Thomas Heywood?
('Joshua Cooke' now rejected )
HOW A MAN MAY CHOOSE A GOOD WIFE FROM A BAD
circa 1601–1602
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
AMINADAB
A pedantic schoolmaster. Tries unsuccessfully to teach the two Boys and Pipkin their Latin grammar lesson and also threatens to beat Pipkin for arriving late. After Pipkin and the Boys leave, Aminadab meets Young Master Arthur, who asks about a pretty young woman he has seen; in an aside, Aminadab reveals that this woman, Mistress Mary, is his love. He promises to help Young Master Arthur as long as Arthur tells him how he fares. After Young Master Arthur exits, Aminadab vows revenge if Young Master Arthur proves successful with his love, but he also wonders how he can take revenge, since he is at heart a coward. Later, having armed himself with a bill and a headpiece, he arrives at Mistress Mary's house, where he vows to hide by the door and drive off any rival suitors. When Brabo arrives armed with a sword and threatening to hang up Aminadab like a dried sausage, Aminadab does nothing as Brabo exits with Mistress Mary. After she exits, Aminadab discards his weapon and vows, since he has been abandoned by his love, to commit suicide. Later and still in despair, Aminadab cannot decide how to kill himself, finally settling on poison. He meets Master Anselm and Master Fuller and tells them he needs poison for some rats in his house; Fuller gives him a sleeping potion which he claims is rat poison. Aminadab thanks him and exits. Later, Aminadab arrives at Young Master Arthur's feast, where he says grace and then questions his pupil Pipkin, who answers him comically. At the end of the feast, after Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur have reconciled, Aminadab says another grace. Aminadab escorts Mistress Mary home from the feast. Later, Aminadab is teaching some of his Boys when they see Mistress Arthur (in her shroud) returning from the tomb; they flee, thinking they have seen a ghost. At the end of the play, Aminadab is led in by Hugh and the Officers, having been charged with selling poison. When Young Master Arthur admits to taking the poison from Aminadab rather than buying it, Justice Reason then asks Aminadab where he got the poison from; Aminadab indicates that Fuller provided him with the powder. After Mistress Arthur's entry and the negation of the murder charge, Aminadab wonders how Mistress Arthur could have survived his supposed rat poison; he learns from Fuller that the powder was in fact a sleeping potion.
ANSELM
Discusses with Master Fuller his transformation from a man of judgment and reason into a helpless lover of Mistress Arthur. Meeting again with Fuller the next day Anselm still finds himself in love. He is advised by Fuller to be more aggressive in pursuing his love, since, according to Fuller, women frequently dissemble. They arrive before Mistress Arthur's door and step aside when they hear Young Master Arthur, Mistress Arthur, Young Master Lusam, Old Master Arthur, Old Master Lusam, and Pipkin coming out. When Mistress Arthur is left along, Anselm comes forward and speaks with her, asking her why she suffers such abuse from her villainous husband. She rejects the charge against her husband and exits. Anselm is encouraged to try again by Fuller, and he vows to continue. Later, Anselm listens to Fuller's tale concerning his false mistress and then decides to continue his pursuit of Mistress Arthur by attempting to make her hate her husband. When Mistress Arthur enters, Anselm and Fuller try to persuade her that Young Master Arthur is spending all of his time at Mistress Mary's house being unfaithful to her, and that she should divorce him. After she exits, Anselm refuses to abandon his devotion to Mistress Arthur, despite Fuller's protestations. Anselm and Fuller then spy on Aminadab, in despair over the loss of his love Mistress Mary. Anselm refuses to believe Fuller's claim that his love makes him as ridiculous as Aminadab, but he does agree to go along with Fuller's jest: to give Aminadab a sleeping potion and tell him it is poison. After Aminadab exits, Anselm and Fuller encounter Young Master Arthur, who is in pursuit of Aminadab. Anselm invites himself to Young Master Arthur's house for dinner, and Young Master Arthur asks Fuller to come along as well. Master Anselm and Master Fuller arrive at Young Master Arthur's feast together. After Mistress Mary drinks a toast to Young Master Arthur, Anselm hopes that Mistress Arthur will drink a toast to him, but instead she toasts Justice Reason. After Fuller tells his tale, Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur