Thomas Dekker
(with Robert Daborne?)
IF IT BE NOT GOOD, THE DEVIL IS IN IT
(IF THIS BE NOT A GOOD PLAY, THE DEVIL IS IN IT)
1611–1612
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
AEACUS
With Minos and Rhadamanth, Aeacus sits in judgement over souls in hell.
ALPHEGE
A friar.
ALPHONSO
The first name of the King of Naples. Under the influence of the devil Ruffman, the recently crowned King of Naples decrees that he will dedicate some of his time to the pursuit of pleasure. He mocks the sober entertainments encouraged by his uncle Octavio, instead preferring the strange and exciting offerings of Ruffman. At Ruffman's prompting, he rejects Erminhilde, to whom he is engaged. He also dismisses the suit of the two gentlemen whom Bartervile has cheated, and then extorts Bartervile when he catches him perjuring himself. In response to the Subprior's request for help in bringing order to the priory, the King gives management of it to Brisco, a courtier. When Erminhilde disappears, and the Duke of Calabria, her father, marches against Naples, he stays behind rather than hide with the rest of the courtiers. Although Ruffman tries to persuade him to kill himself, he resolves to live. He disguises himself as a friar and discovers Bartervile's plan to betray the courtiers to the Duke of Calabria. He follows Bartervile to the priory, where he is found by the Duke. At the priory, he finds Erminhilde, who has been hiding there. He asks for her forgiveness, and is reconciled with the Duke. Finally, he celebrates his return to moral rectitude by setting fire to the priory and burning the friars to punish their wrongdoing.
ASTOLPHO
Like Octavio, Astolpho is uncle to Alphonso, the King of Naples. Astolpho argues that the King should not reject Erminhilde, and brings the news to the King that Erminhilde has gone missing and her grieving father, the Duke of Calabria, is marching against Naples. Astolpho abandons Naples to go fight on the Duke's side, and accompanies the Duke to Bartervile's when he goes there to capture the Neapolitan courtiers.
BARTERVILE
The merchant Bartervile is more villainous than the devil Lurchall who is sent to corrupt him. He grants the Bravo's petition to curtail the tobacco shops, since they take business away from the whorehouses. He tricks the two Gentlemen out of their mortgage payment. At court, he swears that he paid Farneze the money he owes him, but the act of perjuring himself causes him to fall down in a swoon. The devils Lurchall and Ruffman help him recover in time for the King to demand a sizeable sum of money from him in order to support the war effort. To avoid payment, Bartervile disguises himself as a Turk and plans to fake his own death. In this disguise, he agrees to hide the courtiers in his cellar, but sends Lurchall to report their location to the Duke of Calabria. The devils drag him down to hell, where he suffers torments with the Prodigal, Guy Fawkes, and Ravillac. He is doomed by the infernal court to drown in a lake of molten gold.
BOHOR
Sometimes referred to as Shalkan Bohor, the identity assumed by the devil Ruffman when he infiltrates the Neapolitan court.
BRAVO
The Bravo arrives at the merchant Bartervile's house to deliver pension payments from the whorehouses. He asks Bartervile to shut down the tobacco shops, since they detract from the whores' business.
BRISCO
Like Spendola, Jovinelli, and Narcisso, Brisco is a Count of Naples. Under the king's new rule of pleasure, co-authored by the devil Ruffman, Brisco brings aspiring entertainers to court. When the Subprior arrives at court to complain about the corruption of the priory, the King gives management of the priory and its profits to Brisco. During the Duke's seige, he hides with the other courtiers in the merchant Bartervile's cellar. He is betrayed by Bartervile to the Duke of Calabria, captured, and beheaded.
CARLO
Carlo is the name of Bartervile's second Servant.
CHARON
Charon complains to Pluto that he wants to quit ferrying souls for him, and demands a raise because business is slow. He turns in the devils Ruffman, Shacklesoule, and Lurchall for sleeping and drinking on the job.
COURTESANS
The courtesans are brought by Shacklesoule to the priory in order to tempt the Subprior with lusty songs and dances.
CUTLER
A tortured soul in hell.
DANTZIKER
A tortured soul in hell.
DEVILS
The unnamed Devils attend Lucifer's arrival at the black tree in Naples grove for the devils' progress report meeting, and after the reports of Ruffman, Shacklesoule, and Lurchall, they relate tales of their wrongdoing in and around the city.
DUKE of CALABRIA
The Duke of Calabria is the father of Erminhilde, who is engaged to the King of Naples. When Erminhilde disappears, he marches against Naples. When Lurchall reveals that the courtiers are hiding at Bartervile's, the Duke captures and beheads them. He then uses the devil Ruffman to find the King at the priory. When the Subprior reveals that Erminhilde has been hiding at the priory, the Duke calls off the war.
ERMINHILDE
Erminhilde is the daughter of the Duke of Calabria, and is engaged to Alphonso, the King of Naples. Rejected by the King due to the promptings of Ruffman the devil, she goes into hiding at the priory. When she is discovered, the King asks for her forgiveness, and the Duke calls off the war against Naples
FARNEZE
Farneze appears at the court complaining that Bartervile has failed to pay him the two hundred crowns he owes him. When Bartervile perjures himself and falls down in a trance, Farneze triumphs over him and takes the money that falls out of Bartervile's staff.
FRIAR
The Friar arrives at the court because Bartervile has summoned him to hear his last confession. The King persuades the Friar to exchange clothing with him so that he can infiltrate Bartervile's house and escape from the city.
FRIAR CLEMENT
The name of the Subprior at the Neapolitan priory. He is the only friar to resist Shacklesoule's corrupting influence.
FRIAR RUSH
The disguise assumed by Shacklesoule when he infiltrates the Neapolitan priory.
GENTLEMAN, FIRST and SECOND
Two Gentlemen figure in the play:- The First Gentleman comes to Bartervile's to pay his mortgage on time. Bartervile cheats him of the payment. Both Gentlemen go to the court to complain about Bartervile's behaviour, but they are dismissed by the King.
- The Second Gentleman arrives with the First Gentleman at Bartervile's to help him pay his mortgage on time. Bartervile cheats First Gentleman of the payment. Both Gentlemen go to the court to complain about Bartervile's behaviour, but they are dismissed by the King.
GLITTERBACKE
With Starch-hound, Tobacco-spawling, Suckland and Upshotten, Glitterbacke is a devil in Pluto's hell. He is summoned by Shacklesoule so that Shacklesoule can use the drops of sweat from his golden head to taint the Subprior's well and cause it to produce gold. After Scumbroth the cook plots to keep the gold for himself, Glitterbacke appears to him and promises him more if he comes to the black tree in Naples grove. Before the meeting, Glitterbacke speaks to Scumbroth from within the tree, urging him to climb it.
GRUMBALL
Another name for Lurchall, one of Pluto's devils.
GUY FAWKES
With Bartervile, Ravillac, and the Prodigal, Guy Fawkes is doomed by the infernal judges to suffer torments in hell.
HILLARY
A friar.
ITALIAN ZANY
The Zany is brought to the priory by the devil Shacklesoule with the Courtesans to tempt the Subprior with lusty songs and dances.
JOVINELLI
Like Spendola, Narcisso, and Brisco, Jovinelli is a Count of Naples. He reports that the Scholar, Soldier, and Mariner have turned against Naples during the Duke of Calabria's attack. During the Duke's seige, he hides with the other courtiers in the merchant Bartervile's cellar. He is betrayed by Bartervile to the Duke of Calabria, captured, and beheaded.
KING of NAPLES
Alphonso. Under the influence of the devil Ruffman, the recently crowned King of Naples decrees that he will dedicate some of his time to the pursuit of pleasure. He mocks the sober entertainments encouraged by his uncle Octavio, instead preferring the strange and exciting offerings of Ruffman. At Ruffman's prompting, he rejects Erminhilde, to whom he is engaged. He also dismisses the suit of the two gentlemen whom Bartervile has cheated, and then extorts Bartervile when he catches him perjuring himself. In response to the Subprior's request for help in bringing order to the priory, the King gives management of it to Brisco, a courtier. When Erminhilde disappears, and the Duke of Calabria, her father, marches against Naples, he stays behind rather than hide with the rest of the courtiers. Although Ruffman tries to persuade him to kill himself, he resolves to live. He disguises himself as a friar and discovers Bartervile's plan to betray the courtiers to the Duke of Calabria. He follows Bartervile to the priory, where he is found by the Duke. At the priory, he finds Erminhilde, who has been hiding there. He asks for her forgiveness, and is reconciled with the Duke. Finally, he celebrates his return to moral rectitude by setting fire to the priory and burning the friars to punish their wrongdoing.
LUCIFER
Lucifer is the first to arrive at the devils' meeting at the black tree in Naples grove, where he hears the progress reports of Ruffman, Shacklesoule, Lurchall, and the other devils.
