THE ROYAL KING AND THE LOYAL SUBJECT
[same as the presumed lost play MARSHAL OSRIC?]
1602–1618 MARSHAL OSRIC's dates of payment were 20–30 September 1602
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
AUDLEY, LADY MARY
Lady Mary Audley is modest, chaste, and virtuous. She is teased by the Princess for her lack of a husband, but then the Captain enters and reveals that they are betrothed. Mary accepts the Captain despite his poverty, and says she'll use her wealth to raise him to the place he deserves. She tries to send him money via the Clown, but the Captain will not accept it: he wants to make his way by merit.
AUDLEY, LORD
Lord Audley is angry that his daughter, Mary, wants to marry the ragged Captain. But he changes his tune when the Captain reveals that he's really rich. Lord Audley is present in many of the court scenes, but contributes little to the plot.
BAWD
The Bawd turns away the Captain and the Clown from her bawdy-house because they are wearing ragged clothes. When the Captain reveals that he has money, she changes her mind. But then the Captain lectures the Bawd and her whores on their moral corruption, and stalks off.
BONVILE
Bonvile is the proper name of the character usually referred to as the Captain; he should not be confused with Lord Bonvile.
BONVILE, LORD
Lord Bonvile refuses to aid his kinsman, the Captain, who is suffering poverty. He is present in many of the court scenes, but contributes little to the plot.
CAPTAIN
This character is occasionally referred to as 'Bonvile,' but should not be confused with Lord Bonvile. The Captain is the leader of the band of ragged soldiers who have returned from the crusades in a state of poverty. The Captain says he has spent all his money on gaining valor, but once he has gained it, everyone spurns him except his faithful Clown. His kinsman, Lord Bonvile, refuses to help him, and although he has made a contract to marry Lady Mary Audley, her father, Lord Audley now rejects him. Mary is virtuous and accepts him despite his poverty. The Captain will not, however, accept any financial assistance from her; he wants to be accepted in society for his merit. He goes to his old ordinary, but cannot get served there, and the same thing happens at the brothel, because the Bawd turns up her nose at their ragged clothes. However, the Bawd changes her tune when the Captain shows that he has some money after all, and the Whores become friendly to him. At this point the Captain lectures them on moral corruption, and stalks off. The next time we see him, he is wearing rich clothes, and reveals that in fact he was only pretending to be poor; during the war, he found a house full of jewels and is in fact very rich. The Captain then lords it in front of the people who spurned him, pointing out that he has not changed; only his attire has. The King is impressed, and makes him a courtier.
CHESTER, LORD
Lord Chester, and his friend Lord Clinton, are jealous of the Marshall's ascendance in the King's affections. They plot to undermine him by suggesting to the King that the Marshall's loyalty is insincere. The King believes them, and orders the Marshall to give up his office to Chester. When the Marshall is banished, it is Chester who delivers the King's demand that the Marshall send him his fairest daughter. He also returns Isabella when the King rejects her. For a while, Clinton and Chester are happy, but when the Marshall is eventually restored to the King's affections, the two lords begin plotting again. Luckily for them, the King is angered when the Marshall returns a dowry, and they work hard to keep him angry. The King sentences the Marshall to death. But the Marshall is saved when Isabella, Katherine, thee Prince, and the Princess save him by begging the King to remember his familial ties. The King realizes his folly and denounces Chester as a traitor instead.
CLINTON, LORD
Lord Clinton, and his friend Lord Chester, are jealous of the Marshall's ascendance in the King's affections. They plot to undermine him by suggesting to the King that the Marshall's loyalty is insincere. The King believes them, and orders the Marshall to give up his ceremonial key to Chester. For a while, Clinton and Chester are happy, but when the Marshall is eventually restored to the King's affections, the two lords begin plotting again. Luckily for them, the King is angered when the Marshall returns a dowry, and they work hard to keep him angry. The King sentences the Marshall to death. But the Marshall is saved when Isabella, Katherine, thee Prince, and the Princess save him by begging the King to remember his familial ties. The King realizes his folly and denounces Chester as a traitor instead.
CLOWN
The Clown's name is 'Cocke' and the stage directions and speech prefixes intermittently name him as such. He becomes the Captain's 'man', and accompanies him everywhere, without contributing anything to the plot.
COCKE
The Clown's name; he is intermittently named as such in the speech prefixes and stage directions.
CORPORAL
One of the band of ragged soldiers (may be the same character as Touchbox). He accompanies the Captain at first, but leaves him after the Captain is rebuffed by the courtiers.
DIOGENES
Only mentioned by the Bawd, who compares the Captain to Diogenes the Cynic, who would have behaved similarly in a bawdy-house.
GENTLEMEN
Two gentlemen with no money are let into the Bawd's brothel in front of the Captain, because they look the part; this proves the Captain's moral, "'Tis general through the world, each state esteems / A man not what he is, but what he seems." When the whores realize that the Gentlemen have no money, then send them on their way.
HOST
The Host of the Captain's favorite ordinary spurns him when he's dressed in ragged attire. He changes his tune when the Captain reveals that he is rich, is rich, and the Captain puts him in his place.
ISABELLA
Isabella is the Marshall's eldest daughter. The Marshall returns to live with his daughters in the country after being banished from the court. But the King then demands that the Marshall send his fairest daughter to him. The Marshall reluctantly agrees. He chooses Isabella because she's the eldest, pointing out that since the King has never seen them he doesn't know which is really the fairest. They decide that if the King gets her pregnant she should then humiliate him by telling him that she is not in fact the fairer of the two after all. So Isabella goes to the court, where the King falls in love and decides to make her his Queen. She is a good Queen and everyone admires her. But when she begins to suspect that she is pregnant, she reveals to the King that her sister is in fact more beautiful than she. The King is furious and sends her back, along with her dowry, and demands the other daughter. Instead, the Marshall sends Isabella back, in expensive regalia, attended by Katherine as a handmaid, and with the dowry doubled. The King is moved by this generosity, and decides to outdo the Marshall: he keeps his Queen, and allows Katherine to marry the Prince. Later, when the King becomes angry with the Marshall again, and sentences him to death, Isabella, Katherine, the Prince, and the Princess save him by begging the King to remember his familial ties.
JOYCE
A "ghost character." A prostitute in the Bawd's brothel.
KATHERINE
Katherine is the Marshall's youngest daughter. The Marshall returns to live with his daughters in the country after being banished from the court. But the King then sends a message demanding that the Marshall send his fairest daughter to him. The Marshall reluctantly agrees. Katherine volunteers, but the Marshall chooses Isabella. When the King later spurns Isabella when she tells him that she is not really the fairest, the King returns her and demands Katherine instead. The Marshall waits three months, then sends Isabella back, in expensive regalia, with Katherine as a handmaid, and with the dower doubled. Moved by this generosity, the King decides to outdo the Marshall: he keeps his Queen, and allows Katherine to marry the Prince. Later, when the King becomes angry with the Marshall again, and sentences him to death, Isabella, Katherine, the Prince, and the Princess save him by begging the King to remember his familial ties.
KING of ENGLAND
The King of England returns from the Crusades. He commends his Marshall for saving his life in battle, and makes him his second-in-command and heir. The other lords are jealous, and under pressure from them, he becomes cold toward the Marshall, finally humiliating him by giving the Marshall's office, key and staff to Clinton and Chester. When the Marshall protests, the King banishes him. Then the King demands that the Marshall send him his fairest daughter. Isabella is duly sent, and the King falls in love with her and makes her his Queen. The Marshall sends a handsome dowry, which the King accepts but refuses to change his attitude to him. Isabella is a good Queen and everyone admires her. But when she begins to suspect that she is pregnant, she reveals to the King that her sister is in fact fairer than she. The King is furious and loses all his love for her. He sends her back, with her dowry, and demands the other daughter. After three months, the King gets impatient. (In the meantime, he concludes the subplot when he meets the Captain, and makes him a courtier). The Marshall sends Isabella back, in expensive regalia, attended by Katherine as a handmaid, and with the dower doubled. Moved by this generosity, the King decides to outdo the Marshall: he keeps his Queen, and allows Katherine to marry the Prince, believing that he has won the battle of generosity. But the Marshall then enters and presents the King with the greatest treasure of all: a baby boy that Isabella has given birth to. The Marshall then marries the Princess, and the King gives them a large dowry. But the Marshall returns it because he loves the Princess for her virtue, not her wealth. This angers the King again. The Marshall is brought to trial, and the King sentences him to death. But before this can be carried out, Isabella, Katherine, the Prince, and the Princess save the Marshall by begging the King to remember his familial ties. In the end, the King eulogizes the Marshall as "the substance of all perfect loyalty."
LACY, LORD
A lord; has no lines and contributes nothing to the plot.