drink their toast of reconciliation, which disappoints Anselm. As the feast ends and the guests begin to leave, Anselm finds his love for Mistress Arthur is even stronger due to her constancy and modesty, while Fuller again advises him to abandon his hopeless love for her. Pipkin then enters to them with the news of Mistress Arthur's supposed death: Anselm is devastated by the news while Fuller finds it intolerable that Anselm should swoon at the news of a woman's death. Later, Anselm finds himself haunted by memories of Mistress Arthur. He meets Master Fuller, who tells him about Mistress Arthur's funeral. After initially vowing to entomb himself with Mistress Arthur, he promises Fuller that he will simply pray at her tomb for an hour. In the tomb, Master Anselm kisses Mistress Arthur's body and discovers that her lips are warm. When she revives, Anselm identifies himself and proclaims his love for her and then offers to lead her out of the tomb. After telling her about her husband's disloyalty and his attempt to poison her, he asks her to grant him one favor, which she accepts, so long as it does not compromise her virtue. Anselm asks Mistress Arthur to live in secret with his mother in order to witness the behavior of her husband for herself. She agrees on the condition that he does not press his love for her again. Anselm later meets Master Fuller and tells him about Mistress Arthur's return from the dead and how she is staying with his mother. Fuller tells Anselm that Young Master Arthur has married Mistress Mary and Anselm asks him to tell Mistress Arthur himself, so that she may take pity on Anselm. When Mistress Arthur enters, Anselm listens as Fuller tells her that her husband has remarried Mistress Mary. After Mistress Arthur reaffirms her love for her husband, Anselm vows to have his virtue master his love and cease in his pursuit of her. At the end of the play Master Anselm and Master Fuller attend Young Master Arthur's trial. When Master Fuller attempts to explain how Aminadab came into possession of the poison and Master Anselm attempts to justify Fuller's actions, Justice Reason wants them both charged as accessories to the crime. After Mistress Arthur enters and negates the murder charge against her husband, Master Fuller explains that the poison was in fact a sleeping potion, and Master Anselm explains his rescue of Mistress Arthur from the tomb.
ARTHUR
Family name of Mistress, Old Master, and Young Master Arthur.
ARTHUR, MISTRESS
Devoted wife of Young Master Arthur, daughter of Old Master Lusam and sister of Young Master Lusam. Sends servant Pipkin to the Exchange to bid Young Master Arthur to come home; she also hopes that his inexplicable hostility towards her has disappeared. When Young Master Arthur arrives home with Young Master Lusam and Pipkin, Mistress Arthur tries to be cheerful towards him, but he continues to scorn her. She offers to do anything to win his favor, and when he suggests the only thing that will cheer him is her death, she rejects suicide and vows to continue in her duty towards her husband. Later, she comes out of the house with her husband, Pipkin, Young Master Lusam, Old Master Arthur, and Old Master Lusam. She asks Old Master Arthur not to wrong her husband, since she will be to blame since it is done for her sake; she also refuses to return home with her father, Old Master Lusam, since this would mean breaking the sacred knot of matrimony. After her husband, Young Master Lusam, and the old men exit, Mistress Arthur begins to do needlework in order to help defray the expenses she thinks her husband is accumulating. Later, she is compelled to join Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam when they take their suit against Young Master Arthur to Justice Reason. When she is given a chance to speak, Mistress Arthur criticizes Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam for shaming her husband publicly, and praises Justice Reason for not saying anything relevant, since she takes this to indicate that he knows he has no business hearing this case. Later, at home, she questions Pipkin about Young Master Arthur's whereabouts; after receiving several nonsensical answers, she sends Pipkin to look for Arthur again, and then to return to school. Later she encounters Master Anselm and Master Fuller outside her door, and when they tell her that Young Master Arthur is spending all of his time at Mistress Mary's house, she resists the suggestion of his infidelity, claiming first that he is simply trying to reform their sinful ways, and then suggesting that his own sinful