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I.i: The neighborhood of Carthage.Antiochus and a Stoic Philosopher meet outside the city of Carthage. The Stoic is attempting to convince Antiochus, the King of Lower Asia, that it is time the King, who has long been absent, to reassert Carthage's place as rival to Rome. Antiochus complains that he lacks the funds for a military campaign. He nobly swears he will succeed or die trying.
I.ii. A street in Carthage. Three Asian Merchants are speaking with Berecinthius, a Flamen of Cybele, about their grievances concerning Rome. Berecinthius explains the plight of the Merchants and the debt Rome owes to their courage in fighting, their labor, and so on. Flaminius, a Roman Ambassador, defends Rome's treatment. He accuses them of having forgotten their place and the power of Rome. The Merchants and Berecinthius pine for the return of the presumed-dead Antiochus. Suddenly, Antiochus is before them and all are stunned, believing him to be a deity. He reveals to them his plans to go before the Carthaginian Senators.
II.i. Carthage. A room in Flaminius' house. At the house of Flaminius. The Roman Ambassador and Calistus, a freedman in his service, speak of the appearance of Antiochus. They assume he is merely one of many impostors that have appeared of late. Flaminius sends Calistus to secure a mandate for the apprehension of Antiochus. Three men, Chrysalus, Syrus and Geta, servants of Antiochus, enter the house. Chrysalus swears this is the real Antiochus. Flaminius thanks them for their information even as he plans to have them all killed.
II.ii: : The Senate House in Carthage. In the Senate Hall of Carthage, Amilcar, the Prince of the Senate, and three other Senators, Hanno, Asdrubal and Carthalo, discuss the appearance of Antiochus. They decide to act prudently on the issue of the supposed king's identity. Flaminius states that he can prove Antiochus is an impostor. Amilcar rejoins that if the stranger is the real Antiochus, Rome's meddling will lead to a breech between their two nations.
Antiochus, who enters with Berecinthius and the three Merchants, begins his defense by severely insulting Flaminius. He further pleads with the Senate to remember him as he was. Flaminius counters that they are in the presence of an imposter, probably an 'apostata Jew,' and that there is no one who can vouch for his identity. Antiochus proves himself with a signature, which matches documents on record. He is set free, but not given power.
III.i: A room in Flaminius's House. Calistus and Demetrius inform Flaminius that they have enlisted the aid of a man named Titus to spy on Antiochus. But he is soon informed by Titus that Antiochus has fled the city for Bithynia, where he seeks the support of its king, Prusias. Leading citizens and merchants have fled with him. Flaminius inquires as to whom Prusias favors most, and learns it is his tutor, Philoxenus. Flaminius, decided to bribe Philoxenus, intends to influence Prusias.
III.ii. Antiochus and the Merchants arrive in Bithynia to meet up with Berecinthius, who has prepared a meeting with Prusias. Prusias welcomes Antiochus and publicly proclaims his protection and support. Berecinthius tells the Merchants that once Carthage is freed, they will then attack Rome. As the scene closes, Flaminius and Demetrius arrive.
III.iii. Bithynia. A room in the palace. In an apartment within the palace, Flaminius meets with Philoxenus, who, for a small bribe, has arranged a meeting between the King and the Roman Ambassador. Prusias and Flaminius meet, and the latter begins by bringing greetings from Rome. Prusias is not impressed with these Roman geopolitical maneuverings; he sees no falsehood in Antiochus and he will not ignore his kingly duty to restore Antiochus to the throne. Flaminius points out Prusias and his armies are no match for Rome. Prusias acquiesces, in part due to coaxing from Philoxenus. Prusias encounters Antiochus and informs him that he must surrender him to the Romans. The Queen interrupts as the guards are taking Antiochus away; she wants her husband to act as a king, not a Roman vassal. She is promptly removed. The Ambassador confronts Berecinthius with the option of service to Rome or death. Berecinthius chooses death.
IV.i. Callipolis. A room in the Proconsul's house. Metellus, the Proconsul of Lusitania, Sempronius, a Captain of the Guard, discusses first a revolt in Asia, then a courtezan. Flaminius arrives, and asks council on various ways they might discredit Antiochus, who, though a prisoner, is still favored by the people of Carthage. Metellus suggests they torture him until he confesses he is an imposter. Flaminus rejects this as ineffective. In whispered asides, Metellus suggests a more devious trap involving a woman.
IV.ii: The prison at Callipolis. Antiochus speaks with the Jailor. The Jailor is laying out instruments of torture. Antiochus is left alone with the weapons and he contemplates being his own executioner. The Jailor returns with food and promises Antiochus that he can get more for him if he confesses to being a traitor and an impostor. Antiochus refuses. The courtezan Metellus and Sempronius were discussing earlier enters the prison. She claims to be a virgin and sinful in her infatuation with Antiochus. She offers herself to him; her body for a confession. Antiochus sees through her ploy and resists her charms.
IV.iii: Callipolis. A street. On a street in Callipolis, officers bring in Berecinthius and the first Merchant, both in chains. They are being prepared for execution. Berecinthius asks only that he receives a proper burial.
IV.iv. Callipolis. A room in the Proconsul's house. Flaminius discuses with Metellus how Antiochus will be paraded through the street as an example of Roman power. Sempronius returns with news that even after his humiliation, Antiochus still appears undiminished in the people's eyes. An Officer brings Antiochus in, and Flaminius offers him one more chance to confess all. Antiochus again refuses.
