Love's Cure
Encyclopedia
Love's Cure, or The Martial Maid is an early seventeenth-century stage play, a comedy
in the canon of John Fletcher
and his collaborators. First published in the Beaumont and Fletcher folio
of 1647
, it is the subject of broad dispute and uncertainty among scholars. In the words of Gerald Eades Bentley
, "nearly everything about the play is in a state of confusion...."
, Philip Massinger
, Thomas Middleton
, William Rowley
, Thomas Dekker, John Webster
, James Shirley
, and even Ben Jonson
, in diverse combinations. The most common view is that the play is a work originally by Fletcher and Francis Beaumont
, later revised by Massinger. (The play's Prologue mentions Beaumont and Fletcher by name, while the Epilogue refers to a single author, probably meaning the reviser.) Massinger's revision was sweeping, covering most of Acts I, IV, and V. Cyrus Hoy
, in his survey of authorship problems in Fletcher's canon, produced a detailed breakdown of authorship shares among scenes, portions of scenes, and single speeches. Simplified to the level of whole scenes, Hoy's analysis yields this schema:
) by Guillén de Castro y Bellvis
— though this could have been the source for Massinger's revision only, which must have been executed after that date. The play's early performance history is unknown; it had passed into the possession of the King's Men
by 1641. Massinger, who served as a house dramatist for the King's Men through the mature phase of his career in the 1630s, may have done his revision of the play for a revival by that company, as he did for other Fletcher plays.
, the play concerns a feud between the houses of two Spanish aristocrats, Don Pedro de Vitelli and Don Ferdinando de Alvarez. Twenty years earlier, Alvarez had killed Vitelli's uncle in a duel
, and had fled Spain with his small son Lucio, leaving behind his wife Eugenia and daughter "Posthumia." In the play's opening scene, Vitelli reveals that Alvarez has been pardoned by King Philip
and is returning to the city. Serving during the Siege of Ostend
, Alvarez's son Lucio distinguished himself for bravery, and as his reward begged his father's pardon. Vitelli, however, is determined to fulfill the demands of his code of honor and obtain revenge for his uncle's death.
Alvarez's family situation reveals surprising complexities. Conversations between Alvarez and his "son" "Lucio," and between "daughter" "Posthumia" and the family servant Bobadilla, disclose two masquerades: the "Lucio" who won his father's pardon in battle is actually Alvarez's daughter Clara, who has been raised as a boy and has developed into a formidable warrior; and "Posthumia" is the real Lucio. Eugenia, left behind by her husband, concealed Lucio's gender to protect him from the vengeance of "Vitelli and his faction," and raised the boy as a girl. Now that the disguises are no longer necessary, the parents expect their children to accept their "natural" and socially appropriate roles as male and female; but both Lucio and Clara resist the change and cling to their long-familiar gender guises.
Clara cannot resist her combative instincts; when a street brawl breaks out between the Vitelli and Alvarez factions, she draws a sword and plunges in. Yet when she sees Vitelli fighting bravely, alone against her father and a follower, she so admires his courage that she fights on his side and saves him. The two are instantly attracted to each other. The situation is complicated, though, when Clara learns that Vitelli maintains a sexual relationship with the courtesan Malroda. The courtesan exploits Vitelli for gold and jewels, but is enamored of a man named Piorato — who, jealous of the nobleman, exposes Vitelli's affair to Clara. She is distressed by the knowledge — yet when Vitelli is set upon by Piorato and his followers, Clara grabs a sword and saves Vitelli again. The two come to an understanding: once Vitelli sees that he must give up sexual license, and once Clara is ready to sacrifice her masculine behaviors, they can agree to become husband and wife.
Alvarez tries several approaches to make his son Lucio more masculine, but without much success; he grows increasingly desperate and exasperated. In another street fight, elements of both factions are set upon by a gang of would-be thieves; Lucio finally fights when he sees his father in danger. He also meets Vitelli's sister Genevora, and the two of them quickly fall in love.
The King of Spain, tired of the long-running feud and civil strife, issues a proclamation allowing Vitelli and Alvarez to resolve their difference through a trial by combat. When the time for the combat comes, the intended duellists are interrupted by Clara, Genevora, and Eugenia, who plead for a peaceful resolution. The combatants are obdurate; but when the three women arm themselves with swords and a pistol and threaten to fight too, the men finally accept a peaceful compact. With the feud pacified, Vitelli and Clara, and Lucio and Genevora, are free to marry.