behavior is a test of her fidelity. She refuses Anselm's suggestion that she divorce her husband and, exiting, vows instead to pray for her husband. Mistress Arthur next appears with her Maid and Pipkin preparing the house for the feast that Young Master Arthur has arranged. She welcomes Justice Reason and Hugh, Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam, Master Anselm and Master Fuller, and Aminadab. When Young Master Arthur enters with Young Master Lusam and Mistress Mary, Mistress Arthur obeys her husband's command to entertain Mistress Mary and to give up her place at the table to Mistress Mary. She proposes a toast to Justice Reason, and, after Master Fuller has told his tale, she drinks the cup of wine (containing the sleeping potion) her husband offers her as a pledge of peace. When the party begins to break up, Mistress Arthur exits with her husband and Pipkin and shortly afterwards Pipkin returns with news of her supposed death. Later, when the sleeping potion has worn off, Mistress Arthur awakens in her tomb and finds Master Anselm present. He tells her of her husband's disloyalty and his attempt to poison her, which she refuses to believe. She agrees to Anselm's request that she secretly stay with his mother in order to witness her husband's behavior for herself and makes Anselm promise not to woo her. Later she meets with Master Anselm and Master Fuller, and Master Fuller goes over in detail the wrongs that her husband has committed against her. Mistress Arthur listens in silence and then, after Fuller concludes, affirms her continued love for her husband, and wishes his new marriage may be happier than his old one. Later, reduced to poverty and lamenting the vanity of worldly pleasures, Mistress Arthur encounters the starving and despairing Young Master Arthur, who does not recognize her as his wife. She invites him to sit by her and, after offering him some food, listens to him repent for his actions against his former wife. She tells him not to despair, offers him some money, and exits. At the end of the play Mistress Arthur appears just as Justice Reason is about to charge Anselm, Fuller, and Aminadab as accessories to the murder charge against Young Master Arthur. She explains that the murder and poison charges are negated by the fact that she is alive. She tells Young Master Arthur not to shun her as it is heaven rather than her that must forgive him. At the end of the play Mistress Arthur stands on one side of Young Master Arthur as his example of the good wife in his speech to the husbands in the audience, telling them how to choose a good wife from a bad.
BOYS
Students of Aminadab. Two Boys, along with Pipkin, recite their Latin grammar lesson for Aminadab. Later two or three boys recite lessons with Aminadab when they see Mistress Arthur (in her shroud) returning from the tomb; they flee, thinking they have seen a ghost.
BRABO
A braggart and companion to Mistress Mary and Mistress Splay. When Mistress Splay plans to discuss marriage strategies with Mistress Mary, Mistress Mary tells Brabo to leave them. He returns with his sword later in the scene when Aminadab has armed and hidden himself, ready to fight off any suitors. Brabo threatens to hang Aminadab up like a dried sausage and then exits with Mistress Mary. Later, pleading his long service to her, Brabo asks Mistress Mary to marry him; she refuses, and tells him her aim is to entrap Young Master Arthur. Brabo next appears after Mistress Mary and Young Master Arthur are married. Brabo defends Mistress Mary's right to do as she pleases, and threatens violence against Young Master Arthur if he tries to harm her. When Mistress Mary dismisses Pipkin from the household, Brabo is called upon to turn him out. Brabo then stands aside with Mistress Splay while Mistress Mary and Young Master Arthur speak privately. When Young Master Arthur flees, fearing arrest for the murder of Mistress Arthur, Mistress Mary sends Brabo to get an arrest warrant for him. Brabo, along with some Officers, Mistress Splay, and Hugh, finds the impoverished and despairing Young Master Arthur. Brabo encourages the Officers to apprehend Arthur, staying behind them to ensure that none of them run away. At the end of the play he appears with Mistress Mary, Mistress Splay, Young Master Arthur and Hugh before Justice Reason, and offers to act as a witness to Arthur's confession before Mistress Mary. He then goes with Hugh to assist in the apprehension of Aminadab for selling poison. When Mistress Arthur appears and the murder charge disappears, Brabo wonders what prevented the poison from working on her.