LURCHALL
With Ruffman and Shacklesoule, Lurchall is one of Pluto's devils. He is also called Grumball. Under Pluto's orders, he infiltrates the merchant Bartervile's house, although he finds that Bartervile is already more devilish than himself. Lurchall encourages Bartervile as he attempts to gouge his clients, and as he plans to avoid loaning the King of Naples money by changing his identity into that of a Turk. During the seige of Naples by the Duke of Calabria, Lurchall reports the whereabouts of the courtiers, who are hiding in Bartervile's cellar, an act that leads directly to the courtiers' capture and beheading. Carrying Bartervile to hell, Lurchall returns there with Ruffman and Shacklesoule to triumph over the damned souls.
MASTER SILVERPEN
Requests that Bartervile come to the Chancellor's court to testify in the suit launched against him by Farneze.
MINOS
With Aeacus and Rhadamanth, Minos sits in judgement over souls in hell.
NARCISSO
Like Spendola, Jovinelli, and Brisco, Narcisso is a Count of Naples. Narcisso reports to the King of Naples that his uncle Octavio has deserted Naples to go fight on the side of the Duke of Calabria. During the Duke's seige, he hides with the other courtiers in the merchant Bartervile's cellar. He is betrayed by Bartervile to the Duke of Calabria, captured, and beheaded.
NICODEME
A friar, reported to have stabbed another friar, Silvester, in a drunken rage.
OCTAVIO
Like Astolpho, Octavio is uncle to Alphonso, the King of Naples. Octavio alone protests the new rule of pleasure created by the King according to Ruffman's council. He objects to the court's mocking dismissal of the Soldier, Scholar, and Seafarer who come to offer honest entertainment to the King. He also pleads on behalf of the poor tradesmen to whom the courtiers owe money, and asks the King to intervene in the business of the priory. Overcome by frustration, Octavio abandons the Neapolitan cause and supports the Duke of Calabria when he attacks the city. He captures Ruffman and turns him over to the Duke for interrogation.
PILGRIMS
The Pilgrims arrive at the Neapolitan priory and ask if they can rest there. Shacklesoule convinces the Prior to turn them away, arguing that they are merely idle vagabonds.
PLUTO
Pluto is the ruler of hell. Catching the devils Ruffman, Shacklesoule, and Luchall asleep and drunk on the job, he orders them to take the shapes of a courtier, friar, and merchant respectively, and sends them to Naples to corrupt the court, priory, and city. When they return to hell, he triumphantly surveys the tortured souls they have won, and rewards them for their efforts.
PRIOR
The Prior appoints Shacklesoule, disguised as Friar Rush, to teach the priory cook, Scumbroth, to prepare delicacies. At Shacklesoule's prompting, he turns away two pilgrims from the priory, and agrees with the plan to devote the friars' time to making wine. He chokes to death on a grapeseed while attempting to consume wine.
PRODIGAL
The Prodigal irritates Charon by summoning him to ferry him across the river. With Ravillac, Guy Fawkes, and Bartervile, he is doomed by the infernal judges to suffer torments in hell.
PURITAN
The Puritan arrives at the infernal court with his congregation. Pluto casts them out for fear they will ruin hell.
RAVILLAC
With the Prodigal, Guy Fawkes, and Bartervile, Ravillac is doomed by the judge Minos to suffer torments in hell.
RHADAMANTH
With Minos and Aeacus, Rhadamanth sits in judgement over souls in hell.
RUFFMAN
With Shacklesoule and Lurchall, Ruffman is one of Pluto's devils. Disguising himself as the courtier Shalkan Bohor, he goes to Naples under Pluto's orders to corrupt the new King of Naples and his court. Assuring the King that all rulers pursue pleasure, he encourages the King to rewrite his decrees. In place of the honest entertainment offered to the court by the Soldier, Scholar, and Seafarer, he presents a special effects lightshow. When the Duke of Calabria marches against the city, Ruffman tries and fails to persuade the King of Naples to kill himself. At the priory, Ruffman finally reveals the devils' true identities before they drag Bartervile to hell, where he joins Shacklesoule and Lurchall in triumphing over the souls they have won.
SCHOLAR
Like the Soldier and the Seafarer, the Scholar comes to the Neapolitan court to entertain the King. He brings his students with him and offers to perform a show in Latin; however, he is mocked by the courtiers and turned away. The Scholar sides with the Duke of Calabria when he attacks Naples.
