Publication Details | Synopsis | Secondary Commentary |Varieties & Dialects | Other
Publication details |
Author: Cumberland, Richard
Author dates: 1732-1811
Title: The Choleric Man
First played: 1774
First published: 1775, for T. Becket [etc.] 92 p.
C18th availability: Available from ECCO (1775)
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/ECCO?dd=0&locID=utoronto_main&d1=0670102800&srchtp=b&c=3&SU=All&d2=1&docNum=CW3313793233&b0=the+choleric+man&h2=1&vrsn=1.0&b1=KE&d6=1&ste=10&dc=tiPG&stp=Author&d4=0.33&n=10&d5=d6
Modern availability: Available from LION (1997)
http://lion.chadwyck.com/toc.do?action=new&divLevel=0&mapping=toc&area=Drama&id=Z000069792&forward=tocMarc&DurUrl=Yes
Genre: Comedy
Trend(s): Class; Contemporary Satire
Character types: Country; Educated Male; Servant; Legal; Professional Female
Synopsis |
Charles Manlove and his boorish brother Jack Nightshade offer differing portrayals of the city and the country. After some mistaken identities, Manlove marries Laetitia Fairfax, and Jack goes travelling with his choleric father.
Act I.
Manlove, a bachelor lawyer, reads out the cases given to him by his clerk Frampton. Dibble takes some papers from Manlove to Miss Fairfax. Gregory, Nightshade’s servant, arrives to visit Dibble; they discuss Charles Nightshade’s transformation to Charles Manlove, Esq. Charles Manlove’s brother John Nightshade plans to escape their choleric father in the country and come to London to see his brother. The postscript of John’s letter tells Dibble and Gregory that he is looking for a “clean tight wench”. Dibble has a woman in mind for this purpose. The elder Manlove is half-brother to Andrew Nightshade, the boys’ father; he has brought Charles up in the town, while Andrew has brought Jack up in the country. Manlove sees Gregory, who tells him that Nightshade has come from the country because he has quarreled with the parson about game. Andrew Nightshade arrives; the half-brothers disagree over the upbringings of the two boys. Nightshade goes to his residence at Stapleton’s. Charles Manlove instructs his servant Frederick to set the table in preparation for his uncle Manlove’s visit that evening. Jack Nightshade arrives, to the brothers’ mutual joy. Jack has come to town without his father’s knowledge. He dresses up in Charles’ fine clothing and takes money from him. Charles warns him that he may not have enough knowledge of the world to be able to act properly in the city, but Jack does not listen to Charles’ cautionary speeches.
Act II.
Stapleton, his wife, and his ward Laetitia Fairfax eat breakfast. Laetitia has received legal documents from Manlove that show that Stapleton has been an excellent and kindly guardian. A servant announces that Nightshade and Manlove have arrived. Stapleton warns Laetitia that there may be a special clause pertaining to the article of marriage, and that Charles Manlove would be an excellent candidate for matrimony. Dressed as a town dandy, Jack recites witty phrases, to Dibble’s delight. Dibble instructs Jack in town behaviour. Jack decides to go about as Mr. Manlove; Dibble protests that Charles can carry this name by act of parliament, but Jack should not take a name on his own whim. Manlove tells Charles about Laetitia’s virtues; Charles agrees to meet the lady, but in the character of a painting instructor so that she does not put on artificial airs. Frampton advises Nightshade that it is against the law to pull down the vicar’s pigeon-house. Annoyed, Nightshade begins to cane Gregory; he is interrupted by Stapleton’s entry. Nightshade instructs Stapleton to leave off trade and tells him that thousands of weavers are rebelling and that the Portuguese treaties are worthless. Laetitia asks Lucy, her servant, about Charles Manlove’s character; Lucy’s brother is Manlove’s clerk. Laetitia wishes that she could meet Manlove alone; she is put off by men’s bluster when they are trying to impress a potential mate. Lucy announces a painter’s arrival, accompanied by a letter from the elder Manlove. Charles Manlove enters and falls in love with Laetitia at first sight. Dibble tells Lucy that Jack Nightshade is looking for a wife, and that she should present herself to him as Miss Fairfax. Old Nightshade cannot legally disinherit Jack even if he marries badly. Despite her misgivings at hearing of Jack’s boorish character, the ambitious Lucy agrees to try to snag him. Dibble sees Charles on the stairs, who warns him to keep his identity a secret; however, Dibble tells Lucy that the ‘painter’ is really Charles Manlove.
Act III.
