Anonymous
(Shakespeare Apocrypha)
EDMOND IRONSIDE, or WAR HATH MADE ALL FRIENDS
circa 1590–1600
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
AETHELRAEDE
An alternative form for Egleredus. (q.v.)
AETHELRED
An alternative form for Egleredus. (q.v.)
ALFRED
An alternative spelling for Alphred. (q.v.)
ALPHRED
(Alphred) Son of the late King Egleredus from his second marriage, Edmond Ironside's half-brother. When the civil war between Ironside and Canute starts, his mother Emma sends him and his brother Edward to her brother Richard, Duke of Normandy.
ALFRICK
Edmond Ironside's loyal counselor, general of Edmond's army.
AYLEWARD
Follower of Edmond Ironside.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
Follower of Canute. As primate of the English bishops he tries to keep the church behind Canute, but both the church and the nobility are split.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK
Follower of Edmond Ironside. He disregards the Archbishop of Canterbury's order to support Canute.
BAILIFFS
Two bailiffs of London refuse to submit their city to Canute. In the ensuing attack, Canute's army is dispersed and Canute has to flee to Worcester.
CANUTE
An alternative form for Canutus. (q.v.)
CANUTUS
Canute the Great, Dane, the son of the Viking Swaine or Swanus (historically: Svein Haraldsson). The late Saxon King Egelredus (historically: Ethelrede the Unready) was Swaine's tributary. Together with his son Edmond Ironside, Egelredus tried to deliver England from the Danish yoke. Swaine and Egelredus are dead when the play starts, and the Archbishop of Canterbury and a number of Saxon peers have legally proclaimed Canute King. But Edmond Ironside has crowned himself, and some of Canute's followers change to the Saxon side. Canute marries Southampton's daughter Egina to bind her father to his side. As a Christian king, Canute is inclined to mildness against his Saxon subjects, although his counselor Edricus recommends cruelty. But when he hears that Leofricke and Turkullus have left him, he has the hands and noses of their sons, his pledges, cut off. He besieges and attacks London, but his army is dispelled and he has to flee to Worcester. Only with the help of a new Danish army does he get the upper hand again. His counselor Edricus deceives both him and Ironside several times. But in the end both follow Edricus' advice to have a single combat to the death to decide who should be king. After their even and chivalric fight the two rivals stop the fight, become friends, and decide to share the kingdom. (Historically, Edmond got Wessex, and Canute kept the rest of the country. After Edmond's death Canute became King of all England, Denmark and Norway. He married Emma, Ethelready's widow.)
CHORUS
A chorus comments upon the battle before London's city gates in act III.
EADRIC
An alternative form for Edricus. (q.v.)
EDMOND IRONSIDE
Saxon prince, eldest son of the late King Egleredus. After his father's death he takes the crown before Canute is legally proclaimed King by the Archbishop of Canterbury. His counselor Edricus deceives both him and his rival Canute several times. But in the end both follow Edricus' advice to have a single combat to the death to decide who should be king. After a chivalric fight the to rivals become friends and decide to share the kingdom. (Historically, Edmond got Wessex, and Canute kept the rest of the country. After Edmond's death Canute became King of all England, Denmark and Norway.)
EDRICKE
A poor and honest man, who believes that he is Edricus' father. (In an aside his wife tells us that he is not, it was an unknown soldier.) Together with his wife he wants to visit their son. They are accompanied by Stitch, who wants to become Edricus' servant. Stitch is immediately employed by Edricus, and his first task is to whip the two old people out of town.
EDRICUS
(Eadric) Saxon, Duke of Mercia, an arch-villain and traitor, of poor origins. According to his mother (a poor man's wife), his father was an unknown soldier. Before the play starts, and until Egleredus' death, he has secretly supported Swaine, Canute's father. During the battle of Ashingdown he openly changed from Ironside's to Canute's side. At the beginning of the play he is one of Canute's counselors and recommends cruel treatment of his own Saxon countrymen. After the battle against Ironside's army in Act III is lost, he changes his clothes with his servant Stitch and goes back to Edmond Ironside in this disguise to find out whether he would still be welcome. Edmond recognizes him and he gets into difficulties. But as Canute's new Danish Army approaches, he finds his way again into Edmond's favor. He betrays him again, sends a letter to Canute and changes sides once more. Canute, too, is betrayed a second time, and Edricus goes back to Ironside's camp a third time. Ironside and Canute have learned to mistrust him now, but Edricus manages to persuade them again. He acts as a spy and double agent for both sides. Before coming to the final battle between their two armies, both kings want proofs of his loyalty. To escape from a decision that might be fatal for him, he suggests that Ironside and Canute should fight against each other in a single combat to the death, and thus save the lives of their soldiers. The kings agree, although Canute is warned against this course by his wife Egina and Ironside by his stepmother Emma. Edricus' plan fails when the kings stop their chivalric fight and become friends. The kings share the country, and Edricus is left alone in the end, crying for revenge on both.