FULLER
Tries to persuade Master Anselm to free himself from the bondage of love. The next day he again tries to dissuade Anselm, but when this fails he advises him to pursue his love aggressively and not to believe her if she refuses his advances. They arrive before Mistress Arthur's door and step aside when they hear Young Master Arthur, Mistress Arthur, Young Master Lusam, Old Master Arthur, Old Master Lusam, and Pipkin coming out. When Mistress Arthur is left alone, Fuller encourages Anselm to declare his love. As Anselm is speaking with Mistress Arthur, Fuller offers asides on Anselm's skill as a wooer. After Mistress Arthur rejects Anselm, Fuller suggests they try some other way to advance his love. Later, Fuller continues to discourage Anselm by telling him a tale of his mistress, who had sworn to name no other man but him, yet when he snuck up on her and covered her eyes, she named 20 other men before naming Fuller. Fuller agrees to continue helping Anselm so long as they work towards making Mistress Arthur hate her husband. When Mistress Arthur enters, Anselm and Fuller try to persuade her that Young Master Arthur is spending all of his time at Mistress Mary's house being unfaithful to her, and that she should divorce him. After she exits, Fuller again tries to persuade Anselm to abandon his frivolous love for Mistress Arthur. Anselm and Fuller then spy on Aminadab, in despair over the loss of his love Mistress Mary. Fuller tries to convince Anselm that love makes him appear as ridiculous as Aminadab, but Anselm will not believe it. Fuller then suggests that they jest with Aminadab and give him a sleeping potion, telling him that it is a poison. Aminadab spies Anselm and Fuller and asks them if they have anything he can use to rid his hosue of rats; Fuller then gives him the sleeping potion. After Aminadab exits, Anselm and Fuller encounter Young Master Arthur, who is in pursuit of Aminadab. Anselm invites himself to Young Master Arthur's house for dinner, and Young Master Arthur asks Fuller to come along as well. Master Anselm and Master Fuller arrive at Young Master Arthur's feast together. When Justice Reason asks the guests for a jest, Fuller tells a tale in which, after failing to woo a Puritan woman, he succeeds by disguising himself in Puritan costume and using Puritan forms of speech. As the feast ends and the guests begin to leave, Anselm finds his love for Mistress Arthur is even stronger due to her constancy and modesty, while Fuller again advises him to abandon his hopeless love for her. Pipkin then enters to them with the news of Mistress Arthur's supposed death: Anselm is devastated by the news while Fuller finds it intolerable that Anselm should swoon at the news of a woman's death. Later, Fuller meets Anselm who tells him of Mistress Arthur's recovery and how she is now hidden at his mother's house; Fuller in turn tells Anselm about Young Master Arthur's marriage to the prostitute Mistress Mary. When Mistress Arthur enters, Fuller goes over in detail the wrongs that her husband has committed against her, while Mistress Arthur listens in silence. After Fuller concludes, Mistress Arthur affirms her continued love for her husband, and wishes that his new wife will be better than she was. After she exits, Fuller is amazed at her purity. At the end of the play Master Anselm and Master Fuller attend Young Master Arthur's trial. When Master Fuller attempts to explain how Aminadab came into possession of the poison and Master Anselm attempts to justify Fuller's actions, Justice Reason wants them both charged as accessories to the crime. After Mistress Arthur enters and negates the murder charge against her husband, Master Fuller explains that the poison was in fact a sleeping potion, and Master Anselm explains his rescue of Mistress Arthur from the tomb.
HUGH
Justice Reason's servant. Accompanies Justice Reason to the feast at Young Master Arthur's where he plots with Pipkin to steal food in the buttery while the others are feasting. After the feast ends, Hugh returns to fetch Justice Reason's gloves and meets the distraught Pipkin, lamenting Mistress Arthur's supposed death and beating Hugh in the process. Later Hugh appears with Brabo, the Officers, and Mistress Splay to arrest the impoverished and despairing Young Master Arthur. Hugh reluctantly participates in the arrest, and orders the Officers to take Young Master Arthur away. At the end of the play he brings Young Master Arthur before Justice Reason to face the charge of murder brought against him by Mistress Mary. Justice Reason sends Hugh to fetch Aminadab to face a charge of selling poison; he brings in Aminadab.
JAMES
A "ghost character". One Master Fuller's mistress' lovers.