V.i: In Syracuse. A room in the palace. The Merchants present Marcellus, the Proconsul of Sicily, proof that Antiochus is who he claims to be. Marcellus' wife, Cornelia, and a Moorish waiting-woman, enter. Cornelia reminds Marcellus what a friend Antiochus has been to him. She wishes to meet with Antiochus to determine for herself whether or not he is an impostor. Flaminius enters with Demetrius and consents to let Cornelia speak with Antiochus. Before leaving, Flaminius warns Marcellus of the possible repercussions of supporting Antiochus. Marcellus thanks him for his 'advice' and entreats Flaminius to enjoy the entertainment of Syracuse.
V.ii: Syracuse. Another room of the palace. Antiochus, heavily guarded, enters. Marcellus, Flaminius, Cornelia and the Moorish waiting-woman enter the room. Antiochus challenges Marcellus to identify him as the real King. Flaminius interrupts and says it would be treason if Marcellus does so. Antiochus asks Marcellus if he remembers the sword that he gave him. Marcellus sends for all the swords in his armoury to be brought to them. Antiochus identifies the correct sword. Antiochus further calls on Cornelia to bring out the necklace he gave her, describing its intricate engravings. Further, Antiochus recognizes the Moor woman as one formerly of his laundry, and identifies her by name. Cornelia is convinced, but Marcellus begs her to be silent. However, when Flaminius attempts to take Antiochus into his own custody, Marcellus stops him. He has written proofs of the Ambassador's corruption, and has Flaminius arrested. Flaminus swears this that Marcellus 'shall answer/ This in another place.' Marcellus then also arrests Antiochus, who prophesizes he will soon die. He says his future, dark as it is, was fated, and his rise and fall should be a lesson to other monarches.
The epilogue displays the author's hope that the reader has enjoyed the play and claims his innocence of anything that may be amiss.
Flaminius, the Roman Ambassador at Carthage, attempts to imprison Antiochus and discredit his claims of being.
Lentulus, the successor of Flaminius in Carthage.
Metellus, the Proconsul of Lusitania, aids Flaminius in his pursuit of Antiochus.
Marcellus, the Proconsul of Sicily, is the one who can finally prove that Antiochus is who he claims to be. Although a Roman, he has no loyalty to Flaminius.
Hanno, Asdrubal and Carthalo are Carthaginian Senators who find Antiochus innocent of treason and treachery.
Prusias, the King of Bithynia, believes Antiochus' claim but if fearful of Roman power.
Philoxenus, the tutor and minister of Prusias, aids Flaminius.
Berecinthius, a Flamen of Cybele, is a loyal follower and believer of Antiochus. He travels throughout the play continually searching for someone to believe in Antiochus' identity.
The first, second and third Merchants, former subjects of Antiochus, work in conjunction with Berecinthius to re establish Antiochus. The first Merchant dies with Berecinthius in the streets of Callipolis. The second and third Merchants deliver the letter that leads to the demise of Flaminius.
Calistus and Demetrius, freedmen in the service of Flaminius, act as the latter's henchmen.
Titus, a spy in the service of Flaminius.
Chrysalus, Syrus and Geta, servants of Antiochus who fought with him in the Achaian War. They are able to provide proof from their experience that Antiochus is in fact who he says he is. Flaminius has them systematically killed.
Sempronius, a Captain, is in the employment of Metellus. He is one of the men behind the plan involving the courtezan and Antiochus in the prison.
Stoic Philosopher appears in the first scene of Act I. He convinces Antiochus to return to his city and regain his throne.
Jailor keeps the company of Antiochus while he is imprisoned. He lays out all of the instruments of torture and attempts to bribe a confession out of Antiochus with food.
Queen of Prusias attempts to intervene in the manipulation of her husband on behalf of Antiochus, however she is quickly dismissed by Prusias.
Cornelia, the wife of Marcellus, aids in the vindication of Antiochus through the use of her necklace and the engravings only Antiochus knows about.
Courtezan tries to trick Antiochus into confessing that he is in fact an impostor in exchange for sex.
Zanthia, a Moorish waiting-woman, is a servant to Marcellus and Cornelia. She is recognized by Antiochus.
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A long-lost king who returns to take his title is also the subject of John Ford's Perkin Warbeck. Ford was a Massinger collaborator but, so far as I have been able to determine, has never been suggested as a co-author of this play.
Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe's play, Dido, Queen of Carthage may form suggestively tragic backdrop, if only because of Marlowe's fame. If Marlowe and Nashe's play explores the cost of love, Massinger's explores the cost of loving power.
Synopsis:
In the prologue, an unstated character asks the reader to excuse the faults of the texts and to "Believe as you List."
Characterization:
Antiochus, the King of Lower Asia, has been absent from his throne for twenty-two years. He returns to Carthage to find the Romans firmly in control.
Notes of Interest:
This play was presumed lost among the works destroyed by Bishop Warburton's maid, Betsy. In 1844, Mr. T. Crofton Croker acquired a manuscript, possibly in Massinger's hand, signed by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels. The first leaf was badly damaged. Although scholars have been able to piece out a line or two in some parts, chunks of the text still remain missing from 1.1., 2.2., and 5.2. The manuscript has since gone missing. This is suspicious, considering the value of the manuscript, and the prevalence of forgers in this era. Lewis Theobald's Double Falsehood, which he claimed was a lost Shakespeare, also went missing soon after its 'discovery' in 1727; the manuscripts for William-Henry Ireland's forged Shakespeare plays, Vortigern and Henry II, were initially presented to the public, but were presumed lost until my rediscovery of them in 1993; the eccentric late eighteenth-century Shakespeare editor, George Steevens, and the acerbic nineteenth-century Shakespeare editor, J.P. Collier, were also Shakespeare forgers. Clearly, discovering a Massinger is not of the same value as discovering a Shakespeare, but these forgers were often indiscriminate. Ireland also tried his hand at forging Ben Jonson, and Steevens forged a letter from George Peele.
Plays to be compared:
ROMAN TRAGEDIES in general, but the play also has some other allusions and echoes worth exploring: