The Knight of the Burning Pestle 1076-1137

Norton Introd

1. Boys acting company—indoor theatre—private and more expensive

2. Satiric of London merchant class and obscene--topical

3. Citizen and wife are silly, but the theatrical conventions are too—courtly vs. bourgeois

4. Breaking of theatrical illusion an old trick

5. Error of Citizen and wife in rooting for the blocking figures

6. Many worlds

Observations

7. Different dialects

a) Citizen and Wife

b) Actors

c) The London Merchant—parody of romance

(1) The lovers: Luce and Jasper

(2) Humphrey and Venturewell

(3) Merrythoughts

d) Rafe and the mock chivalric characters—parody of epic

8. Lunatic, Lover and Poet—imagination and madness—the woods and the stage: green room

9. Bottom and the fairies is like Rafe and the lady Pomponia

10. On-stage audience, commenting and interfering is like Puck with lovers and mechanicals and like Act 5 of MND

11. Issue of judging a play

12. Find funny places

Reading notes

B. Dedicatory letter—mention of Don Quixote, denying influence, which probably was real

C. Prologue: intent was to move inward delight, not outward lightness, soft smiling not loud laughing…far from unseemly speeches

D. Induction

1. Prologue starts and citizen climbs on stage, attacking prologue for mocking citizens of London; wants traditional plays about the city

2. Citizen wants a grocer [cf. Bottom, wanting to control the stage]

3. Wife calls from audience: “let him kill a lion with a pestle”

4. Citizen helps wife and Rafe on stage

5. Mention of play named Jane Shore—the one who was Hastings’ mistress in RIII

6. Wife suggests that he be played by Rafe; husband agreed—cf. Mechanicals in MND

7. *Let him have a suit of reparal—malaprops—cf. Homespuns—Wife sounds like Bottom—enthusiastic and domineering—speak a huffing part—he spouts Hotspurs lines—a ham

8. Citizen wants play called “the Grocer’s Honor”; actor calls it “Knight of the Burning Pestle”; need shawms for music; he’ll pay for them

E. Scene 1.1

1. Venturewell, merchant: you are my prentice…whom my charitable love redeemed. You never had charge to love your master’s daughter…when I had found a wealthy husband for her 12

2. Servant: its her decision; father—you’re fired; Luce, daughter: O fear me not—totally loyal [senex plot—Volpone and MND]

3. Citizen: *fie on em, little infidels; wife: Rafe will find all out. Husband dotes on wife who dotes on Rafe, sends him licorice “’twill open his pipes the better”

F. Scene 1.2

1. Venturewell and Humphrey his choice: “My wanton prentice that like a bladder blew himself with love I have let out” 6

2. *Humphrey makes “bloody simile” 16

3. *Wife interrupts players: Husband, I prithee sweet lamb…What is it mouse” She admires how pretty the boy actor playing Humphrey is and wonders if he didn’t go to Mulcaster’s school [famous pederast—Hobbinoll in SC]

4. Calls her chicken, lamb; she puts down Venturewell as “old stringer”

5. Humphrey courts Luce and speaks in silly rhyme; offers her gloves; very concerned about how much stuff costs but willing to spend all on her

6. She tricks him: No man shall ever joy me as his wife but he that stole me hence 117 Gets him to take her by horse through waltham forest

7. Wife objects to “stinking tobacco…you make chimneys of your faces” misunderstanding his reference to “make some smoke for’t”[error—like Humphrey’s]

G. Scene 1.3

1. Rafe enters reading “Palmerin of England”and offers commentary upon it, not distinguishing fiction from reality—“I wonder why the kings do not raise an army…and destroy these giants” 18

2. Rafe and Wife converse about the decline of chivalry and manners; Rafe expostulates, Quixote style, about the attraction of the knightly quest, egged on by Citizen and wife. “What brave spirit could be content to sit in his shop…”

3. He will become a grocer errant, called knight of the burning pestle—imaginative transformation; dream and poetry and lunacy—but he’ll keep remembrance of his old trade, approved by wife

4. Instructs his squires Tim and George to talk like a knight…”all horses palfreys”

5. Wife: “Do the gentlemen [on stage] like Rafe?

6. Squires having trouble memorizing their parts

7. Wife talking to him as he goes off stage: I prithee come again quickly

H. 1.4

1. Mistress merrythought: thou art a wastethrift and run away from thy master” just like your father. Blesses only her other son, Michael