JUSTICE REASON
Hears the case of Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam, who bring Mistress Arthur and Young Master Lusam with them, against Young Master Arthur for his behavior towards Mistress Arthur. He offers useless advice to Old Masters Arthur and Lusam as well as to Mistress Arthur, and claims he can do nothing until they bring him Young Master Arthur. He invites Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam to join him in a glass of March beer. Later, he is invited to Young Master Arthur's feast and arrives with Hugh. He greets Old Master Arthur, Old Master Lusam, Master Anselm, Master Fuller, and Aminadab when they arrive. He asks Mistress Mary to sit by him, but Young Master Arthur insists that she sit in his wife's place. He then asks Aminadab if Pipkin is his scholar, and admires Pipkin's display of knowledge. He also asks the guests if anyone has a jest, which leads Master Fuller to tell his tale. After Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur drink their toast of reconciliation, Justice Reason leaves along with Old Master Arthur, Old Master Lusam, and Hugh. He returns later in search of Hugh, who was sent to find Justice Reason's gloves, and learns of Mistress Arthur's supposed death. At the end of the play, Justice Reason hears the contrary suits of Old Master Arthur, who seeks clemency for his son, and Old Master Lusam, who seeks justice for the death of his daughter. He silences their quarrel as Young Master Arthur enters to face the charge of murder brought against him by Mistress Mary. Although Young Master Arthur admits to murdering Mistress Arthur, Justice Reason continues to pursue the case, threatening to charge Aminadab and Master Fuller with selling poison, and Master Anselm with attempting to justify Fuller's actions. Mistress Arthur's arrival and resolution of the confusion finally eliminates the need for Justice Reason to hear any of these cases.
MAID
Works for Mistress Arthur and assists her in preparing for the feast arranged by Young Master Arthur.
MARY, MISTRESS
Young prostitute, employee of Mistress Splay, loved by Aminadab and Young Master Arthur. Has been courted by many men, and is advised by Mistress Splay to seek a rich husband above all else. Accepts the courtship of Young Master Arthur, but asks about his wife. After Arthur promises to do something to get rid of his wife, she tells him to leave her as Aminadab enters; she hides as Aminadab, armed with a bill and headpiece, promises to fight off any suitors. She watches him hide as Brabo enters and then comes forward to exit with Brabo. Later, she arrives at Young Master Arthur's feast with Young Master Arthur and Young Master Lusam. Young Master Arthur orders Mistress Arthur to attend to Mistress Mary, and Mistress Mary thanks her, while also secretly regretting the harm she is doing to Mistress Arthur. She initially resists taking Mistress Arthur's place at the table, but accepts when Mistress Arthur insists. She offers a toast to Young Master Arthur and, after the reconciliation of Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur, accepts Aminadab's offer to escort her home. Later, Brabo proposes to her, claiming to have loved her for a long time; she rejects him and tells him her aim is to entrap Young Master Arthur. When Young Master Arthur enters, Mary complains that his seven hour absence has seemed eternal to her and she questions his love for her. Her love for Arthur revives when he tells her that he has a license and plans for them to be married this evening, but in an aside she comments that her love for Arthur will decline with each day of the marriage. Later, after she is married to Young Master Arthur, she insists that she have her will, refusing to acknowledge his authority or even his affection for her. To further torment Arthur, she uses his money to support Mistress Splay and Brabo, and also dismisses Pipkin. After Mistress Splay and Brabo exit to leave her alone with Arthur, she refuses to explain why her feelings for him have apparently changed. When Arthur admits to poisoning Mistress Arthur for her sake, she calls him a murderer and fears for her own life. After Arthur flees, Mary sends Brabo for an arrest warrant, hoping that once Arthur is arrested and executed she will have free access to his wealth. At the end of the play she appears with Young Master Arthur, Brabo, Mistress Splay, and Hugh before Justice Reason to press her charge of murder against Young Master Arthur. Despite Arthur's confession, Mistress Mary continues to press for his execution for the crime. When Mistress Arthur appears and nullifies the murder charge, Mistress Mary sees that her malice against Arthur has been in vain. She ends the play standing on stage as Young Master Arthur's example of a bad wife in his final speech to the husbands in the audience, telling them how to choose a good wife from a bad.
