Michaelmas Term (play)
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Michaelmas Term is a Jacobean comedy by Thomas Middleton. It was first performed in 1604 by the Children of Paul's, and was entered into the Stationers' Register on May 15, 1607,[1] and published in quarto later that year by Arthur Johnson. A second quarto was printed in 1630 by the bookseller Richard Meighen.
[edit] Summary
The play begins with a dialogue between the four terms of the year, Michaelmas Term, Hilary Term, Easter Term, Trinity Term, and about events happening during Michaelmas Term with references to the legal activities of the Inns of Court. The play takes place at the beginning of Michaelmas Term.
The main plot in the play is that of Master Quomodo, an arch-cozener. Being a rich merchant (he is a woolen draper) but lacking a gentry title, he wants to possess a patch of land in the countryside to establish his son Sim as a real gentleman. To acquire the land, Quomodo gulls a real peer, the gentleman Richard Easy, of his lands with the help of two accomplices, Shortyard and Falselight, who are both assuming false identities. Blastfield approaches Easy in the name of common acquaintance and lends him money for dicing. He acts the part of the benevolent and helpful friend to beguile Easy. Then Easy, trusting both Quomodo and Shortyard, enters a bond for two hundred pounds. A month later, Shortyard having disappeared, Easy has to pay for the bond and bequeath his land on Quomodo. Shortyard and Falselight both appear together as Sergeant and Yeoman to arrest Easy, and then as wealthy citizens to serve bail.
Quomodo's son, Sim, though develops a wasteful attitude and has no respect for his father's works. Thus, Quomodo tries to make him aware of his duties as an adult and feigns death. However, the plot backfires as Sim immediately starts spending his heritage after his father's false death and as Quomodo's wife, Thomasine, acknowledges her love for Easy. After that, Shortyard grasps the chance to seize the ill-gotten wealth of his master Quomodo. He cozens the profligate Sim and acquires Easy's lands for himself, but in the end he also fails and the land ownership is returned to Easy. Quomodo is finally stripped of all his possessions by his own mistakes.
Another plot is played around Master Andrew Lethe. He is the son of a toothdrawer but pretends to be a gentleman by wearing expensive clothes. Lethe engages with Quomodo's daughter Susan and they plan to be married. Lethe encounters a country wench who has been seduced by his pander, Hellgill, on his behalf. The temptation and fall of Easy is parallelled with the temptation and fall of the country wench in the sub-plot. She is lured into believing she can be turned into a lady when she is offered a satin gown. Her own father, not recognizing her, is drafted into her service, like Lethe's mother. The country wench is turned into Lethe's courtesan, and learns his scheme of marriage with Quomodo's daughter Suzan and her consequent desertion. In the end, Lethe's is caught with the country wench on his wedding morning. The marriage with Susan is spoiled and Lethe has to marry the country wench.
[edit] Characters
-RICHARD EASY, a gentleman from Essex
-REARAGE, SALEWOOD & COCKSTONE, London gallants
-Ephestian QUOMODO, a woollen draper
-THOMASINE, Quomodo's wife
-SIM, their son
-SUSAN, their daughter
-SHORTYARD & FALSELIGHT, Quomodo’s cronies
-BOY, Quomodo's servant
-WINIFRED, Thomasine's maid
-Andrew LETHE, born Andrew Gruel, a Scottish upstart
-MOTHER GRUEL, Lethe's mother
-Dick HELLGILL (Pander)
-COUNTRY WENCH, also Courtesan and Harlot, Lethe's mistress
-Country Wench's FATHER
-MOTHER, an old woman
-MISTRESS COMINGS, a tirewoman
-TAILOR
-JUDGE
-DUSTBOX, a scrivener
-DRAWER
-MOURNERS
-SERVANTS
-OFFICERS
-LIVERY
-HOSPITAL BOYS
Characters in the Induction:
-MICHAELMAS TERM
-BOY, his servant
-HILARY, EASTER, and TRINITY TERMS
-POOR FELLOW, PAGE, and PANDER, in dumb show
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Induction
A figure representing Michaelmas Term changes out of his white ‘country’ cloak and into his black ‘city cloak’ (he notes that black is an appropriate color to be associated with the city because it is also the devil’s favorite color). His servant (a ‘boy’) tells him that several country litigants are on their way to London, planning to use their profits from the harvest to finance lawsuits. Figures representing the other three terms (Trinity, Hilary and Easter) enter, leading a ‘poor’ man who is made ‘rich’ as they present him with rich apparel, a page and a pander. This action represents the enrichment of the character Lethe, who has become well-off by exploiting the opportunities offered him in the busiest times of the year in the city, i.e., during the law terms.
