Anonymous
("John Webster and William Rowley" on title page rejected)
THE THRACIAN WONDER
1590–circa 1600
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
ALCADE
Alcade is the King of Africa. Eusanius and Sophos live in his court. Alcade gives an army to Sophos to help him take the Thracian throne from Pheander. Moor 1 suggests to Alcade that Eusanius is planning to elope with Princess Lillia Guida. Alcade banishes Eusanius from Africa, and plans to marry Lillia Guida to Sophos. Later, he travels to Thrace, arriving in time to assist Sicilia's war against Pheander, but he is captured by Eusanius in the second battle. Alcade agrees to settle the war by single combat between Radagon and Eusanius, and when all the disguised characters have revealed their identities, he allows Lillia Guida to marry Eusanius.
ANTIMON
An old shepherd, father of Serena and the Clown, who rescues Ariadne and the baby Eusanius from the shipwreck. Many years pass. After Pan's festival, Antimon tries to woo Ariadne, and when she rejects him, he banishes her from his house. Driven mad by love, he joins in the mad dance of Palemon and the Clown, and then dresses himself in fine clothes, hoping to attract Ariadne. But the Clown tricks him into giving up some of the clothes, and Antimon ends up looking like an idiot. When the shepherds declare war on Pheander Antimon and the Clown are sent as their heralds.
ARIADNE
Daughter of King Pheander, Ariadne angers her father by secretly marrying and having a child with Radagon, son of his enemy, the King of Sicilia. Pheander banishes them, and after a shipwreck, Ariadne and the baby Eusanius are washed up on the Thracian countryside, and rescued by Antimon. Ariadne lives among the shepherds under the name of Mariana not knowing that Radagon is also living nearby. Many years pass, during which time Eusanius goes missing. At the shepherd's festival, Ariadne dances with Radagon without realizing it, and they are crowned King and Queen of the Shepherds. Antimon and Titterus fall in love with her, and she angrily rejects both. She then encounters the grown-up Eusanius; they do not realise they are mother and son, and Ariadne becomes attracted to both Radagon and Eusanius, not realising that they are her long-lost husband and son. She is then abducted by Pheander (who doesn't realise she is his daughter). After the war, she watches the single combat between Radagon and Eusanius. When Radagon reveals his true identity, she reveals hers. And when she describes losing her son, Sophos realises it must be Eusanius, and Ariadne is reunited with her entire family.
CHORUS
Explains the dumbshow of the shipwreck, and apologizes for skipping so many years in a narrative, which he symbolizes by turning over the hourglass that Time had set down.
CLOWN
The play's clown character is a shepherd, the brother of Serena and son of Antimon. The Clown wears ribbons at the shepherds' festival, and the mad Palemon mistakes him for Serena, so the Clown ends up dancing a 'mad dance' with him. He tricks old Antimon out of some of his rich clothes (by making him fear that all the girls will chase him). In the war against Pheander, Antimon and the Clown are sent as the shepherd's herald, and the Clown looks after Palemon during the battle.
EUSANIUS
Eusanius is the son of Aridane and Radagon. He appears as a baby in act one, where he is banished, along with his mother, by Pheander. After being rescued from the shipwreck, many years pass. When still a young child, Eusanius is lost, and is found by Sophos who raises him. Sophos and Eusanius end up in the court of Alcade, King of Africa. When Alcade suspects Eusanius of fancying Lillia Guida, his daughter, Eusanius is banished. He arrives in Thrace, and meets Ariadne without realising that she is his mother. He then has a conversation with Pheander, Ariadne and Radagon, in which none is aware of the identities of the others. When they hear of Ariadne's abduction by Pheander, Radagon and Eusanius rally the shepherds to rescue her, but Pheander convinces them to unite with him against the invading Sicilians. In the first battle, Eusanius captures the King of Sicilia, and is angered to learn that Radagon has switched sides and set him free. In the second battle, Eusanius captures Alcade, Sophos and Lillia Guida. He agrees to settle the war with a single combat between him and Radagon. But when Radagon and Ariadne reveal their true identities, and Ariadne describes how she lost her child, Eusanius realises he must be her son.
FISHERMAN
Warns Pheander that the Sicilians are coming.
JANUS
A Roman God performed by Titterus at Pan's festival to symbolize the change from winter to summer.
KING OF SICILIA
Father of Radagon, and enemy of Pheander He threatens to invade Thrace if Radagon is not found, and is surprised when Pheander resigns the kingdom to him, in order to search for Radagon. He returns the kingdom to the Thracian Lords to govern themselves. When the truce expires, and Pheander has not, as he promised, found Radagon, Sicilia returns to invade Thrace. Captured by Eusanius in battle, he is left in Radagon's charge, and is puzzled when Radagon (whom he does not recognize) switches sides and releases him. After the second battle, he agrees to settle the war by single combat between Radagon and Eusanius. When Radagon reveals his true identity, Sicilia offers his crown to his son, but Radagon refuses it.
LEONARDO
A Thracian lord who dies of plague.
LILLIA GUIDA
The white-skinned daughter of the King of Africa. Lillia Guida agrees to let her servant Eusanius fight in the war against Pheander and gives him her scarf as a favour. She tries to defend him from the slur of treason brought by Moor 1 but fails, and Alcade plans to marry her to Sophos instead. She is brought to Thrace by her father, where they are captured by Eusanius. After the identities of the disguised characters are revealed, and it has transpired that Eusanius is a prince, her father permits her to marry him.
MARIANA
The pseudonym of Ariadne when she lives among the shepherds.
MENALCHUS
The name taken by Radagon when he lives as a shepherd.
MOOR 1
A lord in Alcade's court. He suspects Lillia Guida of fancying Eusanius and suggests as much to Alcade, who banishes Eusanius.