OLD MASTER ARTHUR
Father of Young Master Arthur. Discusses with Old Master Lusam the falling out between Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur. He cannot decide whether it is best to become involved in their quarrel and try to end it, or to leave the couple to work it out themselves. After Old Master Lusam concludes that they should leave them alone, Old Master Arthur decides to visit the couple after dinner. He arrives along with Old Master Lusam at Young Master Arthur's door, where he and Old Master Lusam deliberate over whether to go through with their visit or not, deciding eventually to go inside. Later, they come outside with Young Master Arthur, Mistress Arthur, Young Master Lusam and Pipkin; Old Master Arthur calls Young Master Arthur a knave for treating his wife so cruelly. After Young Master Arthur leaves, Old Master Arthur threatens to take further action against his son and weeps for Mistress Arthur; he exits with Old Master Lusam. Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam bring their grievances against Young Master Arthur to Justice Reason; they also bring along Mistress Arthur and Young Master Lusam. After squabbling between themselves and getting no useful advice from Justice Reason, they go to join the justice in a glass of March beer. Later, Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam arrive at the feast given by Young Master Arthur. They both tell Mistress Arthur that she appears sad as she tends to Mistress Mary's needs, but Mistress Arthur denies this. They both listen to and admire Master Fuller's tale, and then rejoice at the reconciliation of Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur. They leave at the end of the feast with Justice Reason and Hugh, and return with Justice Reason when he returns for Hugh, at which point they learn of Mistress Arthur's supposed death. Both men are overcome with grief and Young Master Arthur tells them to go in and view Mistress Arthur's body. At the end of the play Old Master Arthur appears before Justice Reason pleading for clemency towards Young Master Arthur, who will stand trial for the murder of Mistress Arthur. He argues with Old Master Lusam, accusing him of trying to take away his son, and they are both silenced by Justice Reason when Young Master Arthur arrives. When Mistress Arthur arrives, Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam are both overjoyed to see her alive and both ask her to explain her return from the dead.
OLD MASTER LUSAM
Father of Young Master Lusam and Mistress Arthur. Discusses with Old Master Arthur the falling out between Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur. As Old Master Arthur weighs the benefits of becoming involved in the quarrel or leaving the lovers to work it out themselves, Old Master Lusam sees the benefits to both options, but opts for leaving the lovers to themselves. When Old Master Arthur decides to do the opposite, Old Master Lusam goes along with him. They arrive at Young Master Arthur's door, where he and Old Master Arthur deliberate over whether to go through with their visit or not, deciding eventually to go inside. Later, they come outside with Young Master Arthur, Mistress Arthur, Young Master Lusam and Pipkin; after Old Master Arthur calls Young Master Arthur a knave, Old Master Lusam repeats the charge. Young Master Arthur refuses to accept Old Master Lusam's charge, since he is only his father in law. Old Master Lusam then grants that Young Master Arthur is honest, but asks him why he is so cruel to Mistress Arthur. After Young Master Arthur exits, Old Master Lusam offers to take Mistress Arthur home, but she refuses to abandon her marriage to Young Master Arthur. When Old Master Arthur weeps for Mistress Arthur's situation, Old Master Lusam follows suit. He then exits with Old Master Arthur. Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam bring their grievances against Young Master Arthur to Justice Reason; they also bring along Mistress Arthur and Young Master Lusam. After squabbling between themselves and getting no useful advice from Justice Reason, they go to join the justice in a glass of March beer. Later, Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam arrive at the feast given by Young Master Arthur. They both tell Mistress Arthur that she appears sad as she tends to Mistress Mary's needs, but Mistress Arthur denies this. They both listen to and admire Master Fuller's tale, and then rejoice at the reconciliation of Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur. They leave at the end of the feast with Justice Reason and Hugh, and return with Justice Reason when he returns for Hugh, at which point they learn of Mistress Arthur's supposed death. Both men are overcome with grief and Young Master Arthur tells them to go in and view Mistress Arthur's body. At the end of the play Old Master Lusam appears before Justice Reason pleading for justice in the case of his murdered daughter. He argues with Old Master Arthur, who accuses him of trying to take away his son, and they are both silenced by Justice Reason when Young Master Arthur arrives. When Mistress Arthur arrives, Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam are both overjoyed to see her alive and both ask her to explain her return from the dead.
PIPKIN
Servant to Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur. Sent by Mistress Arthur to the Exchange to bring Young Master Arthur home. He meets Young Master Arthur and accompanies him home. Later, arrives late for his Latin grammar lesson with Aminadab and the two Boys. After creatively misconstruing his lesson, Pipkin leaves early in order to run an errand for Mistress Arthur. Mistress Arthur questions Pipkin about the whereabouts of Young Master Arthur, and he covers his lack of knowledge with nonsense. Mistress Arthur orders Pipkin to search again for Young Master Arthur and then return to school. Pipkin expresses his reluctance to return to school, since, at age 24, he is the oldest student in the grammar school. He meets Young Master Arthur and asks him to come home; Young Master Arthur refuses and instead tells Pipkin that he will be out all night. He also tells Pipkin to give a purse of money to Mistress Arthur to buy supplies for the feast with, and to invite Justice Reason, Old Master Arthur, and Old Master Lusam to dinner tomorrow. Pipkin next appears with Mistress Arthur and the Maid preparing the house for Young Master Arthur's feast. When Justice Reason and Hugh arrive, Pipkin arranges with Hugh to steal some food once the feast is under way. When the feast starts, Pipkin waits at the table, and is comically questioned about his learning by Aminadab. At the end of the feast, Pipkin exits with Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur, and then quickly returns to announce Mistress Arthur's supposed death to Master Anselm, Master Fuller and Young Master Lusam, Hugh, Justice Reason, Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam. Pipkin next appears after Young Master Arthur and Mistress Mary are married. Mistress Mary dismisses Pipkin from the household as a way of tormenting Arthur.