EDWARD
Son of the late King Egleredus from his second marriage. Edmond Ironside's half-brother. When the civil war between Ironside and Canute starts, his mother Emma sends him and his brother Alphred to her brother Richard, Duke of Normandy. (Historically, Edward was later to become King Edward the Confessor).
EGELRED
An alternative form for Egleredus. (q.v.)
EGINA
Southampton's daughter. She is married to Canute for political reasons. She loves her husband and warns him against fighting Ironside in single combat.
EGLEREDUS
A "ghost character", his name is alternatively spelled Egelred and Aethelraede. Historically he was Aethelred II / Ethelred the Unready. Duke of Normandy, the late King of England, tributary to Swaine and Canute. Emma's late husband, father of Ironside, Alphred and Edward. Egleredus is dead when the play starts.
EMMA
Egleredus' widow, mother of Alphred and Edward, Edmond Ironside's stepmother. When the civil war between Edmond Ironside and Canute starts, she sends her own sons Alphred and Edward to her brother Richard, Duke of Normandy. She loves her stepson and warns him against fighting Canute in single combat. (The historical Emma was later to marry Canute, and their son was Hardycanute or Hardaknut Knutsson, King of Denmark).
ETHELRED
An alternative form for Egleredus. (q.v.)
GUNTHRANUS
One of Emma's guards. He takes her sons Alphred and Edward to her brother Richard, Duke of Normandy.
HERALD
A herald tells the bailiffs of the city (of London) that they should accept Canute as their king. The bailiffs refuse, and in the ensuing battle Canute's army is dispersed and Canute has to flee to Worcester.
LEOFRICKE
Earl of Chester. Saxon, in the first scene a follower of Canute, but he thinks that Ironside is the true king, and he changes sides together with Turkillus, leaving their eldest sons as pledges in Canute's hands. As a result of their fathers' treason, the sons have their noses and hands cut off. At the end of the play both Turkillus and Leofricke swear revenge.
MESSENGER, FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD
A messenger tells Canute that his forces are dispersed in act II. Another messenger tells him that Edmond's army is approaching in act III, and yet another messenger warns Edmond in act IV that Canute's army is approaching.
PLEDGES
The sons of Turkillus and Leofricke are Canute's pledges for their fathers' loyalty. In act II, when Canute hears that their fathers have joined Ironside, their hands and noses are cut off.
POOR MAN'S WIFE
Edricus' mother. Together with Stitch and her husband, Edricke, she goes to visit her son. She tells us that Edricus is not Edricke's son, but the son of an unknown soldier. Edricus has Stitch beat her and her husband out of town when he takes on Stitch as his new servant.
RICHARD, DUKE OF NORMANDY
Emma's brother, a "ghost character." Emma sends Gunthranus with her sons Alphred and Edward to him for safety.
ROGER
One of Edricus' servants.
SOUTH
An alternative form for Southampton (q.v.)
SOUTHAMPTON
(South), Saxon, loyal follower of Canute. He lets his daughter, Egina, marry Canute in Act II.
STICH
An alternative spelling for Stitch (q.v.)
STITCH
A roguish character who visits the wicked Edricus along with Edricke and the poor man's wife (Edricus' mother). There he becomes Edricus' servant. His first task is to beat Edricke and Edricus' mother out of town.
SVEN
An alternative form for Swaine (q.v.)
SWAINE
A "ghost character." Alternative spelling of Swanus and Sven. He is a Dane, Canute's father and former king of England. When the play begins, Swaine and his tributary, the Saxon King Egleredus, are already dead.
SWANUS
An alternative form for Swaine (q.v.)
SWETHO
Dane, follower of Canute.
TURKILLUS
Saxon, in the first scene a follower of Canute, but he thinks that Ironside is the true king. Together with Leofricke he changes sides, although their eldest sons remain as pledges in Canute's hands. As a result of their fathers' treason, the sons have their noses and hands cut off. At the end of the play Turkillus and Leofricke swear revenge.
ULFKETTLE
An alternative spelling for Vlfkettle. (q.v.)
USKA
An alternative form for Vskata. (q.v.)
VLFKETTLE
Saxon, follower of Ironside.
VSKA
An alternative form for Vskata. (q.v.)
VSKATA
(Vskataulf, Vskataulfe, Vska) Dane, follower of Canute.