The three terms greet Michaelmas and tell him that several more fools on are on their way. They express hope that he will spread the wealth around. Michaelmas promises them that there will be lawsuits enough to last for the next four years. After the three terms leave, Michaelmas remarks that, just as birds need many straws to build a nest, lawyers need many clients to build their wealth. Addressing the audience directly, he concludes the Induction by noting that the play isn’t called ‘Michaelmas Term’ because it deals with “great quarrels in law,” as some may think, but because it “presents those familiar accidents which happened in the town in the circumference of those six weeks whereof Michaelmas Term is Lord.”
[edit] Act 1, Scene 1, The middle aisle in St Paul’s Cathedral
Masters Rearage and Salewood, two London gallants, meet each other at St. Paul’s. Rearage asks how Salewood’s cousin, a prostitute, is doing. Salewood says she has contracted a venereal disease, so the family decided to send her to get married because “anything that is warm enough is good enough for them.” Rearage tells Salewood that Master Difficult, a lawyer, has died during the vacation period—probably because of an old frustration with the vacation period, which he believed to be too long (because it abetted his ability to make money).
Master Cockstone (testicle), a gentleman, enters with Master Easy, a landowner from Essex (a rural county Northeast of London whose farmers had a reputation for gullibility). Cockstone greets Easy and asks how long he has been in London; Easy says that he has only just arrived. He says that he has come to London because his Father has recently died. Cockstone tells him that he is now a free man, at liberty to make friends with whomever he pleases.
Cockstone takes Rearage aside and tells him that Easy is gullible and a poor judge of character—a “fresh” lad who “wants the city powd’ring”. Cockstone asks Rearage how the prospective match between himself and Master Quomodo’s daughter is going (Master Quomodo is a rich cloth merchant). Rearage tells him that he faces fierce competition from a rival suitor, Andrew Lethe, an upstart adventurer from Scotland who has recently become very rich in London (see Induction). Quomodo’s wife still prefers Rearage for a son-in-law, but Quomodo favors Lethe, and has ordered Rearage to stay away from his house.
Quomodo enters with his two accomplices, Shortyard (small penis) and Falselight. Quomodo orders Falselight to make the wares in his shop look “sleek with honest art to beguile the honest eye” (i.e., make cheap wares look deceptively expensive).Falselight exits to do as he is told. Quomodo next orders Shortyard to befriend and corrupt Easy, driving him into Quomodo’s debt so Quomodo can cheat him out of his land. “Give him a sweet taste of sensuality. Train him to every wasteful sin that he may quickly need health, but especially money.” Shortyard says he is the perfect man for the job and exits.
Andrew Lethe enters. Rearage tells Salewood that Lethe (known for his impudence, forgetfulness, lust falsehood and lack of wit) is his rival, the suitor whom Master Quomodo prefers. Rearage and Salewood greet Lethe warmly. Lethe apologize for not recognizing them, noting that he has been introduced to so many people lately, and has received so many gifts, that he has trouble remembering all of the people he is supposed to know. He invites all of the gentlemen present (Salwood, Rearage, Cockstone, Easy, etc) to a venison dinner that evening. They accept the invitation. Everyone except Lethe exits.
Lethe notes that his project to marry Quomodo’s daughter is going well except for one problem: Quomodo’s wife hates him. He wonders aloud why she should despise him so much—he has enough money to provide her daughter with the finest possible husband. He reads out a letter he has composed for Mistress Quomodo. In the letter, he says that the only imaginable explanation for her refusal to admit him as a son-in-law must be that she is, in fact, in love with him herself; if this is the case, he says, she need not worry; if he is permitted to marry her daughter, they will have plenty of opportunities to meet and make love without arousing suspicion. Lethe wonders aloud who he can get to deliver the letter for him—his page has been sent out on another errand and his pander (pimp) has been sent to the country to find women for him to have sex with (he notes that he will “be kind” to the women he seduces by paying them well for their services).
Lethe’s mother, ‘Mother Gruel’ enters. Lethe does not want to be seen talking to her because he wishes to disassociate himself from his former poverty in Scotland. Failing to recognize her own son, Mother Gruel asks Lethe if he has seen an ‘Andrew Gruel’ (Lethe’s former name), her son, whom she is looking for because her husband, his father, has died and she has no one to look after her. Lethe decides to hire his mother as his ‘drudge’ (a lowly servant who performs menial tasks such as delivering letters etc.), noting that she will never recognize him now that he has become rich and changed his name.
[edit] Act 1, Scene 2: A street in London
Lethe’s pander, Hellgill, has brought a ‘Country Wench’ to the city to be Lethe’s whore. He promises her that life as a city prostitute will far surpass her former life as a country maid. The wench admits that she is unable to resist the allure of luxuries, such as satin gowns.
Hellgill says that any woman will give up her chastity if offered enough money: “Why therefore take heart faint not all, / Women ne’er rise but when they fall; / Let a man break, he’s gone, blown up, / A woman’s breaking sets her up; / virginity is no city trade, / You’re out o’th’ freedom when you’re a maid. (i.e., a maid is imprisoned by her virginity) / Down with the lattice (your hymen) ‘tis but thin, / Let coarser beauties (penises) work within, / Whom the light mocks; thou are fair and fresh. / The gilded flies (rich men) will light upon thy flesh.”
[edit] Act 2, Scene 1: A room in a tavern. Rearage, Salewood, Lethe, Easy and Shortyard are playing dice
Shortyard introduces himself to Easy as ‘Blastfield’. He claims to be a friend of Master Alsup (an acquaintance of Easy’s from Essex), and says that, because Easy is a friend of Alsup’s, he will not want for money for as long as he is in London. Easy is pleased to make ‘Blastfield’s’ acquaintance. ‘Blastfield’ encourages Easy to drink and gamble, telling him not to worry about money. Easy continues gambling, and eventually loses all of his money to Lethe, who is on a winning streak. ‘Blastfield’ sends a servant to borrow money from Quomodo. Easy notes that ‘Blastfield’ seems to be well-regarded in the city. ‘Blastfield’ responds that, as long as man carries himself like a gentleman, people will look up to him: “Master Easy, let a man bear himself portly, the whoresons will creep to him o’their bellies, and their wives o’their backs; there’s a kind of bold grace expected throughout all the parts of a gentleman.” Easy seems very impressionable and is obviously attracted to the idea of becoming a gentleman. He decides to give up dice forever because of his loss, but quickly retracts the decision when ‘Blastfield’ tells him it would be ungentlemanly.
Hellgill arrives and tells Lethe about the girl he has brought from the country: “Young beautiful, and plump, a delicate piece of sin… newly come out of the barn.” Lethe asks if she is a wife or a maid. Hellgill says that she is “that which is daintiest,” a maid. Lethe says that he would prefer a wife because, to his mind, “adultery is great deal sweeter.” ‘Blastfield’s’ servant returns to report that Master Quomodo will lend Blastfield whatever money he may need. Lethe gives Hellgill a jewel to present to the Country Wench. The gentlemen all agree to meet again the following night.
[edit] Act 2, Scene 2: A street in the Holborn district of London
The Country Wench’s father has come to London to find his daughter. He has looked everywhere, but cannot find her. He says he knows the “man-devouring city” quite well because he “wasted his name and state” in London when he young.
[edit] Act 2, Scene 3: Quomodo’s shop in London
Mother Gruel enters to give the letter from Lethe to Quomodo’s wife, Thomasine. Thomasine is offended by the letter because Lethe has offered to love her only “for a need” (i.e., in an emergency): “I should fully scorn the man that should love me only for a need, I tell you… base, proud knave.” Thomasine instructs Mother Gruel to tell Lethe that he is not worthy to marry her daughter. Mother Gruel exits.