Nightshade gives Stapleton outdated and unwanted business advice. Stapleton tells Nightshade that he should be happy to have produced such an excellent son (meaning Charles); Nightshade initially agrees, thinking he means Jack, but is taken aback by Stapleton’s praise of his son’s refinement. Nightshade wishes that Jack would marry Miss Fairfax, to Stapleton’s horror. A furious Nightshade quits the house. Laetitia says that she has lost her heart to the young painter; she and Mrs. Stapleton go to Manlove’s to see his exhibit there. Dibble brings a drunken Jack to visit Lucy; he is supposed to be Manlove, so she has assumed the role of Laetitia. Lucy and Jack get along splendidly until Lucy makes a derogatory remark about the “lad in the country”; Jack says that he will not love a woman who cannot love his countrified ‘brother’ more than himself, and exits. Charles says that he is ready to reveal himself to Laetitia. Jack comes in to say that he has visited Laetitia; Charles hopes that he has not insulted her. Jack tells Dibble that he will seduce Laetitia to take her away from his brother. Mrs. Stapleton and Laetitia arrive; Mrs. Stapleton assumes that Jack is Manlove. Jack shows them the pictures; Laetitia is appalled with ‘Manlove’s’ lack of taste, and warns him that Miss Fairfax will not appreciate his misinterpretations of famous paintings.
Act IV.
Lucy tells Dibble that she thinks that nothing but “shame and disappointment” will come from their project, but that she will go through with it nevertheless. Laetitia and Mrs. Stapleton return, Laetitia commenting that there was never such a great disappointment as Mr. Manlove. Jack Nightshade arrives at the house and visits with Laetitia without realizing that she is the real Miss Fairfax. They agree that they are disagreeable to one another. Gregory tells Jack that his “old Dadd” is about to arrive. Jack asks Gregory why there are two Miss Fairfaxes; Gregory replies that Dibble’s Miss Fairfax is the one with the fortune, and that the other is just a “hanger-on”, but Jack continues to smell a rat. Followed by an angry mob, Nightshade runs to Stapleton’s for safety. He has provoked the mob by knocking down a newspaper-man who shouted in his ear. Laetitia and Mrs. Stapleton enter and tell him that he may have dealt a final blow to a father of “eight helpless babies”. Gregory comes in to report that the man is dead. Stapleton goes to verify this; Laetitia tells Mrs. Stapleton to tell her husband to confirm that the man is dead (although he is still living) so that Nightshade is “made to feel”. Stapleton tells Nightshade that the man has been taken to the London Hospital. Nightshade muses; everyone thinks that he is repenting for his action, but this is false: he decides that his servant Gregory should stand in for him at trial. Gregory refuses to do so and tells Nightshade to give Jack the estate and to go to France. Still in his painter’s guise, Manlove tells Laetitia that he wants to introduce the real Manlove. Laetitia tells him that she has not been impressed by Manlove, whom she has already met, and that she is disgusted at his pretended expertise in painting. Stung, Charles bids her a final adieu. Lucy comes upon Laetitia unexpectedly; she tells Laetitia that she thought she was with Manlove. Laetitia realizes that Charles is really Manlove and that the other ‘Manlove’ is an imposter. When pressed, Lucy tells Laetitia that ‘Manlove’ is Jack, who is trying to avoid his father. Lucy cries, then admits that Jack has fallen in love with her.
Act V.
Jack and Dibble go to Stapleton’s. They meet a disconsolate Charles. Jack tells Charles that he intends to ask Laetitia to marry him. When Charles asks him to describe the lady, Dibble starts to run away, but Charles forces him to remain there. Instead of being tall and fair (as the real Laetitia is), Jack’s Miss Fairfax is short and dark. Charles realizes that ‘Miss Fairfax’ is Dibble’s sister Lucy. Jack refuses to hear him out, and proceeds to Stapleton’s. Nightshade asks Manlove for legal advice pertaining to his case: is it manslaughter or murder? Manlove counsels Nightshade to repent and henceforth not to harm any living creature. Nightshade throws down his cane. Laetitia paints; Charles arrives to speak with her, and she tells Lucy not to inform him that she knows that he is really Manlove. Laetitia tells him that she has changed her mind; she is interested in Manlove’s addresses. Thinking she means Jack, Charles Manlove is wretched. Charles admits he is Manlove and says that she favours his brother Nightshade; Laetitia laughs at him and says that she said Manlove, not Nightshade. Jack arrives and sees Lucy. Manlove and Nightshade enter, and Jack hides himself; thinking Jack is Stapleton, Nightshade teases him for his dalliance with the chambermaid. Mrs. Stapleton enters and opens the window, illuminating Jack. Nightshade accuses Charles of corrupting his brother. Jack tells his father that he wants to marry Miss Fairfax but that Charles has told him that his lover is not really the lady in question. He shows Lucy to the company, and the Stapletons laugh at him. Lucy leaves, saying that the gentleman’s poor education made him an appropriate husband for a chambermaid. Manlove encourages Nightshade to reconcile with Charles. Manlove offers Jack a home in the city, but Nightshade insists that Jack go travelling with him. Charles and Laetitia agree to get married, to the Stapletons’ and Manlove’s satisfaction.