MARSHALL
The King's Marshall is fervently loyal to his King. He saved the King's life during a battle, and so the King makes him his second-in-command and heir. During a hunt, the Marshall even gives up his horse's shoes when the King's horse loses one. But the other lords are jealous, and Chester and Clinton persuade the King that the Marshall is merely a sycophant. The King believes them, and humiliates the Marshall by stripping him of his office, keys and staff, which he is forced to give to Chester and Clinton. The Marshall bears this patiently until his staff is taken, at which point he breaks down and calls the King "unkind." For this, the King banishes him. The Marshall travels to the country, to be with his two daughters. But the King then demands that the Marshall send his fairest daughter to him. The Marshall chooses his eldest daughter, Isabella, and they decide that if the King gets her pregnant she should humiliate him by telling him that she is not in fact the fairest of the two after all. So Isabella is sent to the court, along with a dowry. The King makes Isabella his Queen, and the Marshall admires his noble treatment of her. But then Isabella carries out the plan, and the King sends her back, demanding Katherine instead. The Marshall says that Katherine is sick and her beauty is decayed, but that he'll send her to the King when she's better. Instead, he waits three months, then sends Isabella back, in expensive regalia, with Katherine as a handmaid, and with the dowry doubled. The King is moved by this generosity, and decides to outdo the Marshall: he keeps his Queen, and allows Katherine to marry the Prince. He does not believe the Marshall can give him a better present than this: but the Marshall then enters and presents the King with the greatest treasure of all: the baby boy that Isabella has given birth to. The Princess then decides to marry the Marshall, and everyone dances joyfully. But when the King gives the Marshall and his new wife a dowry, the Marshall becomes depressed. He decides to return the dowry, and accept the Princess purely for her virtue. This annoys the King, and the Marshall is brought to trial. The King sentences him to death, and the Marshall virtuously bequeaths all his goods to others. But he is saved when Isabella, Katherine, the Prince, and the Princess beg the King to remember his familial ties. The King realizes his folly, and eulogizes the Marshall as "the substance of all perfect loyalty." Note: If in another draft this character were named Osric, then this is probably the lost Heywood/Smith play called MARSHAL OSRIC in Henslowe's notes.
MATCH
Match is one of the band of ragged soldiers. He leaves the Captain when his rich friends spurn him. Later, when the Captain becomes rich, Match and Touchbox try to return to him, but the Captain fobs them off with some spare change.
PHAETON
The King compares the Marshall to Phaeton.
PRINCE
The Prince is the son of the King. According to Chester, the Marshall deliberately lost to the Prince in a tournament, just to be obsequious. The Prince respects the Marshall. He also offers to help Mary to marry the Captain. He speaks up for the Captain when he asks to the King to be a courtier. He marries Katherine, and when the Marshall is about to be sentenced to death, Isabella, Katherine, the Prince, and the Princess save him by begging the King to remember his familial ties.
PRINCESS
The Princess is the daughter of the King. She respects the Marshall. She is shocked by the relationship between the Captain and Mary, but agrees to support her friend. When the King and the Marshall are reconciled after their differences, the Princess decides to marry the Marshall. When the Marshall is about to be sentenced to death, Isabella, Katherine, thee Prince, and the Princess save him by begging the King to remember his familial ties.
PRISCILLA
A "ghost character." A prostitute in the Bawd's brothel.
QUEEN
Isabella is referred to as 'Queen' in speech prefixes and stage directions after her marriage.
RICE ap DAVY ap MORGAN ap EVAN ap JONES ap GEFFREY
A "ghost character." The Welshman's uncle, to whom he will relate the size of the organ at St Paul's.
SERVANTS
The servants in the play are all probably the same character, but may not be. The Marshall tells a servant to re-shoe the King's horse with his (the Marshall's) horse's shoes. A servant of the Marshall presents the King with the dowry that the Marshall has sent along with his Isabella. Later, a servant announces Chester's return with Isabella. Then he returns to re-present Isabella to the King.
SIS
A "ghost character." A prostitute in the Bawd's brothel.
TOUCHBOX
A ragged soldier (may be the same character as the Corporal). With Match, he tries to return to the Captain when he becomes rich, but the Captain fobs them off with some spare change.
WELSHMAN
The Welshman has come to London to see if the organ at St Paul's is really bigger than the one at Wrexham.
WHORES
Two whores in the Bawd's brothel reject the two Gentlemen because they cannot pay them. They are more pleased with the Captain and the Clown. But then the Captain annoys them by lecturing them on their moral corruption.