Quomodo enters with his daughter, Susan; he asks what all the commotion is about. Thomasine tells him that it is nothing—just a letter from Lethe. Quomodo says that Lethe would be a good husband for their daughter because he is rich. Susan says that she likes Rearage much better because he is a gentleman. Quomodo insists that Susan’s ‘likings’ are irrelevant. Thomasine argues that Rearage is a much better match because he is a landowner, and collects rent from his lands (she seems to feel that, despite Rearage’s precarious financial situation, he is still better off than Lethe, who is rich, but does not own any land).
Falselight enters and tells Quomodo that Rearage will soon arrive with Easy. Quomodo sends his wife and daughter away so he can talk business. Thomasine says she will watch the meeting from the courtyard above. Quomodo eagerly anticipates cheating Easy out of his “sweet, neat comely, proper, delicate parcel of land, like a fine gentlewoman I’th’waist.” (Note that Quomodo describes the country land in much the same terms that Lethe and Hellgill used to describe the Country Wench, esp. ‘delicate’).
Easy and ‘Blastfield’ (Shortyard) arrive to borrow money from Quomodo. Quomodo tells them that he cannot lend them any cash at the moment because his funds are tied up in other loans, which remain unpaid. This news worries Easy; he does not have any money and he has invited Rearage Salwood, Lethe, etc. to dinner that evening. Quomodo suggest a solution: Instead of cash, he will loan them two hundred pounds worth of cloth, which he says they will be able to sell to any merchant in town. (Falstaff pulls a similar scam to this in Henry IV, part 2). Watching the swindle from the balcony above, Thomasine notes Quomodo’s cruelty and expresses sympathy for the gullible Easy. She compares the dealings to an execution.
Quomodo sends for a scrivener to draw up a contract for the loan. The debt is, in fact, ‘Blastfield’s’, but ‘Blastfield’ asks Easy to sign the contract as well because Quomodo insists on a guarantor. Falselight (posing as a servant) is sent out to find merchants who might want to purchase the fabric. He returns not long thereafter to report that, because the passage route across the English Channel is blocked, none of the cloth merchants in town are willing to make any new purchases. Quomodo says he knows of another merchant, ‘Master Idem’, who has recently set up in business and might be willing to purchase the cloth. The only problem, he says, is that the might have to sell the cloth at a loss. Easy says that he would be willing take as little as 80 pounds—all he really needs at present is enough money to pay for the dinner (Quomodo has promised to lend them 300 pounds in four or five days time). Falselight is sent to summon Master Idem to come look at the cloth.
Thomasine enters. Easy greets her politely. She is impressed by his manners. She introduces her son, Sim, a student who has just returned from Cambridge and spouts awkward Latin (compare with Tim Yellowhammer from A Chaste Maid in Cheapside.) Falselight enters, disguised as ‘Master Idem’, and offers 60 pounds for the cloth. Easy agrees to the deal. Everyone exits except Quomodo.
Quomodo congratulates himself on the swindle: “I’m Master Idem, he must fetch the money. First, I have caught him in a bond for two hundred pound, and now I have my two hundred pounds worth of cloth again for three-score (sixty) pound. Admire me, all you students at Inns of Cozenage (i.e., cheating lawyers).
[edit] Act 3, Scene 1: The Country Wench’s lodging in London
The Country Wench is dressed up as a gentlewoman. A tailor and a tirewoman (hairdresser), Mistress Comings, helps her get ready. Hellgill says that the Wench’s transformation is “glorious”: “Who would think this fine sophisticated squall came out of the bosom of a barn and the loins of a hay-tosser?” The country wench asks Hellgill if he has managed to find a servant for her yet. Hellgill says he thinks he has, and introduces the Country Wench’s father (in disguise). Neither father nor daughter recognize each other; they agree to a one-month trail employment.