Secondary commentary |
A) Joseph J. Keenan Jr., ‘Richard Cumberland: February 19, 1732-May 7, 1811’. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 89: Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Dramatists, Third Series. Edited by Paula R. Backscheider, University of Rochester. The Gale Group, 1989. LiteratureResourceCenter. 26 May 2008. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=utoronto_main&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13602361&n=10&docNum=H1200002662&ST=cumberland+richard&bConts=10927
"Also in 1774, Cumberland produced The Choleric Man, a solid comedy in the laughing tradition… The Choleric Man, a solid laughing comedy, builds on the conventional theme of demonstrating correct social values based on humanitarian benevolence; it laughs at the folly of these who have incorrect values while presenting the right way through exemplary characters. Its strength lies in its satire. At the heart of the play is the question of education: which brother will be the better man, the one grounded in the classics and the ground tour (Charles), or the one brought up to the fowling piece and the stable (Jack)? The answer is that a humanistic education improves natural goodness, but a country education creates a booby unprepared for and insensitive to the world. This theme is further embodied in the educators: Manlove, the town lawyer, has learned the value of humanity while his half-brother, Nightshade, has lived so long in the country that he thinks a pheasant as important as a man. The plot of the play turns upon a series of mistaken identities caused by Jack's disguising himself as Charles, proving himself a booby and creating one comic situation after another, culminating when the irascible Nightshade hits the postman on the head, and everyone avows he has killed him. The whole business is a ruse to make Nightshade aware of humanity, and as he stands aside to ponder his action, Laetitia, the heroine, reflects "that even the worst of men have moments of compunction." While this seems a natural opportunity for sentimental reformation, Cumberland instead shows Nightshade's mind wherein there is no repentance but a scheming to have his servant Gregory take his place at the trial. This most pleasing play enjoyed as much success as Sheridan's The Rivals, but it marked a falling off from Cumberland's extraordinarily popular West Indian and Fashionable Lover."
Varieties & Dialects |
Overview of varieties / dialects
The speech of the Nightshade brothers (Jack Nightshade and Charles Manlove) demonstrates the characters’ different levels of education (and their treatment of one another: Jack uses “you” when addressing Charles, who calls him “thou”). Jack Nightshade’s language has several grammatical errors. Frampton and Manlove, the lawyers, refer to legal statutes in their speech. Gregory, a country servant, uses non-standard vocabulary, orthography and grammar. Laetitia, the heroine, says “you was”.
Varieties / dialectsVariety: the Nightshade brothers
a. Sample of dialect
[page 14]
JACK.
Severe! there's been no scarcity of that, I warrant you; there's not a crab-stock in the neighbourhood, but what my shoulders have had a taste of it's fruit. Oh, you've a rare lot, Charles! a happy rogue! Look at me---Who wou'd think you and I were whelps of the same breed? You are as sleek as my lady's lap-dog; I am rough as a water-spaniel; be-daggled and be-mir'd, as if I had come out of the fens with wild fowl: Why I have brought off as much soil upon my boots only, as wou'd set up a Norfolk farmer.
CHARLES.
Well, well, Jack, we'll soon get thee into better trim.
JACK.
Then you must thrust me into a case of your own, for I've no more coats than skins: Father, to be sure, keeps it well dusted; but methinks I shou'd be strangely glad to see myself a gentleman for one hour or two.
b.1 Orthography
b.2 Grammar: Jack uses “you” when addressing Charles, who calls him “thou”
b.3 Vocabulary
c. Nationality: English
d. Character profiles: Charles has a university education, has travelled, and lives in London, while Jack has been raised in the country by his boorish father
e. Consistency of representation: consistent
Variety: Jack Nightshade (alone)
a. Sample of dialect
[page 19]
JACK.