2. Wife: ungracious child. Citizen: whoreson haltersack 31 ranting parents

3. Merrythought sings of his jolly red nose, chided by his wife. “If all should fail…[I’ll] laugh myself to death

4. Wife calls Citizen George and asks for penny in purse; talks to character on stage—they discuss Jasper

5. Merrythought gives Jasper ten shillings for his portion and a blessing

6. Mistress Merrythought will leave her husband with Michael

7. He sings anyway

I. Interlude 1

1. Boy dances; they want Rafe

J. 2.1

1. Humphrey tells Venturewell about elopement plan

2. Wife: I’ll go move the father for’t; Citizen: I’ll bring half a dozen good fellows myself…”

3. Venturewell: why …not here perform your marriage? 36

4. Humphrey doesn’t know, just the vow

K. 2.2

1. Mis. Merrythought and Michael have run away; she shows him her jewels

2. Citizen and wife worry about Rafe;

3. he enters in ridiculous armor with squires; scares away Ms. Merrythought who thinks they are giants—cf. Snout from Bottom

4. He vows to rescue her from giants

5. Wife is desperate to see more Rafe

6. *Enter Jasper; throws away ten shillings asking it to grow in ground and discovers cask left by his mother 94–what happens to the casket?

L. 2.3

1. Rafe Knight meets Ms. Merrythought: tell the story….of your disastrous fortune…he pledges to find it

2. Wife and Citizen are proud of Rafe’s performance and take credit for it

M. 2.4

1. Luce and Humphrey are lost in the woods; he is merry

2. Jasper arrives and beats him and sends him home, with nostrums from Luce

3. Wife comforts Humphrey; Citizen wants to have Rafe beat Jasper

4. Boy actor says that’s against the plot, Citizen insists

5. *Rafe sees Humphrey who complains about his beating, and gets distracted from the hunt of the casket by need to right Humphrey’s wrong

6. Jasper enters and Rafe insists on “restitution of that bright lady.”

7. They prepare to fight; Jasper grabs his pestle and attacks him parodying his knightly speech

8. Humphrey and Rafe both split [confusion in woods]

9. Japer goes off with Luce

10. Citizen surmises that Jasper is enchanted – he’s like the knight

N. 2.5

1. Wife to Rafe: There’s some sugar candy for thee

2. Ms. Merrythought and Michael are tired and hungry

3. Rafe comforts them and wife remembers how he had comforted her when their child was lost and almost drowned, saying “let it go I’ll get you another as good.” 25

4. George and Tim describe an inn as a castle, in flowery language

5. Rafe enters, Tapster humors him

6. Wife is hurt that Rafe has been defeated

O. 2.6

1. Venturewell: Jasper…oft hath urged to me thy foolishness; Humphrey: I’ll get six horses and to each a saddle

2. Cit and wife lay bets about Luce’s location “now”

P. 2.7

1. Merrythought—will sing because he has one more day of food—says tailor who doesn’t sing “his mind is of nothing but filching”

2. Wife now distrusts her tailor

3. Merrythought sings laughing song

4. Wife wants hubby to be merrier

5. Venturewell wants Merrythought’s help to find daughter; Merrythought: “if both my sons were on the gallows, I would sing”

6. Merrythought makes fun of grieving father, Venturewell will be revenged.

Q. Interlude 2

1. Malapropisms about songs, poems, and paintings between Wife and Citizen

R. 3.1

1. Jasper and Luce, lost in the woods, are happy together

2. She wont sleep; they sing—a song with ambiguous lyrics about love

3. She finally does sleep; he states blessing over her—like MND

4. He states that she is perfect, but then reflects that jealousy and making up are the best parts of love—cf White Devil. So he decides to test her

5. Nightmare in woods—like MND. He threatens her life with his sword, because her father has wronged him

6. Wife says call the police

7. Luce is ready to die and still love him

8. Venturewell and Humphrey and men take Luce away from him

9. Jasper despairs for his folly and misfortune

10. Wife is trembling

11. Citizen: hug in my arms --fiction taken literally

S. 3.2

1. Rafe cant pay the bill except with romantic words

2. Citizen pays bill to “Knight of the Bell”

3. Ms. Merrythought and Michael decide to go back to father

4. *Wife gives her cures for chilblains, including “put his fingers between his toes and smell to them; its very sovereign for his head, if he be costive”

5. Host sets up trick for new quest for Rafe—Describes barber in terms that sound like an evil giant--Barbaroso

6. Wife worries about what will happen—[she is as deluded as Rafe—theatre and books]

7. *Wife gets distracted talking about other shows—battle of scotchman and dutchman, liked best the child with large member and the hermaphrodite

8. Also Joan and the wall

T. 3.3

1. Mistress Merrythought sent back off stage because wife wants to see Rafe fight Barbaroso right away, the boy from the company objects but yields when promised this will be last intrusion