Rearage and Salewood enter to check out the Country Wench. They deliberately infuriate Lethe by openly courting (i.e., trying to make love to) her. Lethe does his best to disguise his anger. The Country Wench’s father observes the scene with disapproval: “But I scarce like my mistress now; the loins Can ne’er be safe where the flies be so busy. Wit, by experience bought, foils wit at school, Who proves a deeper knave that a spent fool? (In other words, nothing can match a prolonged experience of the world to learn the ‘wit’ of deep knavery—and yet, in the end, it’s merely the wit of a ‘spent fool’, someone sexually and materially depleted).
Easy enters with Shortyard (pretending to be ‘Blastfield’). Shortyard/‘Blastfield’ notes that “we” (by which he means himself and Easy, even though the debt is supposed to be his alone) “now owe Quomodo 700 pounds. Lethe greets ‘Blastfield’ and Easy and complains about the way that Shorthand and Rearage are carrying on with the Wench: “I invited ‘em hither to look upon her, brought ‘em on a long with me, gave ‘em leave to salute her in kindness; what do they do but most saucily fall inlove with her, very impudently court her for themselves, and, like two crafty attorneys finding a hole in my lease, go about to defeat me at my right. (141-145)” As soon as they see her, Shortyard and Easy lavish attention on the Wench as well. The Wench eventually pushes them all off.
Mother Gruel arrives with some wine. Lethe tells the men about the letter he has sent to Mistress Quomodo and asks Mother Gruel what Thomasine’s reply was. Mother Gruel tells him—in front of everyone—that Thomasine calls him a base, proud knave who has no hope of marrying Susan. Everyone exits except the Country Wench and her father. The Country Wench is upset to hear that Lethe is contemplating marriage. She exits. The Country Wench’s father delivers a short speech on the cruelty and folly of prostitution.
[edit] Act 3, Scene 2: A street in London near St. Paul’s
Shortyard, a Yeoman and Falselight (disguised as a Sergeant) enter and arrest Easy for unpaid debts. The ‘Sergeant’ tells Easy that he must find someone to pay his bail or go to prison. Easy says the only people in London he knows who he could apply to for help are ‘Blastfield’ and Quomodo.
[edit] Act 3, Scene 4: Quomodo’s shop
Shortyard’s servant tells Quomodo that Shortyard and Falselight will bring Easy to the shop soon. Quomodo looks forward to cheating Easy out of his land. Shortyard and Falselight, disguised as ‘Sergeant’ and ‘Yeoman’, lead Easy in. Quomodo tells Easy that, since the debts are due and ‘Blastfield’ cannot be found, Easy is responsible for the 700 pound debt, and must pay immediately or be sent to prison. Easy protests that the debt is, in fact, Blastfield’s, not his—and Blastfield will surely be along soon to pay the debt. Quomodo insists that Easy must pay the debt. Feigning sympathy for Easy, the ‘Sergeant’ offers to summon two wealthy citizens, philanthropists who are known for arranging bail for noblemen in situations such as this. Easy thanks them for the favor. The ‘Sergeant’ and ‘Yeoman’ exit to summon the citizens, leaving Easy as Quomodo’s prisoner. Quomodo lectures Easy on the necessity of paying debts. Thomasine watches in disgust.
Falselight and Shortyard re-enter, disguised as wealthy citizens in silk suits. ‘Blastfield’s’ servant enters with ‘good news’ for Easy; ‘Blastfield’ has received 1000 pounds and will meet Easy for dinner that evening. Relieved by this news, and confident that the debt will soon be repaid, Easy enters into a bond with the ‘citizens’, putting his lands up as collateral; the citizens, in turn, settle the debt with Quomodo. The ‘citizens’ and Easy hurry off to find ‘Blastfield’ so that the citizens’ loan can be immediately repaid.
[edit] Act 3, Scene 5: A London street
Rearage tells Salewood about a letter he plans to send to Quomodo, which discloses all the details of Lethe’s various lecheries. Easy enters with a ‘wealthy citizen’ (Shortyard), looking for ‘Blastfield’ (Shortyard). Rearage and Salewood tell Easy that ‘Blastfield’ has not been seen for two days. Lethe enters; he tells Easy that he has not seen ‘Blastfield’ for two days. Easy begins to fear that he will be undone.