SCUMBROTH
Scumbroth is the cook at the Neapolitan priory. When the devil Shacklesoule falsely accuses Scumbroth of kissing a woman in the priory orchard, Scumbroth vows revenge. He becomes sidetracked when the Subprior gives him the gold that comes from the well Shacklesoule has tainted with the sweat of the devil Glitterbacke. Rather than give the money to charity as he has promised, Scumbroth spends it on himself. In Naples grove, he witnesses the devils' progress report meeting, hearing their stories of how they have corrupted the court, the city, and the priory. He reports to the Subprior that the Prior has choked to death on a grapeseed while attempting to drink wine.
SEAFARER
Like the Soldier and the Scholar, the Seafarer comes to the Neapolitan court to entertain the King. Rather than offer his entertainment, however, he raves in sailors' jargon, predicting the downfall of the court because of what he recognizes as the devilish influence among them. Octavio alone recognizes the Seafarer as a man who has served Naples in battles at sea. When the Duke of Calabria attacks Naples, the Seafarer sides with him.
SERVANT, FIRST and SECOND
Two Servants figure in the play:- The First is one of Bartervile's employees.
- The Second is also one of Bartervile's employees, and he is referred to as Carlo. Second Servant challenges Lurchall to bet on which of the two of them can work faster. He is sent to the Chancellor's court in Bartervile's place to testify that Bartervile is indisposed.
SHACKLESOULE
With Lurchall and Ruffman, Shacklesoule is one of Pluto's devils. Disguising himself as Friar Rush, he infiltrates the Neapolitan priory and schemes to corrupt the friars. He entices the friars' bellies with delicacies and encourages them to devote their time to making wine. Unable to corrupt the upstanding Subprior with wine, he summons the devil Glitterbacke from hell so he can use the drops of sweat that pour from Glitterbacke's golden head to turn the Subprior's drinking water into gold. Although this fails to tempt the Subprior, Glitterbacke and Shacklesoule do manage to seduce the priory cook, Scumbroth, with the gold. Shacklesoule finally attempts to corrupt the Subprior by appealing to his lust with Courtesans and an Italian Zany. When this also fails, he tries to frighten him into a state of despair. Finally, he gives up, settling instead for damning the rest of the friars to hell. He returns to hell in triumph with Lurchall and Ruffman.
SHALKAN BOHOR
The disguise Ruffman assumes in order to infiltrate the Neapolitan court, more often referred to as Bohor.
SILVESTER
A friar, Silvester is reported to have stabbed Nicodeme in a drunken rage.
SOLDIER
Like the Scholar and the Seafarer, the Soldier comes to the Neapolitan court to entertain the King. Offering to tell tales of war, he also challenges the courtiers to defeat his fellow soldiers in a military exercise. He is mocked by the courtiers and the King and sent away. The Soldier joins the Duke of Calabria when he attacks Naples.
SPENDOLA
Like Narcisso, Jovinelli, and Brisco, Spendola is a Count of Naples. When the Duke of Calabria attacks Naples, Spendola makes the decision that the court should flee to Bartervile's and hide there. With the other courtiers, he is betrayed by Bartervile to the Duke, captured, and beheaded.
STARCH–HOUND
With Tobacco-spawling, Upshotten, Suckland and Glitterbacke, Starch-hound is a devil in Pluto's hell.
SUBPRIOR
Also referred to as Friar Clement, the Subprior is the only friar to resist Shacklesoule the devil's arguments that the friars should eat gourmet food and drink wine. He also objects to the Prior's decision to turn away two pilgrims who arrive at the priory. He prophecies that the Prior will never taste the wine the friars dedicate their time to making. He refuses to succumb to the temptations Shacklesoule presents him with: the well that produces gold, and the Courtesans and Italian Zany who dance and sing songs of lust. His resistance finally causes Shacklesoule to admit defeat. Going to court to plead for intervention from the King, he is mocked and rejected. He hides Erminhilde when she flees from the court, until the Duke and the King arrive at the priory.
SUCKLAND
With Starch-hound, Upshotten, Tobacco-spawling and Glitterbacke, Suckland is a devil in Pluto's hell.
TOBACCO–SPAWLING
With Starch-hound, Upshotten, Suckland and Glitterbacke, Tobacco-spawling is a devil in Pluto's hell.
UPSHOTTEN
With Starch-hound, Tobacco-spawling, Suckland and Glitterbacke, Upshotten is a devil in Pluto's hell.
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