9 April 1640
This play was performed by amateurs at Court and later by the King's Men.
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
ASCANIO
Ascanio is the name adopted by the (otherwise unnamed) King of Castile when he disguises himself as a common soldier and leads his troops to victory against Aragon after their initial defeat at the hands of Decastro. He falls in love at first sight with the Queen of Aragon and accepts Florentio's offer to resign his own pretensions to her, but later relents and allows Florentio and the Queen to marry.
BROWFILLDORA
Also sometimes called "Brumfilldora" and, more commonly, "Garaganta." Browfilldora is Sanmartino's dwarf, and he carries his master's challenge to Oniate. He spends a significant portion of his stage time talking about his phantom mistress.
CAPTAIN
The Captain is a braggart who fights in the first engagement against the troops of Castile and flatters Sanmartino egregiously.
CLEANTHA
Sanmartino courts Cleantha, the most beautiful lady at court, even though he is married to her friend Floriana. She warns Floriana about this and, when Floriana will not take it seriously, arranges a rendezvous with Sanmartino at which she exposes him to Floriana. She eventually marries Oniate, who sees through her pretence of frivolity.
CLEODORA
Although never referred to as Cleodora in the play, either in speech prefixes or the dramatis personae, the play's alternate title is Cleodora, and it is not unreasonable to assume that Cleodora was (perhaps in an early draft) the name given to the Queen of Aragon.
DECASTRO
Decastro was appointed Regent by the late King of Aragon, father of the present queen. He wishes to marry the queen and has rallied the support of the people in his cause. He is now defending the city against the troops of Castile, who have come to rescue the queen from her own people. Decastro wins the initial engagement but is subsequently routed when the Castilians attack again under the leadership of an unknown soldier, who turns out to be the King of Castile in disguise as Ascanio. Decastro later returns at the head of a fresh army, but when he is reminded by his friend Ossuna that they both vowed to renounce the world if they survived a shipwreck, he tells the queen that she is free to choose for herself and leaves to become a hermit with Ossuna.
FLORENTIO
Florentio is the Castilian general. He fell in love with the Queen of Aragon during his time as ambassador there, and now leads the forces that have come to save her from her people. He is defeated and badly wounded in his first skirmish with the Aragonese forces, and very resentful of the fact that the Castilians then proceed to triumph under the supposed Ascanio. He challenges Ascanio to a duel, but he recognizes him as the King of Castile when he wounds him. Mortified that he has put his sovereign's life in danger, he renounces his claim to the queen, but is eventually given leave by Ascanio to press his suit again, and marries the queen.
FLORIANA
Floriana is the friend of Cleantha and the wife of Sanmartino, to whom she is loyal despite his behavior, protesting that he would behave better if the queen would give him some role in the state.
GARAGANTA
Name which some of the characters use for Browfilldora, Sanmartino's dwarf (it also appears as a speech prefix for the dwarf.)
KING of CASTILE
The King of Castile, tired of the responsibilities of state, has disguised himself as Ascanio (we never learn his true name).
LERMA
A Castilian nobleman. Lerma is the only person who knows the true identity of Ascanio, the disguised King of Castile, and challenges Velasco when Velasco, loyal to Florentio, speaks ill of the unknown leader.
OBERON
A "ghost character," mentioned by Browfilldora, Sanmartino's dwarf, in connection with his imagined mistress.
ONIATE
Oniate is a sensible courtier who sees through Cleantha's apparent frivolity and persuades her to marry him.
OSSUNA
Ossuna is Decastro's friend. He cannot be found after the defeat of the Aragonese troops but subsequently reappears dressed as a hermit. He reminds Decastro that some years ago they both promised to renounce the world if they survived a shipwreck, and informs him that he is now going to do so.
QUEEN of ARAGON
The unnamed Queen of Aragon might be Cleodora, a name used as subtitle but nowhere else in the text. She loves Florentio, whom she met when he was the Castilian ambassador to Aragon. Aragon is now a prisoner in her own city because the populace wish her to marry Decastro because Decastro had been appointed Regent by her father. When she learns that her rescuer Ascanio loves her and is the King of Castile, she is torn between him and Florentio, but when she is finally given freedom to choose her choice is her first love, Florentio.
QUEEN MAB
A "ghost character," mentioned by Sanmartino as the probable employer of the Dwarf's supposed mistress.
SANMARTINO
Sanmartino is a foolish courtier who, despite being already married, courts Cleantha (and other women too) until his behavior is finally exposed to his wife. He is master to the dwarf, Browfilldora.
SOLDIER
One or more Aragonese soldiers (it is unclear if the same character is meant each time) make minor comments at various points in the action.
VELASCO
The proud Castilian general Velasco, who serves under Florentio, scorns the suggestion that Ascanio is any braver than any other Castilian, and encourages Florentio to challenge Ascanio to a duel.