The play supplies abundant comic material through the corrupt constable Alguazeir and his group of tradesmen, who plan to become thieves but without the competence needed for success. Verbal fireworks between Malroda and Piorato, and Bobadilla and various characters, also contribute.
Love's Cure is one of the mere dozen plays in the Fletcher canon that were not revived in the Restoration
era — somewhat surprisingly, since the play exploits the titillation factor of gender cross-dressing. It was, however, reprinted in a single-play quarto
edition in 1718
.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
in the canon of John Fletcher
John Fletcher (playwright)
John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright. Following William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men, he was among the most prolific and influential dramatists of his day; both during his lifetime and in the early Restoration, his fame rivalled Shakespeare's...
and his collaborators. First published in the Beaumont and Fletcher folio
Beaumont and Fletcher folios
The Beaumont and Fletcher folios were two large folio collections of the stage plays of John Fletcher and his collaborators. The first was issued in 1647, and the second in 1679. The two collections were important in preserving many works of English Renaissance drama.-The first folio, 1647:The 1647...
of 1647
1647 in literature
The year 1647 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Thomas Hobbes becomes tutor to the future Charles II of England.* Plagiarist Robert Baron publishes his Deorum Dona, a masque, and Gripus and Hegio, a pastoral, which draw heavily on the poems of Edmund Waller and John Webster's...
, it is the subject of broad dispute and uncertainty among scholars. In the words of Gerald Eades Bentley
Gerald Eades Bentley
Gerald Eades Bentley was an American academic and literary scholar, best remembered for his The Jacobean and Caroline Stage, published by Oxford University Press in seven volumes between 1941 and 1968...
, "nearly everything about the play is in a state of confusion...."
Authorship
Early critics assigned the authorship of the play to Beaumont and FletcherBeaumont and Fletcher
Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I ....
, Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including A New Way to Pay Old Debts, The City Madam and The Roman Actor, are noted for their satire and realism, and their political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
, Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
, William Rowley
William Rowley
William Rowley was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626...
, Thomas Dekker, John Webster
John Webster
John Webster was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, which are often regarded as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.- Biography :Webster's life is obscure, and the dates...
, James Shirley
James Shirley
James Shirley was an English dramatist.He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so much for any transcendent genius in himself, as that he was the last of a great race, all of whom spoke nearly...
, and even Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
, in diverse combinations. The most common view is that the play is a work originally by Fletcher and Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont was a dramatist in the English Renaissance theatre, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher....
, later revised by Massinger. (The play's Prologue mentions Beaumont and Fletcher by name, while the Epilogue refers to a single author, probably meaning the reviser.) Massinger's revision was sweeping, covering most of Acts I, IV, and V. Cyrus Hoy
Cyrus Hoy
Cyrus Hoy was a literary scholar of the English Renaissance stage who taught at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, and was the John B. Trevor Professor of English at the University of Rochester...
, in his survey of authorship problems in Fletcher's canon, produced a detailed breakdown of authorship shares among scenes, portions of scenes, and single speeches. Simplified to the level of whole scenes, Hoy's analysis yields this schema:
- Massinger — Act I, scenes 1 and 3; Act IV, 1, 2, and 4; Act V, 1 and 2;
- Beaumont — Act III, scene 1;
- Fletcher — Act III, scene 5;
- Fletcher and Massinger — Act I, scene 2; Act III, 2 and 4; Act IV, 3;
- Beaumont and Fletcher — Act II, scene 1; Act III, 3;
- Beaumont, Fletcher, and Massinger — Act II, scene 2; Act V, 3.
Date
The date of the play is equally in dispute. Most scholars favor an estimate of c. 1612–15, though a date as early as 1606 has been proposed. A crucial source for the sole existing text has been identified as La fuerza de la costumbre (16251625 in literature
The year 1625 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - The King's Men act Henry IV, Part 1 at Whitehall Palace....
) by Guillén de Castro y Bellvis
Guillén de Castro y Bellvis
Guillén de Castro y Bellvis was a Spanish dramatist of the Spanish Golden Age.A Valencian by birth, he soon achieved a literary reputation. In 1591 he joined a local literary academy called the Nocturnos...