PALEMON
Palemon is a shepherd who is in love with the shepherdess Serena. He had previously been merry, but is now melancholic and violent. When Serena tells him never to speak to her again, he goes mad, spouting exaggerated love poetry. Palemon breaks up Pan's festival by frightening everyone. He mistakes the Clown for Serena, and dances with him. When Pheander abducts Ariadne the shepherds tell Palemon that it is Serena who has been abducted, so that he will fight alongside them. After the battle, Serena cures his wounds. Her kindness cures his madness, too, and Serena then grants him her love.
PALLATIO
The proper name of Thracian Lord 1. Some editors use this name in his speech prefixes, but the original text does not.
PHEANDER
Pheander, King of Thrace is infuriated when his daughter Ariadne secretly marries and has a child with Radagon, the son of his enemy, the King of Sicilia. He banishes them both, separately, from his kingdom. Many years pass, during which Thrace is blighted by plague. Pheander banishes Sophos when he tries to plead Ariadne's case, and sends to the Delphic oracle for guidance. The Oracle blames Pheander for the plague, and says he must wait until a shepherd restores his "health and crown". When the Sicilians threaten invasion, Pheander meets them, dressed as a pilgrim. He repents banishing Radagon and Ariadne and resigns the kingdom to wander Thrace, disguised as a pilgrim, in search of the shepherd mentioned by the Oracle. He has a conversation with Radagon, Ariadne and Eusanius about their banishment (none of them realising who the others are). He then abducts Ariadne, in the belief that the Oracle intends him to beget an heir on a shepherdess. When the shepherds lead an army against him, he persuades them to unite against the invading Sicilians. In the second battle, he is captured by Radagon, and agrees to settle the war with a single combat between Radagon and Eusanius. Before the fight is over, Pheander asks Radagon why he is against him, and Radagon reveals his true identity, followed by Ariadne. Pheander realises that the oracle has come true, and yields his crown to Radagon, who recommends he give it to Sophos.
PRIEST
The Priest introduces the Thracian Lords to the Pythia, voice of the Oracle.
PYTHIA
Voice of the Delphic Oracle. Blames the plague on Pheander and offers a cryptic prediction that comes true in the end.
RADAGON
Radagon is the son of the King of Sicilia. He has pretended to be a groom, in order to woo Ariadne, daughter of Pheander, his father's enemy. When Pheander finds out, he banishes him, and after a storm, Radagon is washed up on the Thracian coast. For many years he lives among shepherds, taking the name of Menalchus not knowing that Ariadne is also living nearby. At Pan's festival, he dances with Ariadne without realizing it, and they are crowned King and Queen of the shepherds. He has a conversation with Pheander, Ariadne and Eusanius and they discuss the banishment (none of them realizing who the others are). When they hear of Ariadne's abduction by Pheander, the shepherds make Radagon their general in an assault on the court. But Pheander persuades them to unite with him against the invading Sicilians. In the battle, Radagon feels sympathy for his father, and switches sides. In the second battle, he captures Pheander. He agrees to settle the war with a single combat between him and Eusanius. But before the fight is over, Pheander asks why he is against him: Radagon reveals his true identity, and his family is reunited as the identities of Ariadne and Eusanius are also revealed. When Pheander offers Radagon his crown, he refuses it, and recommends he give it to Sophos.
SERENA
A shepherdess, skilled at herbal medicine, with whom Palemon falls in love. When she tells him never to speak to her again, he goes mad. She rejects Titterus's attempts at persuading her to love Palemon. She cures the wounded Shepherd. After the battle, she cures Palemon's wounds, and when his madness is also cured, grants him her love.
SHEPHERD
Enters wounded and running, to tell of Ariadne's abduction by Pheander.
SICILIAN LORD 1
A lord who comes to Thrace in search of Radagon, and learns that he was banished. He warns Pheander that the King of Sicilia will be angry. Before the final battle, he advises the King of Sicilia to attack Pheander.
SICILIAN LORD 2
A lord who makes a valiant speech when it seems the Sicilians will have to fight Pheander. Before the final battle, he warns that Pheander is attacking.
SOPHOS
Pheander banishes his brother Sophos for pleading the case of Ariadne. Many years later, Sophos ends up at the court of Alacade, King of Africa with Eusanius, whom he had found in Thrace as a child. Alcade agrees to help him removes Pheander from the throne. Sophos arrives at the battle in time to assist the Sicilians. When Ariadne explains how she lost her child, Sophos realizes that Eusanius must be her son, and the family is reunited.
THRACIAN LORD 1
An important Thracian, who is named Pallatio although most editions do not use the name in his speech prefixes. He begs Pheander to spare Ariadne's life, and advises him against executing Sophos He travels to the Delphic oracle and brings the message to Pheander. The Thracian Lords are given charge of the country by the King of Sicilia, when Pheander resigns the throne. After the second battle, Thracian Lord 1 organizes the parley between Sicily and Thrace.
THRACIAN LORD 2
Supports Thracian Lord 1 in everything he does.
THRACIAN LORD 3
Advises Pheander against executing Sopos.
TIME
An allegorical figure who interrupts the Chorus by setting down an hourglass to represent the amount of time conventionally displayed in a play. The Chorus confutes Time by turning the glass over.
TITTERUS
A merry shepherd who sings songs throughout the play. Titterus rescues Radagon from the shipwreck. He is a love-hater and a misogynist, but as soon as he sees Ariadne, he falls in love. He is cured when he observes the madness that love has caused in Palemon and Antimon He begs Serena to love Palemon, and after the battle, persuades her to cure Palemon of his wounds. When she does, and Palemon's madness is also cured, Titterus repents of his misogyny.