[edit] Act 4, Scene 1: Quomodo’s shop
Easy enters with Shortyard and Falselight, who are disguised as wealthy citizens. Because ‘Blastfield’ cannot be found, the ‘citizens’ and Quomodo say that the debt will have to be settled by signing Easy’s lands over to Quomodo. Easy curses Quomodo and exits.
Worried about what might become of his new lands after he dies, Quomodo lays a plan to leave everything to his son, then fake his own death so that he can watch the reaction to his death—how much his wife will pay for his funeral, whether Shortyard and Falselight will attempt to usurp his son’s inheritance, etc.
[edit] Act 4, Scene 2: The Country Wench’s lodging in London
The Country Wench’s father scolds his daughter (though he does not realize she is his daughter); he thought she was an upright gentlewoman, but she has turned out to be a “wicked bawd”. The Country Wench responds that prostitution in just another trade, like any other, and all gentlewomen are sinners, one way or another.
[edit] Act 4, Scene 3: Outside Quomodo’s shop
Quomodo is pronounced dead (he has made arrangements to procure a falsified death certificate). Shortyard immediately begins to lay plans to cheat Quomodo’s son out of his inheritance. Secretly thrilled by the news of her husband’s death, Thomasine instructs her maid, Winnifred, to anonymously deliver a letter and a ring to Master Easy’s lodgings (she has apparently sent Easy some money as well). As Winnifred leaves, Thomasine says that she plans to do Easy some good and get a little pleasure for herself as well—for the time being, however, she will pretend to be in mourning. Rearage enters. Thomasine tells him that, in truth, she is not very upset about her husband’s death because he treated her terribly. Rearage says that he doesn’t blame her. Thomasine says that, now that Quomodo is gone, Rearage will be able to “tread over” Lethe and marry her daughter.
[edit] Act 4, Scene 4: Outside Quomodo’s shop
Disguised as a beadle, (a funeral marshal), Quomodo marvels at the extravagancies of the funeral his wife has arranged (she has hired several ‘counterfeit’ mourners). He begins to worry that, by faking his death, he may have caused his wife too much grief, which might kill her.
Eavesdropping on the conversations of liverymen in the funeral procession, Quomodo discovers that people don’t have very many good things to say about him. He extends his condolences to his son, Sim, who brushes him off, insisting that his father was a “lewd fellow”-- not “honest” at all. Quomodo is shocked to hear his son’s true opinion of him. Sim adds that he is glad that his father is dead because he is now rich. He also mentions that he has made Shortyard the rent-gatherer for his new lands. Shocked and enraged, Quomodo vows to disinherit his “most neglectful son”. Thomasine enters with several mourners (all counterfeit). Easy enters close behind. Thomasine makes a great show of grief and pretends to swoon. Satisfied with his wife’s emotional display, Quomodo exits, following the funeral procession. Left alone with each other, Thomasine and Easy declare their love for each other and make plans to get married.
[edit] Act 5, Scene.1: Quomodo’s shop
Shortyard enters with Quomodo’s legal papers, which he has acquired by cheating Sim out of his entire inheritance. The legal papers include the conveyance on Easy’s property to the ‘citizens’ (subsequently transferred to Quomodo and Sim) as well as the preliminary bonds made by ‘Blastfield’ and Easy.
Thomasine and Easy enter, now married. Easy accuses Shortyard (whom he sarcastically refers to as ‘Blastfiled’) of swindling him out of his lands (Thomasine has apparently informed him of all details of Quomodo’s scheme). He threatens to haul Shortyard before the courts and have his ears cut off (a common punishment). Shortyard defends himself by saying he has cheated Sim Quomodo in order to help Easy reclaim his lands. He offers Easy all of Quomodo’s papers. Easy takes the papers, but says that he still intends to have his revenge. He orders a pair Officers to arrest Shortyard. The Officers arrest Shortyard and carry him off.