2. *Wife kisses him and finds his breath smells of worms; suggests remedy

U. 3.4 *[the fight scene: cf. HV, Tamb, RIII, White Devil, MND, Volpone]

1. Barber has been clued in and humors him as giant: Saint George for Me/Gargantua for me

2. *Wife and citizen are rooting and coaching him in the fight—up,up, up, up

3. Rafe knocks down barber who says: Thou hast the day

4. He frees the customers with shaving cream on the face and with patches on nose—sir pockhole

5. More customers in tubs for syphillis cure—man and woman with enema on diet—yuck

6. Wife says gentlemen on stage like Rafe

7. Rafe forgives repentant barber

V. 3.5

1. Mistress merrythought allowed to come back on. She returns home to a mess and dogs in the house. She yells at him about her lineage

2. He wont let her back in; still singing with companions—light music and more wine

3. Wife is angry with Merrythought, Citizen questions that; she goes after him sharply*; he backs off

4. She scolds Merrythought, who sings her a great reply* and she gets upset and sends husband for a drink

5. *Mistress Merrythought; Now a churls fart in your teeth—she’ll go elsewhere—she’s like Wife; lines getting blurred

W. Interlude 3

1. *George brings the beer and she offers some to the gentlemen onstage

2. She generously tips the boy who dances but not the ones she asks for. [she’s had a few]

X. 4.1

1. Jasper sends a letter

2. Wife and Citizen plan to trap Jasper

3. Wife invents more adventures for Rafe—in romance language—with the King of Cracovia’s daughter

4. Boy states limits of production—no house covered with black velvet

5. Citizen insists that decorum permits grocer’s apprentice to marry royalty, in keeping with earlier plays

Y. 4.2

1. Lady Pompiona asks Rafe to stay—he names his heritage as apprenticeship contract

2. Rafe refuses to wear her favor, since she trusts in AntiChrist and he has a lady at home

3. *Citizen gives him money to leave in King’s house and he distributes it with close accounting—see Bottom and the fairies

Z. 4.3

1. Venturewell locks up daughter Luce—cf. Jonson—and again promises her to Humphrey

2. Ms. Merrythought looking for him to place her son michael with the innkeeper at Waltham

3. He refuses angrily wanting revenge against her husband for laughing at him

4. She takes Michael to his nurse for them all to knit stockings—her honest pursuit of job for him

5. *Boy brings letter from Jasper asking forgivenesss and that his body be brought to Venturewell’s house after Jasper’s apparent suicide

6. Luce’s tragic woe is me

7. Coffin brought in with Jasper’s suicide message of apology – good plotting

8. She will suicide too a la Romeo—sings—pyramis and thisbe

9. Jasper comes out of coffin—funny—they clinch

10. He’ll put her in coffin to get her out—clever…no interruptions here

11. Venturewell convinces coffin carriers to take body to Merrythought in order to plague him with dead son

AA. 4.4

1. Merrythought sings a “song of the good life”

2. Boy tells him his credit is used up at tavern

3. He sings abouit Jillian of Berry—whom you don’t have to pay (!)

4. No bread, they sing a catch

BB. Interlude 4

1. Citizen wants Rafe to come in as May King, ignoring plot to dismay of players

2. He comes in singing a reverdie and maying song—invoking the festival of the lovers in MND

CC. 5.1

1. Venturewell planning small wedding of Humphrey and Luce

2. Jasper comes in as ghost—Spanish Tragedy—Richard III—Hamlet—he’s a real poet—threatens Venturewell who asks what he can do

3. “Father-Son” talk of V and H. V beats him out of the place following ghost’s instruction

4. Humphrey will grieve in the dark

5. Wife getting bored, thinks of a task for Rafe—assemble youths in Mile End and give military speech like HV. Citizen remembers his military glory; wife humors him—second digression after king of May

DD. 5.2

1. Rafe drilling his company

2. Obscene references to “touchhole”—obscenity in MND “cherry lips on the wall’s hole”; leads a marching drill

3. Speech before battle—st. george

4. Citizen and wife are impressed

EE. 5.3

1. Merrythought sings without beer

2. Coffin arrives; he sings at his son’s death; sings to Jaspers ghost—lunatic, lover and poet—a merry ghost

3. Luce emerges from coffin

4. Ms. Merrythought back at the door with Michael—he wont let them in unless they sing; they pick “A Lady’s daughter of paris”

5. Venturewell arrives and Jasper and Luce hide—Merrythought wont let him in unless he sings—fortune my foe. He asks foregiveness and repents his hard-heartedness—cf. Egeus

6. V. must forgive his son—they all embrace—comic ending

7. Citizen doesn’t like it—wants Rafe to come in and die—Boy objects that shouldn’t happen in comedy

8. He enters with arrow through his head and tells story of his adventures and death coming and sprinkling pepper on him. He went to Moorfields and met death again which shot him. He dies operatically—tragic ending

9. Merrythought and company sing—Heigh ho tis naught but mirth/that keeps the body from the earth.

FF. Epilogus

1. Invites the gentlemen to come to her house of a drink and a smoke and to enjoy Rafe.