Pshaw! I am merry enough when my belly's full, and father asleep; but what signifies a poor fellow's being witty, when there's nobody to laugh at his jokes? 'Tis the money in my pocket, Dibble, not [25] the clothes on my back makes me a wit; and when the wine mounts into my noddle, I shall be wittier still.
--
[page 52]
JACK.
There, Ladies; there they hang: A jolly crew of 'em. Old Ladies in furrs and furbelows up to their throats, and young ones without a rag to cover 'em: These painters are but scurvy taylors; they'll send a goddess into the world without a cloud to cover her: There are some pretty conceits go with their histories, but they will speak for themselves; I am but little in their secrets.
b.1 Orthography
b.2 Grammar: “the clothes…makes”; “there are some pretty conceits go” (missing “that”)
b.3 Vocabulary: “noddle” (head)
c. Nationality: English (country)
d. Character profile: ill-educated country rustic
e. Consistency of representation: consistent
Variety: Frampton
a. Sample of dialect
[page 25]
FRAMPTON.
In other words, it is a case clear to be apprehended: It hath reference to a pigeon-house, built and erected in a certain field, commonly known by the name of the Vicar's Homestead. Quære: Standeth not the said pigeon-house within the manorial rights of Calves-Town, and in that case, may not you, Andrew Nightshade,
[page 26 ]
Esq. lord of said manor, remove, or cause to be remov'd, said vicar's pigeon-house.
b.1 Orthography
b.2 Grammar: “it hath”; “Standeth” (archaic); “may not you” (syntax)
b.3 Vocabulary: “Quaere” (Latin)
c. Nationality: English
d. Character profile: lawyer
e. Consistency of representation: consistent (cf. Manlove)
Variety: Laetitia Fairfax
a. Sample of dialect
[page 32]
LÆTITIA.
Upon my word!
(aside.)
Come, Sir; we are here in the way of the family: allow me to shew you into another apartment.
(She stops.)
Was young Mr. Manlove at Rome when you was?
b.1 Orthography
b.2 Grammar: “you was”
b.3 Vocabulary
c. Nationality:
English
d. Character profile: an heiress and a painter
e. Consistency of representation: this is her only instance of non-StE
Variety: Gregory (servant)
a. Sample of dialect
[page 59]
GREGORY.
Ah, Master Jacky, keep close. Yonder's your old Dadd at the street door in a notable primmuniry.
JACK.
Death and the devil! how shall I break pasture without his seeing me?
GREGORY.
Never fear it; he has a job upon his hands will
[page 60 ]
tether him for one while. Egad, I hope they'll trea him with a ducking.
b.1 Orthography: “trea” (treat)
b.2 Grammar: “he has a job…will tether” (missing “that”)
b.3 Vocabulary: “primmuniry”; “old Dadd” (disrespectful); “a ducking” (?)
c. Nationality: English (country)
d. Character profile: much-abused country servant
e. Consistency of representation: consistent
Variety: Manlove (lawyer)
a. Sample of dialect
[page 78]
MANLOVE.
'Tis hard to say; juries are ticklish things; the law will look to the motives: If it shall appear that it was done not from the wickedness of the heart, but from the sudden heat of the passions , a jury will bring it in Manslaughter .
NIGHTSHADE.
Well, and don't all the world know there's not a more passionate man living than myself?
MANLOVE.
You have sometimes told me I was passionate; I never heard you say as much for yourself.
NIGHTSHADE.
But if there was no malice in the deed, how can it ever be deem'd murder?
MANLOVE.
Malice is threefold: First, malice express; secondly, malice implied; thirdly, malice prepense : Of each in their order---
b.1 Orthography
b.2 Grammar
b.3 Vocabulary: quoting from legal statutes shown in italics (e.g. “Malice is threefold” etc).
c. Nationality: English
d. Character profile: a wise and benevolent city lawyer
e. Consistency of representation: consistent (cf. Frampton)
City and country language :
[page 20]
JACK.
Well, well, Dibble, this is all easy enough: I shall be most at a loss for the lingo---what wou'd your worship have me say when I'm amongst my betters?
DIBBLE.
Nothing, I tell you.
JACK.
Nothing! how the duce then shall I shew my wit?
DIBBLE.
By holding your tongue; never speak yourself, nor smile at any thing spoken by another; reserve your wit for your creditors, they'll keep it in exercise; not but what there are other occasions for a man of fashion to shew his parts; as for instance, with a woman of modesty you may be witty at the expence of her blushes, or with a parson at the expence of his profession; these are cheap methods, be at no pains in the account, decency and religion will pay all costs, and you'll be clear of the courts.
Other points of interest |
None.
©2009 Arden Hegele