Quomodo enters. He does not realize that his wife has re-married, and is still under the impression that she is profoundly grieved by his death. Still disguised as a Beadle, he approaches Thomasine to request payment for his services at the funeral. Thomasine pays him and has him sign a memorandum certifying that he has been paid all that he is owed. To surprise his wife and reveal his true identity, he signs his real name, “Ephestian Quomodo” to the memorandum. Because Easy is now Thomasine’s husband, and thus the master of the household, the memorandum reads as follows: “Memorandum: that I have received of Richard Easy all my due I can claim here I’th’house or any hereafter or before me. In witness whereof I have set to mine own hand: Ephestian Quomodo.” (In short, the memorandum now states that Easy no longer owes Quomodo anything).
Easy enters. When Quomodo hears Easy and Thomasine referring to each other as ‘husband’ and ‘wife’, he goes berserk and reveals his true identity. Thomasine receives him coolly, and denies that he is actually her husband. Quomodo storms out, threatening to bring the matter before a judge.
[edit] Act 5, Scene 2: A London street
Lethe has been caught with a harlot and arrested by two officers. He begs them to take a bribe and let him free because it is his wedding day (a lie). Rearage and Susan (Quomodo’s daughter) watch as Lethe is carried off. Susan says it is now obvious that Lethe is a “base slave” while Rearage is a “true gentleman”. They plan to get married immediately.
[edit] Act 5, Scene 3: A judge’s house
Easy and Thomasine are talking with the judge. Two officers hold Shortyard and Falselight in custody. Easy tells the judge that the plaintiff (Quomodo) is an odious schemer, one way or the other—they can’t even be sure if he is the real Quomodo, and if he is, then he is guilty of an outrageous deception. Quomodo insists that he is Quomodo, that Thomasine is his wife and that Shortyard and Falselight are wrongfully bound. To see if he is the real Quomodo, the judge asks Quomodo if he is an infamous cheater; Quomodo says he is not. The judge asks if he is the man who cheated Easy out of his lands; Quomodo says he is not. The judge says that, if these answers are true, then he cannot be the real Quomodo, and must be whipped as a counterfeit. To avoid a whipping, Quomodo admits that he cheated Easy out of his lands. Satisfied with this confession, the judge decides that he must be the real Quomodo.
Quomodo believes that he will still be able to get away with Easy’s lands now that his identity has been re-established. This hope is quickly dashed: Easy produces the memorandum with Quomodo’s signature, which certifies that he no longer owes Quomodo anything. Shortyard tells how he cheated Sim out of his entire inheritance and transferred all of Quomodo’s legal documents back to Easy.
Officers bring in Lethe and the Harlot, followed by Rearage and Susan. The officer tells the judge that Lethe has been caught with a Harlot—on the day of his wedding! (Recall that Lethe told the Officers that it was his wedding day in an attempt to convince them to set him free). The judge says that, if he prefers his Harlot to his wife, then he ought to marry the Harlot. The Country Wench interjects to say that Lethe has vowed to marry her (a lie). In order to deflect blame for pandering from himself, Hellgill backs up the Wench’s story, and adds a few details of his own. He says that Lethe promised to marry the Country Wench before seducing her, but changed his mind afterward. The judge decides to punish Lethe and force him to marry the Country Wench. Lethe protests that he has a prospective bride—Susan Quomodo—already waiting for him. Salewood reveals that this is a lie by announcing that Susan and Rearage have recently been married.
Rearage tells the judge that Lethe has hired his own mother to work as his drudge. Lethe tells the judge that he is content to marry the Country Wench, but begs him to forgo the punishment. The judge says that the punishment will not be lifted unless Lethe can convince his mother to forgive him. Lethe reveals himself to his mother and begs for her forgiveness. Mother Gruel is amazed at how thoroughly the city has corrupted her son. The judge rules that the ruined Quomodo is his “own affliction,” and does not need to be punished any further; Shortyard and Falselight are banished forever.
[edit] References
- ^ Paster ed., Introduction p. 1
[edit] Bibliography
- Middleton, Thomas: Michaelmas Term, ed. by Gail Kern Paster; 2000, Manchester University Press and Room 400.
