a "rank blow" as literature. (See Knight's Drama and Society in the Age of Jonson).
Middleton has been called "the great realist." His photographic realization of Jacobean London marks many of his plays.
Middleton's plays are generally satires written against puritan thought. There is more to them than that, though; they are more deeply theological than mere satire, and Middleton's train of thought is that of Calvinism, which is constantly jarring against his moral vision. Middleton's three great comedies are:
- Michaelmas Term;
- A Trick to Catch the Old One;
- A Mad World My Masters.
These plays are not conventionally moral (i.e. good destroying evil), but feature evil destroying itself.
The moral uncertainty of Chaste Maid is due in part to the degeneration of drama into pornography, which had begun about this time. The moral center of the play is difficult to find, there are two competing theories as to the comic structure of Chaste Maid:
- It is a transitional play: a brittle city comedy mixed with the newly-introduced tragicomic mode of the Beaumont & Fletcher mold, but which ultimately fails as either City Comedy or Tragicomedy;
- The comic center is found in the normative love of Touchwood, Jr. and Moll.
A third suggestion is that Allwit is the comic center of the play. If so, the moral vision is that only wit saves one. He is the complacent cuckold, the wittol, who survives by his keen wit. In any event, Allwit is certainly the satiric center of the play.
Chaste Maid demonstrates the most intricate use of multiple plot in Renaissance drama (with the possible exception of Bartholomew Fair).
There are four closely inter-related plots here:
- The main plot: the true lovers blocked by parental authority (Touchwood, Jr./Moll/Yellowhammer plot);
- First subplot (I.ii): Another lover's triangle between Allwit, Mistress Allwit, and Whorehound (the complacent cuckold, the wittol, over-childed subplot);
- Second subplot (II.i): Another lover's triangle between Kix, Mistress Kix, and Touchwood Sr. (the unwitting cuckold, childless couple subplot);
- Third subplot (IV): The clown marriage between Tim and Whorehound's whore (parody of main plot marriage subplot).
These plots and subplots interweave brilliantly thus:
A crux in this play is the way we perceive Whorehound in the Allwit subplot and Touchwood Sr. in the Kix subplot. Both are cuckolding the husband, but the one who is doing it with the knowledge of the husband (Whorehound in the Allwit subplot) is considered the monster, but the one who is secretly cuckolding the husband (Touchwood Sr. in the Kix subplot) is seen as a fine fellow in the audience's eyes. Both are doing exactly the same thing, except that the "evil" character is being honest about it. The only possible explanation for this seeming irregularity is that Touchwood Sr. is doing the cuckolding in order to allow Kix to get children, heirs, and so cut out the evil Whorehound from inheriting, and Whorehound is cuckolding Allwit simply for his own pleasure. Thereby, Whorehound's sexual peccadilloes are the cause of much trouble while Touchwood's sexual peccadilloes are the engine for the happy ending.
Plays to be compared:
Jonson's Bartholomew Fair and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (for multiple plots).