ROBIN
A "ghost character". One Master Fuller's mistress' lovers.
SPLAY, MISTRESS
Brothel keeper and employer of Mistress Mary. Advises Mistress Mary to use her good looks to marry a rich husband. She leaves when Young Master Arthur arrives to court Mistress Mary. Later, she witnesses Brabo propose to and be rejected by Mistress Mary. Mistress Splay next appears after Mistress Mary and Young Master Arthur are married. She defends Mistress Mary's right to have her way in all things, and stands aside with Brabo while Mistress Mary and Young Master Arthur speak privately. Later, Mistress Splay joins Brabo, the Officers, and Hugh as they arrest Young Master Arthur. After he is arrested, Mistress Splay looks forward to sharing in his wealth. At the end of the play she appears with Mistress Mary, Brabo, Young Master Arthur and Hugh before Justice Reason, and offers to act as a witness to Arthur's confession before Mistress Mary. When Mistress Arthur appears and the murder charge disappears, Mistress Splay wonders what prevented the poison from working on Mistress Arthur.
YOUNG MASTER ARTHUR
Married to Mistress Arthur. Arguing with Young Master Lusam, he claims that despite his wife's beauty and good character, he is determined to hate her but will not fully disclose his reasons. He sees Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam speaking together and exits with Young Master Lusam to avoid their chiding. When he arrives home with Young Master Lusam and Pipkin he ignores Mistress Arthur, and calls her attention to him mockery. When Mistress Arthur asks what she can do to cheer him, he tells her that her death is the only thing that would make him happy; he then exits to dinner with Young Master Lusam. Later he comes out of his house with Mistress Arthur, Young Master Lusam, Pipkin, Old Master Arthur, and Old Master Lusam. He is called a knave by his father and by Old Master Lusam, and he refuses to accept this charge from Old Master Lusam. Asserting his independence from his father and vowing to find peace, he exits. Later, he encounters the schoolmaster Aminadab and asks him about a pretty young woman (Mistress Mary) he has recently seen. Aminadab tells Young Master Arthur that the young woman is unmarried and promises to help him if Arthur keeps Aminadab informed concerning his progress. Young Master Arthur arrives at Mistress Mary's house and professes his love to her. When Mistress Mary returns his affections, he vows his current wife shall die so that Mistress Mary can become his second wife. When Mistress Mary spies Aminadab approaching, she tells Young Master Arthur to leave her for the time being. Later, in pursuit of Aminadab, he encounters Master Anselm and Master Fuller. Master Anselm invites himself for dinner at Young Master Arthur's house, and Young Master Arthur asks Fuller to join them as well. He then meets Aminadab, who is preparing to take his poison. Arthur, realizing he can use the poison on his wife, persuades Aminadab not to take his life for the sake of a woman. He takes the poison from Aminadab for his own use, and promises to keep Aminadab's shameful behavior secret if he will come to Young Master Arthur's house for dinner. After Aminadab agrees and exits, Young Master Arthur plans a false feast of reconciliation with his wife, to which he will invite Justice Reason, Old Master Arthur, Old Master Lusam, Young Master Lusam, and Mistress Mary, along with those he has already invited (Master Anselm, Master Fuller, and Aminadab); he also plans to administer the poison to his wife before the feast. He encounters Pipkin, who has been sent to search for him and bring him home, and tells Pipkin that he will be out all night. He also tells Pipkin to give a purse of money to Mistress Arthur to buy supplies for the feast with, and to invite Justice Reason, Old Master Arthur, and Old Master Lusam to dinner tomorrow. He arrives at the feast with Young Master Lusam and Mistress Mary and orders Mistress Arthur to entertain Mistress Mary. As the company is seated, Young Master Arthur insists that Mistress Mary sit in his wife's place at the table. He then asks Aminadab to say grace and orders Pipkin and Hugh to wait on the table. After Pipkin demonstrates his learning for Aminadab, Young Master Arthur exits in order to prepare the poisoned cup for his wife. He later returns with two cups of wine and proposes a toast of reconciliation between himself and Mistress Arthur. They drink, and then, as the party begins to break up, Young Master Arthur exits with Mistress Arthur and Pipkin. After the news of Mistress Arthur's