Richard Brome

A MAD COUPLE WELL MATCHED

1637?–1639

a synoptic, alphabetical character list

ALICIA

Mistress Alicia is Mr Saleware's light wife. She runs a cloth shop that belongs to her husband, who does not pay too much attention to her. Thus, she decides to make him jealous. In Act One, Sir Thrivewell comes to court her. Alicia does not give up so easily, but she cannot say no to 100 pieces of gold. Betrayed by her suitor, she will avenge his offence soon. When she is courted in Act Two by Bellamy, she gets rid of him by saying that he has to sleep with Lady Thrivewell first. Later, on her husband's arrival, she decides to depart for a business and spend the night out. Alicia is to sleep with Bellamy after he has carried out the task assigned. She is caught red-handed, but she is finally forgiven in the last scene of the play.

ALICIA'S CHILDREN

"Ghost characters." Mr Saleware is suspicious that he may not be the father of one of his children.

AMIE

A silent character. She is Fitzgerrard's sister. She left her town and acquaintances two years ago when she had an affair with Lord Lovely. Her brother comes in Act Five looking for her. She marries Bellamy at the end of the play.

AMIE'S FRIENDS

"Ghost characters." They were abandoned by Amie when she left her town.

ANDROMEDA

Only mentioned. Andromeda is a mythological character with whom Lady Thrivewell is compared due to her beauty. She was a beautiful maiden chained to a rock as prey for a sea monster. She was rescued by Perseus, who then turned her uncle Phineus to stone by showing him the head of Medusa.

BELLAMY

Bellamy is a young handsome gentleman. He depends on Lord Lovely. However, when he visits Alicia in Act One, Bellamy betrays his master by opening his heart to her. Being rejected, he compares her with Endymion. Bellamy asks her to wear a pair of silk stockings and a ring, which seems to convince the lady. However, to have her love he is given a dangerous test: to sleep with Lady Thrivewell. He is caught red-handed by Saveall. Nevertheless, he gets away with it and goes to sleep with Alicia. Later on, in Act Four, he is informed by the cuckold about his plans of revenge. Bellamy goes to Lord Thrivewell to tell him that his house has been a bawd house as this lord had saved him from robbery and murder in the past. Bellamy marries Amie at the end of the play.

BELLAMY'S FATHER

A "ghost character." He is Old Bellamy's brother. Old Bellamy says that he does not want Bellamy to be like him as he was a drunkard.

CARELESSE, GEORGE

George Carelesse is a young wild heir. In Act One, Carelesse asks Wat whether he has taken a letter to Mr Saveall to intercede for him with his uncle. He has been counting on his uncle's help lately to pay off his debts and on his advocates to defend him at court. However, Carelesse has gotten into trouble again. But that is not his single problem. Carelesse has to maintain Phoebe, and he does not know how. At the beginning, Carelesse plans a plot against his uncle and to open a brothel of he-whores. However, later on he prefers to defend his uncle and Mr Saveall. In Act Two, he has already paid all his debts and he sends a letter to tell Phoebe not to meddle in his affairs. But, the letter reaches Mistress Crostill by mistake. Carelesse has fallen in love with his aunt, whom he compares with Andromeda. He wants to give her an heir, and so he accepts her invitation. He misunderstands her intentions and he confesses that he is more obliged to her than to his mother because he has been reborn with the lady. When Carelesse finds out the truth, he runs to court Mistress Crostill, whom he marries at the end.

CARELESE'S FATHER

A "ghost character." Carelesse is asked whether he has inherited anything from his ancestor.

CARELESSE'S MOTHER

A "ghost character." She was Carelesse's mother and Sir Thrivewell's sister.

CLOSET

Closet is an old crone, nurse-keeper to Lady Thrivewell. She has brought up Lady Thrivewell, who is a young sweet lady. She wants her to have an heir to die in piece after having done her job, and therefore she makes a broth for Sir Thrivewell as a stimulant. In Act Two, she takes a letter from her lady to Carelesse.

CLOSET'S ANCESTORS

"Ghost characters." In Act Two, she says that she can rest in piece with her ancestors if she sees that her lady gives a baby to her master.

CROSTILL, ANNE

Mrs. Anne Crostill is a rich vintner's humorous widow. In Act Three, she gets erroneously the letter that Carelesse had written to Phoebe. She is told not to interfere in his affairs when the suitor really wanted to marry her. Thus, when he visits her in Act Four, she rejects him in spite of loving him. Mistress Crostill marries Carelesse at the end of the play.

ENDYMION

Only mentioned. Endymion is mythological character. He was a handsome shepherd boy with whom the moon goddess Selene fell in love, and he sleeps eternally. He is compared with Alicia by Bellamy when she rejects him.

FITZGERRARD

Fitzgerrard is a gentleman, cousin to Old Bellamy. In Act Five, he arrives looking for his sister Amie.