— though this could have been the source for Massinger's revision only, which must have been executed after that date. The play's early performance history is unknown; it had passed into the possession of the King's Men
King's Men (playing company)
The King's Men was the company of actors to which William Shakespeare belonged through most of his career. Formerly known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it became The King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron.The...
by 1641. Massinger, who served as a house dramatist for the King's Men through the mature phase of his career in the 1630s, may have done his revision of the play for a revival by that company, as he did for other Fletcher plays.
Synopsis
Set in SevilleSeville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, the play concerns a feud between the houses of two Spanish aristocrats, Don Pedro de Vitelli and Don Ferdinando de Alvarez. Twenty years earlier, Alvarez had killed Vitelli's uncle in a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
, and had fled Spain with his small son Lucio, leaving behind his wife Eugenia and daughter "Posthumia." In the play's opening scene, Vitelli reveals that Alvarez has been pardoned by King Philip
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
and is returning to the city. Serving during the Siege of Ostend
Siege of Ostend
The Siege of Ostend was a three-year siege of the city of Ostend during the Eighty Years' War and one of the longest sieges in history. It is remembered as the bloodiest battle of the war, and culminated in a Spanish victory...
, Alvarez's son Lucio distinguished himself for bravery, and as his reward begged his father's pardon. Vitelli, however, is determined to fulfill the demands of his code of honor and obtain revenge for his uncle's death.
Alvarez's family situation reveals surprising complexities. Conversations between Alvarez and his "son" "Lucio," and between "daughter" "Posthumia" and the family servant Bobadilla, disclose two masquerades: the "Lucio" who won his father's pardon in battle is actually Alvarez's daughter Clara, who has been raised as a boy and has developed into a formidable warrior; and "Posthumia" is the real Lucio. Eugenia, left behind by her husband, concealed Lucio's gender to protect him from the vengeance of "Vitelli and his faction," and raised the boy as a girl. Now that the disguises are no longer necessary, the parents expect their children to accept their "natural" and socially appropriate roles as male and female; but both Lucio and Clara resist the change and cling to their long-familiar gender guises.
Clara cannot resist her combative instincts; when a street brawl breaks out between the Vitelli and Alvarez factions, she draws a sword and plunges in. Yet when she sees Vitelli fighting bravely, alone against her father and a follower, she so admires his courage that she fights on his side and saves him. The two are instantly attracted to each other. The situation is complicated, though, when Clara learns that Vitelli maintains a sexual relationship with the courtesan Malroda. The courtesan exploits Vitelli for gold and jewels, but is enamored of a man named Piorato — who, jealous of the nobleman, exposes Vitelli's affair to Clara. She is distressed by the knowledge — yet when Vitelli is set upon by Piorato and his followers, Clara grabs a sword and saves Vitelli again. The two come to an understanding: once Vitelli sees that he must give up sexual license, and once Clara is ready to sacrifice her masculine behaviors, they can agree to become husband and wife.
Alvarez tries several approaches to make his son Lucio more masculine, but without much success; he grows increasingly desperate and exasperated. In another street fight, elements of both factions are set upon by a gang of would-be thieves; Lucio finally fights when he sees his father in danger. He also meets Vitelli's sister Genevora, and the two of them quickly fall in love.
The King of Spain, tired of the long-running feud and civil strife, issues a proclamation allowing Vitelli and Alvarez to resolve their difference through a trial by combat. When the time for the combat comes, the intended duellists are interrupted by Clara, Genevora, and Eugenia, who plead for a peaceful resolution. The combatants are obdurate; but when the three women arm themselves with swords and a pistol and threaten to fight too, the men finally accept a peaceful compact. With the feud pacified, Vitelli and Clara, and Lucio and Genevora, are free to marry.
The play supplies abundant comic material through the corrupt constable Alguazeir and his group of tradesmen, who plan to become thieves but without the competence needed for success. Verbal fireworks between Malroda and Piorato, and Bobadilla and various characters, also contribute.
Love's Cure is one of the mere dozen plays in the Fletcher canon that were not revived in the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
era — somewhat surprisingly, since the play exploits the titillation factor of gender cross-dressing. It was, however, reprinted in a single-play quarto
Book size
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...
edition in 1718
1718 in literature
The year 1718 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*November 1 - Lady Mary Wortley Montagu writes the last of her Turkish Letters, addressed to Alexander Pope....
.