supposed death has been announced by Pipkin, Young Master Arthur enters mourning and tells Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam to go in and view the body. Later he arrives at Mistress Mary's house and, after she complains that he is neglecting her, tells her that he has a marriage license and that they are to be married that evening. Later, after their marriage, Young Master Arthur finds that Mistress Mary has become willful and disobedient, insisting that Arthur support Mistress Splay and Brabo in addition to herself, and that she be able to do as she pleases without his consent. To further torment Arthur, she dismisses Pipkin. Young Master Arthur finds himself in an impossible situation, since any public complaint against his wife would lead to humiliation for being overruled by his wife. Asking Mistress Splay and Brabo to leave them alone, Young Master Arthur asks Mistress Mary why she does not return his affection. He also reminds her that he left his first wife for her sake, and he even admits that he poisoned Mistress Arthur for her sake. When Mistress Mary reacts with alarm, fearing that she will also be poisoned, Young Master Arthur flees for safety, lamenting his choice of an unchaste over a chaste wife. When Young Master Arthur next appears he is impoverished, starving and despairing, as all of his friends have refused to aid him once news of the murder became known. He meets Mistress Arthur (whom he does not recognize) and begs some food from her. He then tearfully confesses his crimes against his former wife as well as his sufferings with Mistress Mary, repenting of his sins and ready to die in despair. He accepts sympathy and some money from Mistress Arthur and, after she exits, prepares himself for arrest and death. When Brabo, the Officers, Mistress Splay, and Hugh arrive to arrest Young Master Arthur, he offers no resistance. At the end of the play he appears before Justice Reason, where he confesses to the murder of Mistress Arthur. He asks for the law's punishment and sees Mistress Mary's malice towards him as divine punishment for his earlier treatment of Mistress Arthur. He explains to Justice Reason that he acquired the poison from Aminadab, but that Aminadab is innocent of any knowledge of the murder. When Mistress Arthur appears, Young Master Arthur thinks he is being haunted by her ghost, but when he finds she is alive he is overcome with emotion and asks her to explain her return from death. After Fuller and Anselm explain the sleeping potion and Mistress Arthur's recovery from the tomb, Young Master Arthur ends the play by placing Mistress Arthur and Mistress Mary on either side of him and enumerating for the audience the qualities of the good and the bad wife, so that husbands will be able to choose a good wife from a bad.
YOUNG MASTER LUSAM
Son of Old Master Lusam and brother of Mistress Arthur. Arguing with Young Master Arthur, he tries to discover why Young Master Arthur is determined to hate his wife, Mistress Arthur, in spite of her beauty and good character. He exits with Young Master Arthur when Arthur sees Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam. He goes with Young Master Arthur and Pipkin to Young Master Arthur's home where he continues to work towards a reconciliation of Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur. His estimation of Mistress Arthur only increases as she patiently suffers her husband's abuse. Young Master Lusam exits to dinner with Young Master Arthur. Later, he comes out of the house with Young Master Arthur, Mistress Arthur, Pipkin, Old Master Arthur, and Old Master Lusam, and witnesses the exchange between the two old men and Young Master Arthur as well as Young Master Arthur's departure. He praises Mistress Arthur for her saintly patience and rare virtue, and then exits. Later, he is compelled, along with Mistress Arthur, to join Old Master Arthur and Old Master Lusam when they take their case against Young Master Arthur to Justice Reason. He objects several times to the senselessness of Justice Reason's pronouncements, but is either ignored or misunderstood. Later, Young Master Lusam arrives with Young Master Arthur and Mistress Mary at Young Master Arthur's feast. He is gladdened by Young Master Arthur and Mistress Arthur's reconciliation, and finds his love for women in general improved by the example of Mistress Arthur's virtue. When news of Mistress Arthur's supposed death arrives, Young Master Lusam is suspicious of Young Master Arthur due to his recent hatred towards his wife.
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