LADY THRIVEWELL

Lady Thrivewell is Sir Thrivewell's wife. She married to give her husband a son. But, she finds out that he has been unfaithful to her. In Act Two, she is buying a dress in Alicia's shop with her Servingman. She is not to pay it because Alicia has lain with her husband. She also invites Carelesse to come with her abroad in the coach to buy some toys, which is misunderstood as an invitation to sleep with her. Later, in Act Four, when she is left alone by her husband, she plans to make Carelesse sleep with a lady.

LADY THRIVEWELL'S CHAMBERMAID

A "ghost character." Lady Thrivewell reveals how Saveall had almost abused of her chambermaid one day that he was drunk.

LADY THRIVEWELL'S COACHMAN

A silent character. In Act Two, he opens the door of the coach to his lady when she goes shopping.

LADY THRIVEWELL'S SERVINGMAN

A silent character. In Act Two, he accompanies the lady to go shopping and to hold her purse.

LORD LOVELY

Lord Lovely is a wencher. He is Sir Thrivewell's spokesman. He is in love with Alicia and therefore he sends a tailor and a mercer to make a dress for her. In Act Four, he advises Mistress Crostill to accept Carelesse as her husband.

LORD LOVELY'S PAGE

This page arrives in Act Five to inform Lord Lovely that Alicia and Saleware have come.

MERCER

A "ghost character." He is paid by Lord Lovely to make a dress for Alicia.

OLD BELLAMY

Old Bellamy is Bellamy's uncle. In Act Five, he tells Lord Lovely that he wants his nephew to be like him and not like his father.

OLD BELLAMY'S PARENTS

"Ghost characters." Old Bellamy confesses that they were nice people and that he does not understand how Bellamy's father could turn out to be a drunkard.

OLD SIM

A "ghost character." He is the butler who helps Saveall in his flings.

PHOEBE

Phoebe is Carelesse's whore. Carelesse had gotten engaged with her. But later, she was abandoned by her groom although he took her under his protection. She has a child of his. In Act Three, she wrongly gets a letter from Carelesse, where he asks her to marry him, when that letter had been directed to Mistress Crostill. She finally marries Wat.

PHOEBE'S CHILD

A "ghost character." He is Carelesse and Phoebe's child.

PRENTICE

A silent character. Prentice is a lady who works in Alicia's shop. She is to take the dress to Lady Thrivewell's.

SALEWARE, THOMAS

Thomas Saleware is a citizen and a cuckold. In fact, he has always thought that one of his kids was not his. His wife, Alicia, works in his shop. In Act One, he comes to see how much she has sold. There, he discovers that she has not made much money. They decide to be friends from now on. Later, in Act Four, he shares his doubts with Bellamy because he thinks that his wife has been sleeping with someone, and then he is planning his revenge. In Act Five, he goes to Lord Lovely's with Alicia to complain about Bellamy, who has slept with his wife and who has been seen to go to Lord Thrivewell. Then, he is informed that everything was his wife's plan to make him jealous.

SAVEALL

Saveall is Sir Thrivewell's demure steward and friend. In Act One, he is begged by Carelesse to intercede with his uncle for him. Later, in Act Three, he takes a letter to Phoebe on behalf of Carelesse, but he has gotten the wrong document: a letter written to Mistress Crostill. Afterwards, he catches Bellamy and Lady Thrivewell red-handed, whom he threatens if they do not pay him 500 ponds. However, he keeps silence as they know about his flings. He is to be Lady Thrivewell's servant from now on.

SIR THRIVEWELL

Sir Thrivewell is Carelesse's uncle. Sir Thrivewell adopted him as his heir and he has given his nephew 200 pounds per annum. He has also helped him with his debts. However, now he has gotten tired of it and he has decided to get married to have an heir. Nevertheless, before that, he confesses to his wife that he has been sleeping around with Alicia. In Act Two, he makes up his mind about his nephew to whom he is to give 10,000 pounds and a wife. In Act Four, he tells his wife that he is to depart on a trip, which is to be his perdition as Bellamy tells him in Act Five.

SIR THRIVEWELL'S ADVOCATES

"Ghost characters." They have been paid by Sir Thrivewell to defend Carelesse at court.

SIR THRIVEWELL'S SERVANT

A silent character. He works at Sir Thrivewell's as his servant.

TAILOR

A "ghost character." He is sent to Alicia by Lord Lovely to make her a dress.

WAT

Wat is a blunt fellow and servingman to Carelesse. At the very beginning, he is asked to take a letter to Mr Saveall, which he does. Nevertheless, Wat advises his master to find another way to support himself. Wat has always been on his side. He asks Carelesse if his father has bequeathed something to him, but he has not. Thus, Wat will ask his aunt to help them. In Act Three, he takes a letter to Mistress Crostill, whom his master will marry. He will emulate him marrying his master's whore.

WAT'S AUNT

A "ghost character." She is mentioned to support her nephew to set up a brothel.

WOMAN

A disguise that Bellamy adopts in the last scene of the play until he marries Amie.